Prose fiction passages on the ACT Reading can be pretty difficult for students. Because they tell stories rather than share information, their structures are less predictable and less navigable than those of expository or informational articles. Many questions will test you on the subtle details of fiction writing that may not be easily detectable. One […]
It’s extremely likely that you’ll face some questions in the ACT English section that test your knowledge of subject-verb agreement. With just a little practice this can be one of the easiest areas to rack up points in the English section. Let’s look at some basic rules governing Subject-Verb construction. First-person: I am a good […]
Being able to edit sentences and paragraphs will be important for the ACT English section. You may be required to correct an error in a sentence. Or you may have to clarify a sentence. In 2004, a local coffee shop in Montgomery, Alabama, instituted a policy that barred employees from having tattoos. The coffee […]
Organization of ideas questions on the ACT Reading section will supply you with a reading passage with portions that correspond with sets of alternative words/phrases. From the options, you must choose the answer choice that works best in context, including a choice for “NO CHANGE.” You may even be asked to add a whole sentence […]
Being able to identify and organize the ideas in a reading passage is crucial to doing well on the ACT Reading section. In development of ideas questions, you’ll be given a reading passage and you’ll have to add, change, or delete a sentence from the passage. Being able to identify a passage’s purpose, or main […]
Though the English language abounds with synonyms, very few exact synonyms exist. Words with similar meanings often carry different connotations, i.e. the culturally subjective meanings or emotional associations suggested by certain words. A word’s connotation is different from its denotation, or standard dictionary meaning. Though the ACT English will not test you on difficult vocabulary […]
On the GMAT, sentences that employ a modifying phrase incorrectly are a common trick. A modifying phrase is one that describes something. Here are a couple of examples of uncomplicated sentences that incorrectly use modifying phrases: Sentence A: Ever since her paw was crushed in the front door, Mrs. Benson has been worried about Muffin, […]
Data Analysis comes up in two of the three ACT Science passage-types: Research Summaries and Data Representation. Data can be presented in tables, charts, graphs, etc. Use these strategic tips to achieve better scores on approximately 2/3 of your ACT Science questions!
Verb tense is often a simple error to spot on English multiple choice problems, but when it comes to harder problems, you really should know the ins and outs of verb tense. It’s easy to spot errors like “I will play basketball yesterday.” We know that such a sentence is logically impossible, and to fix […]
Understanding a reading passage’s purpose, or main idea, means you must understand the overarching topic a reading passage is trying to convey. Not all purpose questions on the ACT will simply ask, “What’s the purpose of this passage?” Still, the following tips and strategies will work will all ACT reading comprehension questions. There you can take […]