ACT English Test Grammar and Usage

There are 12 grammar and usage questions on the ACT.

NOUNS

Nouns may name a person, place, thing, attribute, or idea. There is a noun to name
everything you can think of. The subject of a sentence can contain nouns such as "dog,"
"scores," and "Ed."

Singular and Plural Nouns

Singular nouns name one thing. Plural nouns name more than one thing. Follow these
rules for changing singular nouns to plural nouns.

Add s to most singular nouns.

Singular Plural

student students
computer computers
monkey monkeys
CD CDs
television televisions

Drop the y and add ies when the singular noun ends in y preceded by a consonant.

Singular Plural

mystery mysteries
sky skies
fly flies

Add es to singular nouns ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z.

Singular Plural

glass glasses
match matches
lash lashes
fox foxes
waltz waltzes








PRONOUNS

Pronouns take the place of nouns. Pronouns include the words I, we, she, him, them, my,
their, whose. Look at these examples:

Liz drove her car to school. She parked it near the front door.

The pronouns "her" and "she" refer to the noun "Liz." "Liz" is the antecedent of the
pronouns "her" and "she." The pronoun "it" refers to the noun "car." "Car" is the
antecedent of the pronoun "it."

Clear Reference

A pronoun must clearly refer to its antecedent. Look at these examples:

Unclear reference: Andy wanted Nathan to use his car.

Clear reference: Andy wanted Nathan to use his own car.
or
Andy wanted Nathan to use Andy's car.

Unclear reference: Ann got them and handed them over to Julia.

Clear reference: Ann got the keys and handed them over to Julia.

Case

Pronouns can be in the subjective, objective, or possessive case. Look at these examples:

Subjective pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence or a clause, or to refer to the
subject:

Who is supposed to take the garbage out today?

Liz announced it was she.

Objective pronouns are the object of a verb or preposition:

Jim decided to help her.
I don't know if I should help them.

Possessive pronouns show possession:

It seemed to me that Inga and Liz could do their work.
I decided not to run the risk of spraining my back.


Number

A pronoun may be singular or plural. Here is a list of singular and plural pronouns in each
case:

Singular: Plural:

SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE POSSESSIVE SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE POSSESSIVE

I me my, mine we us our, ours
he him his you you your, yours
it it its they them their, theirs
she her hers who whom whose
you you your, yours
who whom whose

Indefinite pronouns, shown below, are always singular.

anyone neither everyone
each anybody no one
either everybody somebody

Gender

A singular pronoun referring to a third person may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. All
other pronouns, including plural pronouns, are neutral.

Agreement

Each pronoun must agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (male, female, or
neuter for the third-person singular) with the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun it refers to.
Look at these examples:

Nonagreement Joan and her sister ran to catch the plane but she was too late.
in number:

Agreement: Joan and her sister ran to catch the plane but they were too late.

Nonagreement Everyone went home to get their raincoats.
in number:

Agreement: Everyone (singular) went home to get her or his raincoat.

Nonagreement The girls took their car to get her brakes fixed.
in gender:

Agreement: The girls took their car to get its brakes fixed.


Nonagreement The man on the platform waited for the woman to get off the train, which
in gender: he had been on for three hours.

Agreement: The man on the platform waited for the woman to get off the train, which
she had been on for three hours.

VERBS

Every predicate contains a verb. The main verb is underlined in each predicate below.

Subject Predicate
The large, red dog ran quickly down the path.
ACT scores can be improved through study and practice.
Ed was the English editor for this book.
He preferred warm weather.

Verbs are the heart of a sentence. The main verb provides the action in a sentence, or the
main verb links the subject to a word or words that describe the subject. So there are two
types of main verbs action verbs and linking verbs.

Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

The ACT will never ask you to identify a verb as an action verb or a linking verb, but it is
very important to be able to spot these verbs in the passage.

Action verbs describe an action. That is, an action verb tells what the subject is doing.

Linking verbs connect the subject to its complement. That is, a linking verb links the
subject to a word that describes the subject. The most common linking verbs include
"am," "are," "is," "was," and "were." Verbs that may be linking verbs include "appear," "feel,"
"grow," "look," "smell," and "taste."

Singular Verbs and Plural Verbs

Most singular third-person verbs end in s. Most plural verbs do not. Look at these
examples:
Singular Plural
runs run
says say
helps help
thinks think
passes pass
Some singular verbs have special plural forms:
Singular Plural
am, is are
was were


VERB TENSE

The tense of a verb tells what time past, present, or future the verb refers to. The ACT
will never test you on the names for verbs, but rather on whether or not you use verbs
correctly.

Present Tense

Use the present tense of a verb to refer to something that is occurring now, that is generally
true, or always occurs.

