ACT English vs. YOU

How to fight the battle without losing your cool

Goals for this week:

1. Learn and apply specific grammar and style skills that are found on the ACT:

Be concise in writing Use the correct possessive and apostrophe forms within a sentence Combine and coordinate ideas in sentences correctly Correct errors in sentence structure and problems with clarity Know how additions or deletions can improve or change an essay Identify the purpose of an entire essay, paragraphs, or words/phrases

You make it happen!

2. Be more confident in my ability to “attack” a question and read for information/errors on the ACT English section3. Reflect on my own skills to determine what I need to improve or which strategies work for me

What you need to know to make quick points on the ACT

Six Skills to improve your English score by 10 points

(10? Really?)

Mr. Dan McDonell, College Boards Review

(revised by Jennifer Sutton)

Six Skills

#1: Concision#2: Personal Possessive Pronouns#3: Possessive Forms#4: SENTENCE COMBINING#5: Keep your focus on the question#6: 100% Rule

And, of course, read the entire test! This is not the time to skim.

Why This Matters

The five strategies in this presentation represent 38 questions on the ACT practice exam 2MC. In a typical test administration, students will get 50% of those correct. Had students gotten all of them correct, their scores would have increased approximately 19 raw points or 8-10 scaled points. This alone would result in an overall composite score increase of up to 2.5 points.

Strategy 1-Concision

There are between 8-12 concision questions on any exam. ACT believes good writing is tight and direct. Students too often think that adding words makes their writing appear smarter. They need to understand KISS- Keep It Simple. You can spot them by either the progressively shorter or longer answer choices in which words are added or deleted.

KISSKeep It Simple, Stupid

ACT believes that good writing is clear and to the point. A good writer does not use more words when he or she can use fewer. Therefore, shorter is usually better. In fact, whenever the choice is OMIT or DELETE the underlined portion in questions which are obviously dealing with concision, you should be prejudiced towards that answer until you can prove otherwise.

Begin with the shortest answer in concision questions. If you cannot find a reason not to select it, then you should opt for it. A warning though, this only holds for concision questions, and then, not all of the time.

Question 6—shorter is better, avoid redundancy!

That’s a crucial part of the preparation to get ready for morel hunting, because often the same woods that yield morels produce poisonous mushrooms, too.

4.F. NO CHANGE

G. to make oneself fit

H. of someone planning to be ready

J. DELETE the underlined portion.

Question 6—shorter is better, avoid redundancy!

That’s a crucial part of the preparation to get ready for morel hunting, because often the same woods that yield morels produce poisonous mushrooms, too.

4.F. NO CHANGE

G. to make oneself fit

H. of someone planning to be ready

J. DELETE the underlined portion.

Question 32—shorter is better, but it has to fit the meaning!

Historians speculate that one of the world’s oldest toys is the yo-yo, though they know for sure that the oldest toy is the doll.4. A. NO CHANGE

B. yo-yo, but it hard to know for sure, considering the yo-yo’s history.

C. yo-yo, though no one is certain why some ancient yo-yos were made out of terra cotta, a fragile clay.

D. yo-yo.

Question 32—shorter is better, but it has to fit the meaning!

Historians speculate that one of the world’s oldest toys is the yo-yo, though they know for sure that the oldest toy is the doll.4. A. NO CHANGE

B. yo-yo, but it hard to know for sure, considering the yo-yo’s history.

C. yo-yo, though no one is certain why some ancient yo-yos were made out of terra cotta, a fragile clay.

D. yo-yo.

Can you identify concision questions?

Skim through the test to see if you can find questions that are asking whether or not more or less words are needed.

What are the features of these questions? How would you describe them?

LVHS Practice Test 1165D

4, 6, 18, 31, 32, 37, 56, 58, 61, 66

In pairs, review and discuss the “thinking” behind why an answer is correct or not.

Share your new insights about “conciseness”?

Strategy 2-Personal Possessive Pronouns

Know the difference between it’s (= it is, a contraction) its (the possessive pronoun) and its’ (which does not appear in English, but which ACT offers as a choice with maddening regularity in order to confuse students. Think his, her, its, their—none of these take apostrophes. This question appears usually three times on the exam.

