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

14 Most Commonly Tested ACT Grammar Rules Flashcards

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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
Q
  1. Use the Correct Idiomatic Expression
A

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
Q

Prepositional Idioms

A

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
Q

Idioms With Gerunds or Infinitives

A

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
Q

Gerund/Infinitive Idiom example

A

Error: You decided reading this article.
- gerund “reading” should be changed to an infinitive
Correction: You decided to read this article.

29
Q
  1. A Pronoun Must Agree With Its Antecedent (in #)
A

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
Q
  1. Use Apostrophes Correctly to Form Possessives
A
  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
Q
  1. Colons Must Come After a Complete Sentence
A
  • 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
Q

Colon Placement example

A

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
Q
  1. Semicolons Separate Two Complete Thoughts
A
  • semicolons separate two independent clauses, should be able to replace any semicolon with a period
34
Q

Semicolon Placement example

A

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
Q
  1. Use the Correct Relative Pronoun
A
  1. Relative Pronouns Must Agree With Their Antecedents

2. “Who” is used as a subject and “whom” is used as an object

36
Q

What different relative pronouns can be used to refer to:

A
  • 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
Q

Relative Pronoun example

A

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
Q

Who = subject, Whom = object

A
  • 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
Q

What pronouns can you substitute for “who” and “whom”?

A

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
Q
  1. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree
A

use sing. form of a verb w/ a singular subject and plural form of a verb w/ a plural subject

41
Q

Rule 14 example #1

A

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
Q

Rule 14 example #2

A
  • 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
Q

Rule 14 Extra Info

A
  • 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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