Drop the car keys.
The wind is blowing leaves against the windshield.
Those trees lose their leaves in the fall.
She speaks very loudly.

Examples

Present: You stand still.
Third-person singular: Joan stands still.
Present participle: He is standing still.

Present: You fix the tire.
Third-person singular: She fixes the tire.
Present participle: You are fixing the tire.

Past Tense

Use the past tense of a verb to refer to something that has occurred in the past.

You dropped the car keys.
The wind blew leaves against the windshield.
The trees lost their leaves in the fall.
She spoke very loudly.

To form the past tense of regular verbs, add d, t, or ed. The past tenses of irregular verbs
often have special forms.

Examples

Present: I rent the apartment for the summer.
Past: I rented the apartment for the summer.
Past participle: I have rented the apartment for the summer

Present: I do my best in class.
Past: I did my best in class.
Past Participle: I have done my best in class


Future Tense

Use the future tense to refer to something that will occur in the future. To form the future
tense, use the words shall or will before the present tense form of the verb.

You will drop the car keys.
The wind will blow leaves against the windshield.
The trees shall lose their leaves in the fall.
She will speak very loudly.

TENSE SHIFT

Verbs in a sentence should reflect time sequence. If events represented by the verbs
occurred at the same time, the verbs should have the same tense. Look at these examples:

Correct: The rain splattered (past) on the windshield as I drove (past) to the store.

Correct: As I dig (present) the hole I throw (present) the dirt up onto a pile.

Correct: I will get (future) to the airport any way I can and then I will board (future) the
plane.

Some tense shifts are acceptable. Mixing tenses is acceptable when the verbs represent
events that happened at different times. Look at these examples:

Correct: Jean will march (future) in the parade tomorrow so she is (present) practicing
now.

Correct: Ben is fixing (present) the vase he broke (past) last week.

Avoid faulty tense shifts. A faulty shift between present tense and past tense is a common
error. Look at these examples:

Incorrect: She ran (past) home and eat (present) dinner.

Correct: She ran home and ate dinner.

Incorrect: Dave saves (present) money for the game and he saved (past) money for
souvenirs.

Correct: Dave saves money for the game and he saves money for souvenirs.
or
Dave saved money for the game and he saved money for souvenirs.



Incorrect: Just as Pam was (past) putting away her book bag, her dog runs (present) past
her.

Correct: Just as Pam was putting away her book bag, her dog ran past her.
or
Just as Pam is putting away her book bag, her dog runs past her.


SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

The subject and verb of a sentence must agree in number. Singular subjects take singular
verbs. Plural subjects take plural verbs.

Singular: Lisa wants to go to the library after school.
Plural: Lisa and Terri want to go to the library after school.

Singular: The practice test helps me prepare for the ACT.
Plural: The practice tests help me prepare for the ACT.

Singular: The club meets every Saturday afternoon.
Plural: The club members meet every Saturday afternoon.

Incorrect: Chad want to get to the soccer game on time.
Corrected: Chad wants to get to the soccer game on time.

Incorrect: The players wants to do their best in the game.
Corrected: The players want to do their best in the game.

Incorrect: Bob and Liz referees the game.
Corrected: Bob and Liz referee the game.

Incorrect: Everyone are at the door.
Corrected: Everyone is at the door.

Locate the Subject and Verb

The subject and verb may come anywhere in a sentence. Say the subject and verb to
yourself. If it sounds right, it probably is right.
Examples
Find the subject and verb:

The ACT Practice Test, which Liz took on Saturday, prepared her for the actual test.

The person with the highest test scores wins an award.

What is your name?

Through the looking glass of life gazes the thoughtful mind.


PARALLEL FORM

Parallel form places sentence elements in the same or similar form to emphasize the equal
importance of the elements. These sentences are in parallel forms:

I like to drive my car and to ride my bike.
I like driving my car and riding my bike.

Phrases and Clauses Linked by a Coordinating Conjunction

Use parallel form when phrases or clauses in a sentence are linked by coordinating
conjunctions. The coordinating conjunctions include "and," "but," "nor," "or," and "yet."
Look at these examples:

Not parallel: Shopping means taking a walk in a mall and finding bargains.
Parallel: Shopping means walking in a mall and finding bargains.

Not parallel: The teacher always threatens a detention yet does not ever give a detention.
Parallel: The teacher always threatens a detention yet never gives a detention.

Not parallel: Have you decided if you are skiing or going skating?
Parallel: Have you decided if you are going skiing or going skating?

Phrases and Clauses Linked by Conjunctive Pairs

Use parallel form when the phrases and clauses in a sentence are linked by conjunctive
pairs. The conjunctive pairs include "eitheror," "neither nor," and "not onlybut also."