Strategy 3- Learn the Possessive Forms

Since ACT can have as many as three or four possessive questions on the exam, it helps to understand the possessive form of a noun.

Possessive forms

A possessive form of a noun signifies that the noun owns something:A musician's talentA woman's ambitionMost importantly for the ACT—is the noun or pronoun singular or plural?

Singular possessive

The possessive form of a singular noun is an apostrophe followed by the letter "s."Kramer's hairDaphne's patiencethe car's engine

Words ending with s, z or x generally omit the "s."Dr. Seuss' sense of humor

Plural possessive

For plural nouns ending in "s," add only an apostrophe:

Singers' voicesThe cousins' favorite uncle

For plural nouns not ending in "s," add an apostrophe and "s."

Men's clothingChildren's books

Question 26—Decide whether it is possessive or not

…and they’ve hiked to the overwhelming sites on the Mexican Plateau…

17. A. NO CHANGE

B. site’s

C. sites’

D. sites,

Question 26—Decide whether it is possessive or not

…and they’ve hiked to the overwhelming sites on the Mexican Plateau…

17. A. NO CHANGE

B. site’s (nothing belongs to the site)

C. sites’ (not possessive or plural)

D. sites, (not possessive and no comma needed)

Question 49—should it be possessive or not?

When she was fifteen, she broke the men’s and women’s record’s for swimming the English Channel…

17. A. NO CHANGE

B. records

C. records’

D. records,

Question 49—should it be possessive or not

When she was fifteen, she broke the men’s and women’s record’s for swimming the English Channel…

49. A. NO CHANGE (not possessive!)

B. records

C. records’ (not possessive!)

D. records, (no comma needed)

Bell Ringer

Structure as many sentences as you can, using correct punctuation, from these parts of a sentence:

Despite wanting to become an artist

Felix enrolls in law school

Felix/he follows his parents’ wishes

Strategy 4-The Most Important Skill

Sentence Combining

Know how to combine two sentences into one. Variations on this question can appear as many as 10-12 times on any exam. Often the question is posed as a “Which of the following is NOT an acceptable alternative to the underlined portion.”

Let’s review how we can do this.

Punctuation StrategyHow ACT Combines Two Sentences

Use a period at the end of one and start the other with a capital letter.Use a semi-colon between the two independent clauses.Use a comma with one of the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so). These are also called coordinating conjunctions.Make one a dependent and the other an independent clause. (use: who, which, that)Use a colon to provide a definition or list.Use a dash to provide a dramatic statement.Use a compound verb (one subject doing two or more things).

Compound Sentence

Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).

Sentence ,

forandnorbutoryetso

sentence .

Felix follows his parents’ wishes, and he enrolls in law school.

Opener

Use a comma to set off an opener (single words, phrases, or clauses that introduces or opens the sentence—before an independent clause)

Opener , sentence .Despite wanting to become an artist, Felix enrolls in law school.

Interrupter

Use two commas to set off an interrupter (parenthetical or appositive phrases with nonessential information).

Sent , interrupter , ence .Felix, despite wanting to become an artist, enrolls in law school.

Closer

Use a comma to set off a closer (additional information that modifies or describes the independent clause)

Sentence , closer .Felix enrolls in law school, despite wanting to become an artist.

Question 8—To combine or not to combine?

Every spring, there’s a contest where I live in northern Minnesota to see who can find the most morels, this year, I’m going to enter.

1.F. NO CHANGE

G. morels this

H. morels. This

J. morels, because this

Question 8—To combine or not to combine?

Every spring, there’s a contest where I live in northern Minnesota to see who can find the most morels, this year, I’m going to enter.

1.F. NO CHANGE (comma splice)

G. morels this (run-on)

H. morels. This

J. morels, because this (makes no sense)

Question 36—NOT or LEAST acceptable

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?

36. F. States. Flores

G. States, and he

H. States; he

J. States he

Question 36—NOT or LEAST acceptable

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?

36. F. States. Flores (2 Sentences)

G. States, and he (FANBOYS)

H. States; he (the same as F)

J. States he (run-on)

Simple way to eliminate

If one answer has a period and the other, a semi-colon, and everything else is the same, THESE ARE NOT THE CORRECT CHOICES. THEY ARE THE SAME!!

