Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
ACT English: Teacher’s Notes
English (45 minutes/ 75 questions):
First Section of the Test (out of 36 integers)
5 passages: 15 questions each (approximately 8 mins, 30 sec. per passage)
Combination of Usage/Mechanic and Rhetorical Skills questions.
- What Students Need to Know: Discuss the prescriptive grammar game of the
ACT English section. How does regarding the ACT and other standardized
tests as a game give the student an advantage? How do students equip
themselves in order to play the game? What rules do the ACT test makers
abide by when creating this game? How does the ACT function as a social
and prescriptive academic construct?
I.
USAGE/ MECHANICS:
Remember these guidelines:
Independent Clauses vs. Dependant* Clauses or Words= always
needs to be separated.
- Independent Clauses = complete sentences
subject (noun phrase) + predicate (verb phrase)
- Dependant* Clauses and Words (DCW*) = incomplete sentences
(describe the simplified version: fragments, starting with a verb,
special type - relative clauses, etc.)
- For the purposes of simplifying the need to separate IND from DCW*
clauses, DCW* clauses can be recognized as any fragment or group of
words that are not IND clauses.
- (Justification: Students are often confused by the inconsistent grammar training they receive in
school. Grammar lessons tend to be isolated and the types of non-independent clauses are
numerous. The IND vs. DCW* is a simplified means of encouraging students to quickly identify
grammatically correct syntax. DCW* represents dependent clauses, nonessential words, phrases,
and clauses, and transition words. The overall idea is that words and clauses that are separate from
the main IND clause are to be separated from DCW* elements by commas or conjunctions. There
are obviously exceptions to this rule. However, for students with inconsistent grammar training,
this binary can be a more accessible way to start identifying and creating complete sentences
without the confusion of grammar vocabulary.)
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
- Distinguish among verbs vs. copulas (linking verbs: is, seems) vs.
auxiliaries (helping verbs: will, might, could, should)
1) Comma usage:
a) Use a comma before the ‗and‘ in a list. Example: I like
strawberries, mangos, and kiwi.
b) Only use a comma before conjunctions like and, but, for, nor, or,
yet, so1 if the first and second clause are independent clauses. If a
DCW* starts with a verb and proceeds the IND clause, use only a
conjunction to separate.
IND, conjunction (and, but, yet, or, for, nor, so1) IND
Examples: I will eat the mangos, and Bob will eat the pie.
IND conjunction (verb) DCW*
Example: I will eat the mangoes and consume the pie later today.
c) Separate DCW* clauses from IND with a comma (specifically
dependent clauses or relative clauses) start with words like: after,
although, as, before, even though, in order to, since, though,
unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while1.
DCW*, IND
Example: Although Jamaal studied for his test, he found the problems
difficult to solve.
1. Purdue Online Writing Lab. (Purdue: 1995-2010).
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/01/>
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
d) Separate DCW* from an IND with a comma if the DCW* starts
with a participle (-ing verb).
IND, (-ing verb) DCW*
Example: I created a mess in the kitchen, knowing I would have to clean it
up later.
e) DCW* = transition words, IND
Examples: However, Bob ate all my pie.
Therefore, I did not taste any of the coveted pie.
f) IND1, DCW* = nonessential, IND1
Example: The group, including the members of the church, wanted to
stop at the nearest fast food restaurant.
(What is the independent? Where is the DCW*?)
2) Semicolon: IND; IND
Example: He said nothing; however, he had much to say.
Example: Juan was studying for his math test; he wanted an A.
Use a semicolon to separate listed items that already have commas.
Example: Maya visited San Francisco, California; Las Vegas, Nevada;
and Alaska.
(Even if one listed item has a comma, all the items must be offset with
semi-colons.)
3) Dashes: Use dashes for emphasis on the DCW*.
IND1 – DCW* – IND1 Example: Megan favors – as does Juan – the
science fiction genre.
IND – DCW*
The boy rode away into the sunset – a dream he had when he was an
embryo.
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
4) Colon: IND: DCW* (List of 4 or more) Listing – Use a comma after the
‗and‘
Example: I need the following tools for the project: a hammer, chisel,
poster, and glue. (4 or more)
IND: DCW* (explanation of IND)
Example: My teacher had said this about writing: think about voice and
audience.
5) Consistency:
 Be consistent in verb usage within the sentence, then within a
paragraph. Finally, be consistent within the passage. However, beware
of the passing of time within a story or passage that can influence the
tense use.
I am successful because I am now a doctor.
I once was a student, but I am currently a teacher.
 Narrator‘s tone and language: Be consistent with the tone, syntax, and
diction of the passage.
 Read for context to detect consistency!
6) Simplicity: Remember, you don‘t necessarily need to know the word in
order to infer what the ACT is asking you.
Ex: The boy could only be described as meek; and weak.
a) no change
b) meek, and weak.
c) meek.
d) meek – and weak.
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
(Choice c is not only valid according to our understanding of IND and
DCW*, but it is also the most simplistic because meek and weak are
synonyms).
 What is the simplistic form of a sentence with the same content? The
same message must be conveyed.
 Avoid redundancy. Avoid use of synonyms in the same sentence and
repetitions in thoughts or concepts within one paragraph, especially if not
necessary or consistent with the narrator‘s tone and objective).
