Presented by Mrs. Brummett & Mrs. Dierig

Description of the Test

The English Test is a 75-item, 45-minute test that measures the student’s understanding of the conventions of standard written English (punctuation, grammar and usage, and sentence structure) and of rhetorical skills( strategy, organization, and style).

Content of the TestSix elements of effective writing are

included in the English Test. Usage/Mechanics

Punctuation….10 questionsGrammar Usage….12 questionsSentence Structure….18 questions

Rhetorical SkillsStrategy….12 questionsOrganization….11 questionsStyle….12 questions

Usage/Mechanicsa. Punctuation: test the student’s knowledge of the conventions

of internal and end-of-sentence punctuation, with emphasis on the relationship of punctuation to meaning (e.g., avoiding ambiguity, identifying appositives).

b. Grammar and Usage: test the student’s understanding of agreement between subject and verb, between pronoun and antecedent, and between modifier and the words modified; verb formation; pronoun case; formation of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs; and idiomatic usage.

c. Sentence Structure: test the student’s understanding of relationships between and among clauses, placement of modifiers and shifts in construction.

Rhetorical Skillsa. Strategy: test the student’s ability to develop a given topic by

judging the appropriateness of expression in relation to audience and purpose, the effect of adding, revising, or deleting supporting material, and judging the relevance of statement in context.

b. Organization: test the student’s ability to organize ideas and to make decisions and cohesion device: opening, transitional, and closing statements.

c. Style: test the student’s ability to select precise and appropriate words and images, to maintain the level of style and tone in an essay, to manage sentence elements for rhetorical effectiveness, and to avoid ambiguous pronoun references, wordiness and redundancy.

Tips for Taking the ACT English Test

1. Pace Yourself.- If you spend 1 ½ minutes skimming through each passage before responding to the questions, then you will have 30 seconds to answer each question. Spend less time on each question and use the remaining time allowed for this to review your work and return to the difficult questions .

2. Be aware of the writing style used in each passage.-The five passages cover a variety of topics and are written in a variety of styles. Take into account the writing style used in each passage when you respond to the questions.

3. Examine the underlined portions of the passage.4. Be aware of questions with no underlined portions.5. Note the differences in the answer choices.6. Determine the best answer.7. Reread the sentence, using your selected answer.

Does this stuff belong here?

Does this stuff make sense?

Does this stuff sound like English?

ACT test makers are not your English teachers. You are not rewarded for verbosity (wordiness).

50% of the time the shortest answer is the best answer

If something is redundant, take it out If something is irrelevant, take it out If something is unnecessarily wordy,

take it out

Does the underlined portion make logical sense?

Does the sentence say exactly what it is supposed to mean?

Sentence structure Subject/verb agreement Modifiers Idioms pronouns

Trust your ear– What sounds right You may not know all of the formal

rules of grammar, but you know when something doesn’t sound correct

http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/grammar_topics.php

http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/

index.html http://www.chompchomp.com/

(Grammar Bytes) http://www.dailygrammar.com/

archive.shtml

http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html

http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=13

http://www.testpreppractice.net/ACT/Free-Online-ACT-Practice-Tests.aspx

http://www.actexampracticetests.com/

TAKE ENGLISH TEST

QUESTIONS 1-45

YOU HAVE 27 MINUTES