LVHS ACT Practice 1165D

8, 9, 15, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29, 33, 36, 40, 41, 47, 52, 54, 59, 62, 72

Strategy 5Keep your focus on the question

When reading the rhetoric questions, which ask you to consider making changes to what is written to create a certain effect, underline the key phrase you are to address so as not to lose focus on what the question asks.

Question 5—Most relevant

5. Given that all are true, which one provides the most relevant and specific information at this point in the essay?

A.NO CHANGE

B.in between trips to and from the woods

C.to gain the expertise I wanted and needed at this point

D.very carefully on the topic that pertains to the activity.

Question 5—Most relevant

5. Given that all are true, which one provides the most relevant and specific information at this point in the essay?A.NO CHANGE

B.in between trips to and from the woods (not relevant)

C.to gain the expertise I wanted and needed at this point (not specific)

D.very carefully on the topic that pertains to the activity. (too vague)

Question 34—Key words

34. Given that all the choices are true, which one provides the most effective evidence of the long history of enthusiasm for the yo-yo in the Philippines?F. NO CHANGE (have been a national pastime for centuries)

G. have been a popular hobby for years.

H. were carved out of fine wood or animal horns.

J. resembled a toy that was popular in ancient China.

Question 34—Key words

34. Given that all the choices are true, which one provides the most effective evidence of the long history of enthusiasm for the yo-yo in the Philippines?F. NO CHANGE (have been a national pastime for centuries)—National Pastime=enthusiasm; Centuries is LONG

G. have been a popular hobby for years. (no enthusiasm)

H. were carved out of fine wood or animal horns. (not relevant)

J. resembled a toy that was popular in ancient China. (not relevant)

LVHS Practice 1165D

3, 5, 11, 34, 51, 55, 60, 62

Strategy 6Apply the 100% Rule

ACT wants you to select the correct answer from among choices that might be correct. To do this, ask yourself if the choice you have selected is 100% correct in what it says. No portion of your choice should fail to meet this requirement.

Question 15—Addition

50. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:

At its widest, the English Channel spans a distance of 150 miles.

Should the writer make this addition here?

A.Yes, because it reinforces the point that Cox swam a great distance across the English Channel.

B.Yes, because it provides a logical transition to the rest of the paragraph.

C.No, because the English Channel is only one place that Cox had swum before going to Antarctica.

D.No, because it is irrelevant to the focus of the essay at this point.

Question 15—Addition

50. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:

At its widest, the English Channel spans a distance of 150 miles.

Should the writer make this addition here?

A.Yes, because it reinforces the point that Cox swam a great distance across the English Channel. (but who cares?)

B.Yes, because it provides a logical transition to the rest of the paragraph. (no it does not)

C.No, because the English Channel is only one place that Cox had swum before going to Antarctica. (Not true)

D.No, because it is irrelevant to the focus of the essay at this point. (100% correct)

Question 42—Delete?

42. If the writer were to delete the preceding sentence, the essay would primarily lose information that:

F. proves Duncan was uncertain what would be the best way to promote the yo-yo.

G. reveals how quickly demonstrations by Duncan Yo-Yo professionals gained popularity.

H. illustrates one creative strategy that Duncan used to promote the yo-yo.

J. suggests how Duncan Yo-Yo Professionals were chosen fo the job.

Question 42—Delete?

42. If the writer were to delete the preceding sentence, the essay would primarily lose information that:

F. proves Duncan was uncertain what would be the best way to promote the yo-yo. (not 100%)

G. reveals how quickly demonstrations by Duncan Yo-Yo professionals gained popularity. (not 100%)

H. illustrates one creative strategy that Duncan used to promote the yo-yo.

J. suggests how Duncan Yo-Yo Professionals were chosen for the job. (no proof)

Add or delete?

Either write or read the sentence in your head as if you made the changes

What are the key words in the question?

Before reading the responses, what is your instinct? Does it work or not?

Yes—then read the Yes answers.

No—then read the No answers.

Which is 100% true and matches your thinking?

LVHS ACT Practice 1165D

42, 50, 61, 75

Beware the NOT or the LEAST

Questions 1, 40, 36, 40, 64, 69

One of the answers is doing its own thing. Can you figure out which one?