Strategies

• Plus, Minus marking system

• On the ACT test, sometimes you will have to guess
• Put a + sign next to difficult but possible questions
• Put a – sign next to difficult and impossible
questions

• Elimination
• On the ACT test, there is no penalty for marking in
your test booklet
• Mark out any choices that you know are wrong
 Analysis of the Exam
• English Usage: 75 questions, 40 minutes

• Ability tested: Recognize errors in Standard

Written Language

• Knowledge: Basic grammar rules of correctness

• Most people who don’t finish in time don’t plan

for the structure and pace of the exam.
 Tips and Strategies
• Understand the passage as a whole
• Many times the answer depends upon the
context of the entire passage
• Read the whole passage first, then turn your
attention to the underlined sections
 Tips and Strategies
• Remember, you are looking for errors in
Standard Written English
• Don’t evaluate the passage based on your patterns
of speech.
• Remember the basic rules of grammar when you
are evaluating the underlined portions.
• When evaluating a passage, always assume: if it is
not underlined, it is correct
• Some of your options are partially correct. Make
sure your selection:
• Fits the meaning of the passage overall
 Types of Errors
• There are 4 types of Errors:
• Diction: word or phrase which does not fit the
meaning of the sentence or is nonstandard usage.
• Punctuation: when a period, comma, semicolon,
colon, or dash is part of the underlined portion.
• Sentence Structure: the parts of a sentence are not
arranged in a logical order, or when an essential
part or parts have been omitted.
• Grammar: requires that the form of a word be
changed.
 Rhetorical Skills
• Remember, using rhetoric means you are
communicating very precise information in the
clearest and cleanest way possible.
• If you have narrowed your choices down to only 2,
then remember:
• Fits the meaning of the passage
• Grammatically and structurally sound
• Simplest

• K.I.S.S.
 Commas
How to use commas properly
Compound
Sentences
~ A Glance at Grammar
 Definition
• A Compound Sentence is a sentence that joins
two independent clauses together with a
coordinating conjunction or semicolon.
 Formula
• Compound Sentence =

Independent Clause + Independent Clause

 Comma + Coordinating
Conjunction
• A coordinating conjunction is also known as a
F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.
• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So
 What?
• An independent clause is a clause that can stand
alone. It is a group of words that contains a
subject and verb and expresses a complete
thought.

• An independent clause is a sentence.

Fixing Choppy Sentences
• Ex) The cat was happy.

• Ex) He slept underneath the bed.

• Compound= The cat was happy, and he slept

underneath the bed.
 Combining Clauses
• There are two ways to combine independent
causes to make a compound sentence:

• Comma + Coordinating Conjunction

• Semicolon
 Comma + CC/FANBOYS
• Ex) The teens walked to the park, but it was
closed.

• Ex) The gentleman did not know where the

sound came from, so he hid behind the tree.
 Combining Clauses
• There are two ways to combine independent
causes to make a compound sentence:

• Comma + Coordinating Conjunction

• Semicolon
 And, But, Yet, Or
• And:
• Adds information

• But:
• Contradicts
• Offers a contrast
• Introduces something unexpected

• Yet:
• Expresses a stronger, more surprising contrast than
but
 So, For, Nor
• So:
• Means “As a result.”
• Introduces the effect of a cause-effect relationship

• For:
• Means “Because.”
• Introduces the cause of a cause-effect relationship

• Nor:
• Removes alternatives
Avoid using CCs to start a
sentence
• Instead of starting your sentence with a
coordinating conjunction:
• And
• Also
• In addition
• But
• However
• Or
• Otherwise
• So
 Subordinating
Conjunctions
Combining an independent clause with a
dependent clause to make a complex
sentence.
 Subordinating
Conjunctions
• Subordinating conjunctions link together two
clauses, but their relationship is reliant
• Complex sentences are made when you link an
independent clause with a dependent clause
What is a subordinating
conjunction?
• A subordinating conjunction makes a clause
within a sentence dependent on a complete
sentence in order to make sense

• A subordinate conjunction is followed by a

subject and predicate
• A predicate is the part of a sentence or clause
containing a verb and stating something about the
subject (e.g., went home in John went home )
Common Subordinating
Conjunctions
after how till
although if unless
as insasmuch until
as if in order that when
as much as now that where
as soon as provided (that) wherever
as though since while
because so that
before than that
even if even though though
 Consider the following
complete sentence:
• Kate dropped the pizza on the floor.
 Now look what happens
when we add a subordinating
conjunction:
Because Kate dropped the pizza on
the floor

What happened to the complete sentence?

