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ACT - English > 14 Most Commonly Tested ACT Grammar Rules > Flashcards

14 Most Commonly Tested ACT Grammar Rules Flashcards

1
Q
  1. Surround Non-Restrictive Clauses and Appositives With Commas
A

relative clause: res vs non-res
- dependent clauses that describe a noun and start with a relative pronoun or adverb such as “who,” “that,” “which,” or “where.”

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2
Q

Rel clause res & non-res definitions

A

Restrictive- can’t remove clause w/o changing entire sent, shouldn’t be surrounded by commas
Non-restrictive- not essential to the meaning of the sentence

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3
Q

Relative clause: res vs non-res

A
  1. clauses that start w/ “which” are ALWAYS NON-restrictive

2. clauses that start with “that” are ALWAYS REStrictive

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4
Q

Appositive

A

descriptive phrase that doesn’t include a verb (can be removed w/o changing meaning of sent)

Lily, MY NIECE, is the most exceptional child in the world.

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5
Q
  1. Don’t Put a Comma Before or After a Preposition
A

ALWAYS INCORRECT to put a comma AFTER a preposition and very RARELY CORRECT to place one BEFORE

Error: Ana enjoys traveling, to Hawaii for fun.
Correct: Ana enjoys traveling to Hawaii for fun.

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6
Q

Exception: preposition introduces a non-restrictive clause

A

Cade, with whom I went to college, is an extremely skilled physician.

  • “with whom I went to college” = n-r c
  • n-r c must be surrounded by commas so comma before the preposition “with” is correct
  • RARELY comes up on ACT
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7
Q

Preposition

A

shows relationship between noun/pronoun & another word in the sent (often -ing)

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8
Q
  1. Don’t Separate Two Independent Clauses with a Comma
A

Comma splice- separating two complete thoughts with a comma is a grammar error (run-on sentence)

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9
Q

Comma splice example

A

I’m going to my friend’s house, it’s really far away.
- clauses before and after the comma are
complete thoughts that could stand alone
as sentences

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10
Q

Three Ways to Fix a Comma Splice

A
  1. Place a conjunction after the comma
    • I’m going to my friend’s house, BUT it’s really far away.
  2. Put a relative pronoun after the comma
    • I’m going to my friend’s house, WHICH is really far away.
  3. Use a semicolon to correctly separate two complete thoughts
    • I’m going to my friend’s house; it’s really far away.
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11
Q
  1. Use the Fewest Words Possible
A

shortest, grammatically correct answer choice that expresses the same info as the original sent. is the right answer

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12
Q

Wordiness

A

grammatical error in which words or phrases are added to a sentence unnecessarily
Error: Melissa enjoys having fun by way of shooting at the gun
range.
Correction: Melissa enjoys shooting at the gun range.

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13
Q

Redundancy

A

word/phrase that’s redundant means it can be eliminated without altering the meaning of the sentence
Error: I quickly finished the test in a rapid manner.
Correction: I quickly finished the test.
*“in a rapid manner” is redundant b/c “quickly” already implies that I finished test rapidly

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14
Q
  1. Modifiers Must be Next to what they’re Modifying
A

Modifier Errors:

  1. Misplaced modifiers
  2. Dangling modifiers
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15
Q

Modifier Rules

A

adjectives and adverbs: go BEFORE the word they’re modifying
prepositional phrases: go AFTER the word they’re modifying

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16
Q

Misplaced modifier

A

Error: George broke the plate in the kitchen that his mom bought on their vacation.
- written like George’s mom bought the kitchen (instead of the plate) on
their vacation
Correction: In the kitchen, George broke the plate that his mom bought on their vacation.
- evident that George’s mom bought the plate

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17
Q

Modifying phrase

A

when sent. begin w/ modifying phrase, intro phase MUST be immediately followed by comma and noun being described

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18
Q

Dangling modifier- Ways to Fix It

A
  1. Place the noun that’s being modified right after the comma
  2. Place the subject in the introductory phrase
19
Q

Dangling modifier ex: While walking through the grocery store, Jane’s shopping cart knocked three bags of Doritos onto the floor.

A
  • seems like Jane’s shopping cart, not Jane, was walking through store (2 ways to fix it)

1st way: While walking through the grocery story, JANE knocked three bags of Doritos onto the floor with her shopping cart.
2nd way: While JANE WAS walking through the grocery story, her shopping cart knocked three bags of Doritos onto the floor.

20
Q
  1. Keep Verb Tenses Consistent
A

verbs should remain consistent in both tense and form throughout a sentence
* verb tenses of surrounding sent. can give context clues for proper tense to use in sent. to maintain consistency

21
Q

Verb inconsistency ex: Twenty-five years ago, Josh bought Cross Colours clothing and learns how to rap.