Not parallel: Neither local streets nor a trip on the highway seemed the best way to get
home.
Parallel: Neither local streets nor the highway seemed the best way to get home.

Not parallel: She was not only an A student, but also someone who was very responsible.
Parallel: She was not only an A student, but also a very responsible person.

Sentence Elements Compared; Parts of a List

Not parallel: Gail would rather be a waitress in Colorado than to practice law in a big
city.
Parallel: Gail would rather be a waitress in Colorado than a lawyer in a big city.

Not parallel: The dog preferred to eat the liver snaps than eating the beef snaps.
Parallel: The dog preferred the liver snaps to the beef snaps.

Not parallel: The mathematics test included arithmetic, algebra, and the study of
geometry.
Parallel: The mathematics test included arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.




Do not use parallel form when one of the clauses or phrases is subordinated.
"Subordinated" means that a sentence element is of lesser importance than another
sentence element. The absence of parallel form emphasizes that one sentence element is
subordinated to another sentence element.

The words "although," "because," "ifthen," "when," "where," "while," "which," "that," and
"who" signal subordinate sentence elements.

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Adjectives

Adjectives are used to modify nouns and pronouns. Adjectives add detail and describe
nouns and pronouns in more detail and more depth. An adjective may modify a noun or
pronoun directly, or be linked to the noun or pronoun by a linking verb.

Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. An adverb may also modify a phrase,
a clause, or a sentence. Adverbs are often formed by annexing ly to an adjective.
However, not all adverbs end in ly ("long," "fast," etc.) and some adjectives do end in -ly
("lively," "friendly," etc.).

Modify verbs: The hikers stepped carefully.
The swimmers stepped gingerly.

Modify adjectives: It was an exceptionally sunny day.
It was a very dark night.

Modify adverbs: The diver very quickly used two air tanks.
The parachutist will jump fairly soon.

Modify phrases: The driver arrived just in time.
clauses: The sun set; unfortunately, the rain did not follow.
sentences: Regrettably, the teacher is absent today.

Common Adjective and Adverb Errors to Avoid

Incorrect: John traveled the course slow.
Corrected: John traveled the course slowly.

Incorrect: Chris walked up the path quick.
Corrected: Chris walked up the path quickly.

Incorrect: Erin sang real well.
Corrected: Erin sang really well.

Incorrect: Ryan was sure playing less than his best.
Corrected: Ryan was surely playing less than his best.

Incorrect: Bob wanted to perform the dance good.
Corrected: Bob wanted to perform the dance well.

Incorrect: Liz cooked bad.
Corrected: Liz cooked badly.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Adjectives and adverbs can show comparisons. Use the comparative form to compare two
items. Use the superlative form to compare more than two items.

Comparative Form (Two Items)

The ending er and the words "more" and "less" signal the comparative form. The
comparative form includes words and phrases such as "warmer," "colder," "safer," "higher,"
"less industrious," and "more creative."

Incorrect: Correct:

Fran is least creative than Liz. Fran is less creative than Liz.
Alaska is cold than Florida. Alaska is colder than Florida.
Ben is proudest than Warren. Ben is prouder than Warren.
Ray is most happy than Jim. Ray is happier than Jim.
Ann is most capable than Amelia. Ann is more capable than Amelia.

Superlative Form (More Than Two Items)

If you can't tell how many items there are, use the superlative form.

The ending est and the words "most" and "least" signal the superlative form. The
superlative form includes words and phrases such as "happiest," "youngest," "oldest,"
"highest," "least tired," and "most interesting."

Incorrect: Correct:

Ann has the more experience Ann has the most experience of
of any pilot flying to Europe. any pilot flying to Europe.

Julia was the younger student Julia was the youngest student to enter
to enter the creative writing contest. the creative writing contest.

Nathan was the more energetic Nathan was the most energetic student
student in kindergarten. in kindergarten.

Andy received the higher score Andy received the highest score on the
on the law exam. law exam.


IDIOMS

Idioms do not follow the rules of standard English usage, but idioms effectively convey a
complete thought. Incorrect idioms on the ACT usually use the incorrect preposition.
Given below are examples of incorrect and correct idioms.

Incorrect Correct

angry in him angry with him
detached to my parents detached from my parents
differ from your view differ with your view
differ with your appearance differ from your appearance
in accordance to the rules in accordance with the rules
independent from your effort independent of your effort
just about the same with just about the same as
occupied with my tenant occupied by my tenant
occupied by my stamp collection occupied with my stamp collection
prior from your visit prior to your visit
wait to the airport wait at the airport
wait on the plane wait for the plane