INTRODUCTION TO ACT ENGLISH An overview of essential strategies for test success
Today’s Topics ■ Section Overview ■ Three Key Strategies ■ Practice Guidelines ■ Homework Assignment
ACT ENGLISH SECTION OVERVIEW
ACT English Section Overview ■ 75 questions per test ■ 45 minutes per section ■ Five passage sets w/ 15 questions per set ■ Each passage either 1 st person narrative or 3 rd person report and always poorly written
THREE STRATEGIES FOR TEST SUCCESS
Answer Read the Question Passages Questions Questions ■ Specific questions are ■ Read and compare the ■ Read for context. answer choices to looking for specific ■ Do NOT skip from answers. determine which underline to underline. concept(s) are being ■ You’re not looking for a tested. ■ The title always tells good answer. you the author’s ■ Only one answer ■ You’re not trying to intended main idea. is grammatically impress your English correct. teacher. ■ You’re looking for the only correct answer to the question that has been asked.
ILLUSTRATED TECHNIQUES All questions taken from ACT1572CPRE
PRACTICE GUIDELINES
Ratchet Focus Review ■ Once you're within the ■ Always review your ■ If your timing is over mistakes carefully to 8-9 minutes per 10 minutes per passage range, shift understand both why passage, work to your focus to accuracy. your answer is wrong complete the next and why the right section 30 seconds ■ Practice will make answer is right. per passage faster. near-perfect, but only if you put in the time. ■ If your timing is under 8 minutes per passage, focus on slowing down in order to minimize mistakes.
Homework Assignment All materials can be found as PDFs on the course website. ■ Read and review Inspirica’s Unlocking ACT English ■ Complete the English sections in the following: – Preparing for the ACT 2018-2019 – Preparing for the ACT 2007-2008
ADVANCED ACT ENGLISH A review of the essential strategies and concepts
Today’s Topics ■Review of the Three Key Strategies ■Advanced Grammar and Testing Tactics ■Homework Review
THREE STRATEGIES FOR TEST SUCCESS
Answer Read the Question Passages Questions Questions ■ Specific questions are ■ Read and compare the ■ Read for context. answer choices to looking for specific ■ Do NOT skip from answers. determine which underline to underline. concept(s) are being ■ You’re not looking for a tested. ■ The title always tells good answer. you the author’s ■ Only one answer ■ You’re not trying to intended main idea. is grammatically impress your English correct. teacher. ■ You’re looking for the only correct answer to the question that has been asked.
ADVANCED ACT GRAMMAR CONCEPTS/CONTENT
The Comma Rules Pause Test Period Test Preposition Test If you would NOT pause Commas and periods are If the comma mutually exclusive. while reading aloud, is in front of the comma is wrong. a prepositional phrase, If both are given as possible it is wrong. answers, one must be wrong and the other right.
The Semicolon Rule If you cannot replace the semicolon with a period, then it is incorrect; if you can, then it is correct. This makes semicolons and commas mutually exclusive.
The Colon Rule What comes before must be a complete sentence. What comes after must be either a list of items or examples or an elaboration or explanation.
Double Dashes Double dashes are identical to parentheses or double commas. They denote an interruption that is grammatically disconnected from the rest of the sentence.
Apostrophes, Part One Indicate possession or ownership of the noun(s) immediately following. dog’s toy One dog owns one toy. dogs’ toy Many dogs share one toy. dogs’ toys Many dogs share many toys. dogs’s toys Bad dog!
Apostrophes, Part Two IT’S versus ITS Possessive pronouns never use apostrophes; if a pronoun has an apostrophe, read it as if it’s a contraction. REMEMBER: It’s an apostrophe means that it is an apostrophe.
Redundancy Simpler Is Better Eliminate answers that repeat themselves or restate information already provided elsewhere in other parts of the passage.
Yet More Redundancy Simpler Is Better Shorter answers are better, but not automatically best!
Word Choice The right answer accomplishes the stated objective; the wrong answers do not. The right answer works in context; the wrong answers do not.
YES/NO Question Questions Use the Title It always indicates the author’s intended main idea. Use POE Answer the YES/NO portion before considering the reasoning.
NOT/LEAST/EXCEPT Question Questions Slow Down The correct choice will be the one that in every other question-type would be the easiest to eliminate.
Copy-Editing Question Questions Look for Clues Look within the text for the clue that indicates the correct positioning or that necessitates revision or deletion.
ADDITIONAL HOMEWORK REVIEW
PRACTICE GUIDELINES
Ratchet Focus Review ■ Once you're within the ■ Always review your ■ If your timing is over mistakes carefully to 8-9 minutes per 10 minutes per passage range, shift understand both why passage, work to your focus to accuracy. your answer is wrong complete the next and why the right section 30 seconds ■ Practice will make answer is right. per passage faster. near-perfect, but only if you put in the time. ■ If your timing is under 8 minutes per passage, focus on slowing down in order to minimize mistakes.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
One-on-One Test Review Option ($250) ■ Spend 90 minutes reviewing the results of an official practice test in a one-on-one online session with one of our top tutors. – A full-length, official practice test in PDF form – Access to our online standardized testing and analytics platform – A complete question-by-question analysis of your results, including timing data, and a breakdown of your strengths and weaknesses – A one-on-one session in our online classroom to review your results in full and devise an individualized study plan for the test ■ Sign up using this same Courses.Inspirica.com site.
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