Now it is dependent on another clause or

 Add a complete
sentence:
Because Kate dropped the pizza on the floor,

she had to clean it up.

 Try another one!

Whenever the teacher assigns homework

What is the subordinating conjunction?

What is the subject that follows it?

What is the predicate?

Add a complete sentence…

 A complete sentence…
• Whenever the teacher assigns homework,

• the students start to cry.

• the students run for the hills.

• the students jump for joy!

 Commas with
Subordinating Conjunctions
• When a subordinating conjunction comes at the
beginning of a sentence, a comma needs to be
added between the two clauses.
• Because Kate dropped the pizza on the floor,
she was unable to watch the movie.

• When it comes between the two clauses, no

comma is needed.
• Kate was unable to watch the movie because
 Appositives and
Appositive Phrases

Essential Question:
Why do we want to use Appositives and
Appositive Phrases in our writing?
 Definition
An appositive is:

A noun or pronoun placed after another noun or

pronoun to:

• identify,

• rename, or
Examples of appositives

• The painter Pablo Picasso lived in Spain.

• I want to visit Spain’s famous museum, The

Prado.

• The painting Guernica impressed my father

 Appositive Phrase
•An appositive phrase is:

• A noun or pronoun with modifiers (describing

words).

• It stands next to a noun or pronoun and adds

information or details.
 Examples of appositive
phrases
• Willa Cather, an American novelist, wrote My
Antonia.

• Lisbon, a thriving port in Portugal, has often been

the scene of espionage.

• The shopping center—a network of cars, shops,

and people--provides many jobs.
 Appositives and appositive
phrases CAN be compound

• The two settings, a city in England and a city in

Russia, are contrasted in the book.
Commas and appositives
• When this word or group of words interrupts a
sentence, it needs commas on both sides.

• Riley, my dog, is gregarious

• EXCEPTION: If it is one word, name, or title, NO

COMMA IS NEEDED!
• My dog Riley is gregarious.
 Commas and appositives
• Commas are put around the appositive phrase
because it is NOT necessary to the meaning of the
sentence.
• This means if you take the appositive phrase out of
the sentence, it still makes sense.

EXAMPLE
Riley, my gregarious dog, will jump up on his hind
 Examples

• “Winnie, the only child of the house, never went

there…”

• It was Mae Tuck with her other

The Semicolon (;)
and the Colon (:)
 st
1 use of a Semicolon
• The first appropriate use of the semicolon is to
connect two related sentences. The pattern
looks like this:

Complete sentence + ; + complete

sentence .

Here is an example: My eighty-one-year-old

grandmother still rides her Harley
motorcycle; her toy poodle balances in a
basket between the handlebars.
 nd
2 Use of a Semicolon
• You can also team up a semicolon with a
transition to connect two complete sentences
that are close in meaning. The pattern looks like
this: Complete sentence + ; + transition +
, + complete sentence .

• Check out this example: My father does not

approve of his mother cruising around
town on a Harley motorcycle; however,
Grandma has never cared what anyone
 rd
3 Use of a Semicolon
• Finally, use the semicolon to avoid
confusion when you have complicated
lists of items. The pattern looks like
this: Item + , + More Information +
; + Item + , + More Information + ;
+ and + Item + , + More
Information
• Read the following example: On a
Harley motorcycle, my grandmother
and her poodle have traveled to
 Reminders about
Semicolon Use
Keep these three things in mind when you
use a semicolon:
• The two main clauses that the semicolon
joins should be closely related in
meaning.
• Don't capitalize the word that follows
the semicolon unless that word is a
proper noun, one that is always
capitalized.
 Use a Colon…
after a complete statement in order to introduce
one or more directly related ideas, such as a
series of directions, a list, or a quotation or other
comment illustrating or explaining the
statement.
 …to introduce a list…

• The daily newspaper contains four sections:

news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.
 between the hour and
minutes.

• He said he would be at home by 5:30 p.m.

between chapter and verse
in biblical references.
• He always liked to refer to Genesis 1:18 when
starting a speech.
 Caution

Space once between a colon and the next word,

when the colon is used between words. Do not
space between numerals and a colon when a
colon is used to mark time or ratios.