Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020)

Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020) Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020) Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020) Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020) Preview The Official ACT English Guide by ACT (2020)

THE OFFICIAL ACT ENGLISH GUIDE Copyright © 2020 by ACT, Inc All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc in the United States and other countries All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation You should consult with a professional where appropriate Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002 Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com ACT endorses the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education and the Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement, guides to the conduct of those involved in educational testing ACT is committed to ensuring that each of its testing programs upholds the guidelines in each Code A copy of each Code may be obtained free of charge from ACT Customer Services (70), P.O Box 1008, Iowa City, IA 52243–1008, 319–337–1429 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from ACT, Inc Inquiries concerning this publication should be mailed to: ACT Publications P.O Box 168 Iowa City, Iowa 52243–0168 ISBN 978-1-119-67404-7 (paper) ISBN 978-1-119-67407-8 (ePub) Cover design: Wiley CONTENTS Cover Introduction Chapter 1: An Overview of the ACT English and Writing Tests The Structure of the English Test Content of the ACT English Test The Content of the Writing Test How to Use This Guide Chapter 2: Taking the English Test Approaching the Questions Checking Your Answers Types of Questions Chapter 3: Conventions of Standard English: Sentence Structure, Formation, and Usage Sentence Structure Verbs and Verb Phrases Indefinite Pronouns Collective Nouns Relative Clauses Using the Relative Pronoun “Which” Which versus That Chapter 4: Conventions of Standard English Concepts and Sample Questions: Sentence Structure and Usage Parallel Structure Correlative Conjunctions Pronouns and Antecedents Sentence Fragments Who versus Whom Run-on, or Fused, Sentences Modifiers Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Tense Chapter 5: Conventions of Standard English and Sample Questions: Punctuation Commas Dashes Parentheses Colons Semicolons Apostrophes and Possession Chapter 6: Production of Writing Topic Development Transitions between Sentences Transitions between Paragraphs Paragraph Placement Conclusion Questions Chapter 7: Knowledge of Language Redundancy Wordiness Word Choice Developing an Ear for Collocations Chapter 8: An Overview of the ACT Writing Test Subject Matter Scoring The Scoring Rubric Chapter 9: The Setup of the Writing Test Introductory Paragraph in the Prompt Perspectives in the Prompt Essay Task Box Planning Page Directions Chapter 10: The Essay Structure Organization Addressing the Counterargument Knowing What Is Expected for the Rubric Categories Chapter 11: Writing Your Essay Purpose and Point of View Intended Audience and Tone Prewriting Timing During the Actual Test Revising Basic Strategies for Improving Your Writing Revising Your First Drafts Chapter 12: Strengthen Your Essay with Vocabulary, Writing Mechanics, and Other Strategies Vocabulary Varied Sentence Structures and Punctuation Rhetorical Questions Avoiding Simplistic Thinking Brainstorming about Your Values Building Your Fund of Knowledge Avoid What You Don't Know Chapter 13: Sample Prompts and Essays with Analysis Writing Test: Innovation Writing Test: Students and Sleep Chapter 14: Practice Questions Chapter 15: Answers and Explanations Answer Key Explanatory Answers Appendix: English Test Glossary Access Pin End User License Agreement List of Tables Chapter 4: Table 4.1 Table 4.2 Table 4.3 Table 4.4 Table 4.5 Table 4.6 Table 4.7 Table 4.8 Table 4.9 Chapter 5: Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Chapter 6: Table 6.1 Chapter 11: Table 11.1 Introduction This guide will help you succeed on the ACT English test, which measures your understanding of what you've been taught in your core high school English courses Reviewing all the grammar rules and writing skills you have learned during high school will take some time This guide will help remind you of what you have learned and will likely teach you new skills and concepts as well It covers the content of the ACT English and writing tests and the procedures you'll follow when you're actually taking the ACT English test This guide also provides strategies for approaching the questions and content-specific test-taking tips The following chapters contain questions taken from actual ACT tests that are aimed at enhancing your understanding of the knowledge and skills you'll need to succeed on the test Each question is followed by a detailed answer explanation Chapters are organized by grammar and style concepts, which should help you see the patterns among the questions Near the end of the guide, you will find a bank of real test questions and explanations as they appear on the test This will give you practice switching gears between question types A glossary is provided in the appendix to assist you in case you need reminders of common grammatical terminology If you already know your areas of strength and weakness when it comes to writing and grammar, you can look through the contents of this guide and focus on improving in those areas If you are not yet aware of your weaknesses, take a diagnostic test The Preparing for the ACT practice test is available for free online, and The Official ACT Prep Guide includes practice tests you can take You should print the test if you plan to take it in hard copy so you can practice in the same manner in which you will take your actual test Being able to cross out answer choices, underline, and star information can help you process the passages and questions We hope this guide helps you identify your strengths and improve areas of weakness so that you can show all that you know on your ACT English test  ... Overview of the ACT English and Writing Tests The Structure of the English Test Content of the ACT English Test The Content of the Writing Test How to Use This Guide Chapter 2: Taking the English. . .THE OFFICIAL ACT ENGLISH GUIDE Copyright © 2020 by ACT, Inc All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published... for free online, and The Official ACT Prep Guide includes practice tests you can take You should print the test if you plan to take it in hard copy so you can practice in the same manner in which