7) Tricky homophone words like: it‘s vs. its, lay vs. lie, who vs. whom,
etc. The ACT likes to pick on the first and the latter.
Who vs. Whom
Who = subject
Whom = object
Who is it?
Whom do you like?
(Incorporate hand motions)
It‘s = It is
Its = possessive form of its
Lay = You lay an object down.
Lie = You lie down.
 Look for the corresponding verb within clauses.
Ex: Juan, whom I respected, was awarded the best citizenship award.
8) Prepositions: indicates position or placement in relative to a noun (over,
under, within, by, in, to), time (since), possessive quality (of)
Refer to lexis lesson.
Examples:
At nine in the morning (at - time)
At noon
Yujinia is on the bus (on vs. in).
Yujinia left her coat on the train.
Yujinia rides on the bike.
Yujinia is in the car.
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
Jasmine sleeps in the house.
9) American Idioms: socially and culturally expressions used mostly in
white, middle class discourse communities (We will look at these as we
encounter them.)
He‘s got a good head on his shoulders (He is smart)
He‘s a chip off the old block. (Son resembles his father)
* Multiple-Choice Tip: Discuss 25% probability of selecting NO CHANGE as an
answer. Discuss 33.3% probability of selecting OMIT as an answer.
******************************************************************
II. RHETORICAL QUESTIONS:
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Think about simplicity and consistency again.
Think about the genre of the writing. Personal narratives vs. expository.
Think about logic of word organization.
Read for context.
Study the questions. Familiarize yourself with what each question is asking.
Preparation is crucial for rhetorical questions.
Sample #1: “A Microscope in the Kitchen” (personal narrative)
Sample Source: act.org
For plankton tows, we would stand on the
bridge while Mom lowered a cone-shaped net that
is often used by marine biologists.(14) Then we would
patiently wait. After a while, she would pull up
the net, and we would go home. Later, we would
see her sitting at the kitchen table, peering
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
at a drop of water (15) through the lenses of her
microscope from the bottle—watching the
thousands of tiny swimming organisms.
14.Given that all of the choices are true, which one provides information that is
relevant and that makes the rest of this paragraph understandable?
F.NO CHANGE
G.had a specimen bottle attached to its smaller end.
H.was woven from cotton and nylon material.
J.was shaped like a geometric figure.
**Question: which one is most useful for the narrator? Think about: word
associations// tone = consistency in language use// narrator‟s voice.
[1] Often, my brother and I, joined our
mother on her adventures into tidal lands.
[2] At the very low tides of the full moon, when
almost all the water was sucked away, we found the
hideaways where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea
urchins hid in order not to be seen. [3] Sometimes we
would dig with shovels in the mud, where yellow and
white worms lived in their leathery tunnels.
13.Which of the following sequences of sentences makes this paragraph most
logical?
A.NO CHANGE
B.2, 1, 3
C.2, 3, 1
D.3, 1, 2
*Think about the use of pronouns and how one sentence should serve as an
extension of other sentences.
I learned early that the moon affected the tides. Mom was
always waiting for a full moon, when low tide
would be much lower than usual and high tide much
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
so its gravitational pull is stronger. I knew that it
took about eight hours for the tides to change from
high to low, sixteen hours for a complete cycle of
tides. (9) I didn‘t have to wait to learn these things
in school. In our house they were everyday knowledge.
9. If the writer were to delete the phrase ―sixteen hours for a complete cycle of
tides‖ from the preceding sentence (ending the sentence with a period), the essay
would primarily lose a detail that:
A.shows how the narrator‘s interests are different from the mother‘s interests.
B.contradicts a point made earlier in the paragraph.
C.helps establish the setting for the essay.
D.displays the narrator‘s knowledge of tides.
*What is this question asking? What does it mean to „lose a detail?‟ Reword the
question for yourself. “If you delete this phrase, what is the effect? What will
information will be lost?”
Everything was subservient to the disposal of the tides.
When the tide was low, Mom could be found down
on the mudflats. When the tide was high, she would be
standing on the inlet bridge with her plankton net.
I have great respect for my mother. I learned
early that the moon affected the tides. Mom was
always waiting for a full moon, when low tide
would be much lower than usual and high tide much higher.
6. Which choice most effectively signals the shift from the preceding paragraph to
this paragraph?
F.NO CHANGE
G. Our lives were likewise affected by the phases of the moon.
H.A relationship exists between the moon and the tides.
J.The moon is a mysterious orb afloat in the sky.
*Which choice serves as the best transition? (Hint: Read for context)
Developed and Used by: MTWW (P.Minegishi) 2008 –
2011
15. Suppose the writer had intended to write a brief essay showing how a value he
holds as an adult is very different from what he felt as a child. Would this essay
successfully fulfill the writer‘s goal?
A. Yes, because the essay shows how the writer came to value gardening when this
was something he had not appreciated as a child.
B. Yes, because the essay shows that as an adult the writer finally learned to value
his father‘s ability to be a good parent, when as a child he had not done so.
C. No, because the focus of the essay is on the writer‘s father‘s values and not on
the values of the writer himself.
D. No, because the essay is not about values; rather, it is about one man‘s avid
interest in backyard gardening.
* Reword: If the writer‟s goal was to show ________, then does this essay
accomplish this goal? Why?