A
  • verb “learns” should be in the past tense to match past tense “bought”
  • phrase “twenty-five years ago” also indicates this happened in the past
    Correction: Twenty-five years ago, Josh bought Cross Colours clothing and LEARNED how to rap.
22
Q
  1. Choose the Right Word Based on Context
A

word choice- knowing which specific word to use in the context of a given sentence

Two common types of WC:

  1. Homophones
  2. Synonyms/Related words
23
Q

Homophones

A

words that sound the same but have different meanings

Error: The committee chose not to defend IT’S decision.
- used contraction instead of possessive noun
Correction: The committee chose not to defend ITS decision.

24
Q

Synonyms / Related Words

A
  • have to choose a word that means the same thing as the underlined word in sent
    • only 1 word will be correct given context of sentence
25
8. Use the Correct Idiomatic Expression
most idiom Qs on ACT- have to determine which preposition to use in sent, or whether to use gerund / infinitive * idiom Qs are the only English Qs where it's your best interest to rely on what sounds right
26
Prepositional Idioms
need to know which preposition to use based on the context of the sentence Error: Because Alexis was three hours late, I was WORRIED OF her. Correction: Because Alexis was three hours late, I was WORRIED ABOUT her.
27
Idioms With Gerunds or Infinitives
Gerunds- verbs that act as nouns and end in "ing." (ex: running, talking, singing) Infinitives- verbs used as nouns; put "to" before a verb (ex: to run, to talk, to sing) * gerunds and infinitives can be interchangeable sometimes, other sent need 1 or the other
28
Gerund/Infinitive Idiom example
Error: You decided reading this article. - gerund "reading" should be changed to an infinitive Correction: You decided to read this article.
29
9. A Pronoun Must Agree With Its Antecedent (in #)
plural pronoun must refer to a plural noun, a singular pronoun must refer to a singular noun Error: Marshall forgot their homework. - "their" is plural, Marshall is 1 person Correction: Marshall forgot his homework.
30
10. Use Apostrophes Correctly to Form Possessives
1. If word is sing./plural AND does NOT end in "s", add "s" after apostrophe 2. For a plural word that ends in "s", only add apostrophe after "s" 3. For sing. word that ends in "s", still add "s" after apostrophe (ex: Jonas's toy)
31
11. Colons Must Come After a Complete Sentence
- colons usually used to introduce lists or explanations | - if you were to end sent. where colon is, sent. should make sense and be a complete thought
32
Colon Placement example
Error: Sabrina needs to purchase a few items for her project like: construction paper, paint, and glitter. - part of sent. that comes before colon isn’t a complete thought Correction: Sabrina needs to purchase a few items for her project: construction paper, paint, and glitter.
33
12. Semicolons Separate Two Complete Thoughts
- semicolons separate two independent clauses, should be able to replace any semicolon with a period
34
Semicolon Placement example
Error: Because Dave wanted an adrenaline rush; he decided to go skydiving. - 1st part of sent. is dep. clause & can't stand alone Correction: Dave wanted an adrenaline rush; he decided to go skydiving.
35
13. Use the Correct Relative Pronoun
1. Relative Pronouns Must Agree With Their Antecedents | 2. "Who" is used as a subject and "whom" is used as an object
36
What different relative pronouns can be used to refer to:
- who and whom — people only - when — specific times or time periods only - where — places only - which — any noun other than a person that — any noun - whose — possessive that can be used for people or things * many sent, > 1 rel. pronoun will work, but others will have only 1 acceptable pronoun
37
Relative Pronoun example
Error: I love going to restaurants IN WHICH I can get unlimited breadsticks. Correction: I love going to restaurants WHERE I can get unlimited breadsticks. - rel pro. is referring to "restaurants"-location- so "where" is more concise and appropriate
38
Who = subject, Whom = object
- subject does an action or is being described, object has something done to it 1. James, who is my friend, lives in Oklahoma City. - "who" modifies James, & he's my friend 2. My aunt, from whom I got this jacket, is a very interesting woman. - "whom" modifies my aunt; I got the jacket from her
39
What pronouns can you substitute for "who" and "whom"?
Who: should be able to substitute he/she/they for "who" Whom: should be able to substitute him/her/them for "whom" * always use "who" before a verb and "whom" after a preposition
40
14. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree
use sing. form of a verb w/ a singular subject and plural form of a verb w/ a plural subject
41
Rule 14 example #1
Error: Rock stars LIKES to entertain adoring fans. Correct: Rock stars LIKE to entertain adoring fans. - if verb is in present tense & subject is in 3rd POV (he/she/it/they), verb usually ends in "s" in the singular form and does not in the plural form * in ex, subject is "rock stars,"- plural; verb "like" should be in plural form ("like" instead of "likes")
42
Rule 14 example #2
- phrase that separates the subject from the verb Error: The clothes in my bedroom is in my closet. Correction: The clothes in my bedroom are in my closet. - subject of the sentence is "clothes," which is plural, so the verb should be in the plural form - prep phrase "in my bedroom" separates subject from verb
43
Rule 14 Extra Info
- if verb is underlined, identify subject that corresponds w/ verb to ensure subject & verb agree w/ each other - a subject can NEVER be contained in a prepositional phrase

ACT - English (4 decks)

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