by Erica L. Meltzer | Apr 19, 2011 | ACT Reading
As I’ve discussed before, the point of skimming is not simply to read everything fast, but rather to read many things fast in order to identify the handful of places you need to slowly.
While this is generally true for the ACT, there are also some quirks particular to the Reading Comprehension section that make it necessary to approach skimming a bit differently.
1) Initial read-through
One of the particular challenges that ACT passages pose is that they can either focus primarily on a single argument and its supporting and/or contradicting evidence, or on a collection of facts and details that revolve around a particular topic. In the case of the former, you need to focus on the key places in the argument, the places where supporting and/or contradicting information is introduced.
These key places may only occur every other paragraph or even every third paragraph, but if you focus on topic sentences and keep an eye out for transitions such as therefore and for example, and punctuation such as dashes and colons (which signal explanations) you should be able to pick them out pretty easily. In case of the latter (especially Prose Fiction), you do actually need to read everything quickly in order to get a general impression of what’s going on — there’s just no other way to do it. As you skim, however, circle major transitions, explanations, and words like important to help you when you:
2) Go back to the passage in order to answer specific questions
Since the ACT does not usually give line numbers, Reading Comprehension can feel like some sort of twisted scavenger hunt. The trick is to identify one or two key words in the question and look only for them. If a question asks about the architectural significance of Frank Gehry’s Stata Center, for (real) example, look only for the words Stata Center and ignore everything else. If you have no idea where those words could possibly be, don’t just start reading random bits of the passage — chances are you’ll just get lost and miss important information when it does appear. Instead, focus on reading topic sentences to figure out which paragraph is most likely to contain those words.
As your eye moves down the page, draw your index finger along with it
Establishing a physical connection with the passage helps to focus you and makes it easier to spot the words you’re looking for.
Then, when you’ve found them, read the full sentences in which they appear, thoroughly, from beginning to end, and without skipping over anything. If you have to, put your finger on the page in order to make sure that you don’t miss a single word. Pay particular attention to any major transitions you’ve circled in or near those sentences because there’s a good chance the necessary information will be located near them. If you can’t answer the question from the information in that sentence, read the sentence before AND the sentence after it. There’s a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 19, 2011 | ACT English/SAT Writing
Note: because of the extreme popularity of this post, I’ve made it available as a PDF download.
Way back in the olden days when American schools regularly taught grammar, many students learned that a comma should automatically be placed before a person’s name or the title of a book, magazine, etc.
In reality, however, that’s not quite true. The inclusion of a comma actually depends on the circumstances, and having a comma vs. no comma can dramatically change the meaning of a sentence. (more…)
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 15, 2011 | ACT English/SAT Writing
This is a rule that’s pretty much guaranteed to show up on every ACT and SAT, and knowing it can get you an easy couple of points.
It’s = It is
Correct: It’s very rainy outside today, but it might be sunnier tomorrow.
Incorrect: Its very rainy outside today, but it might be sunnier tomorrow.
Its = Possessive form of “It”
Correct: The book has lost its cover.
Incorrect: The book has lost it’s cover.
Its’ = does not exist
It’s vs. its can be tricky because nouns with apostrophes are possessive (e.g., the boy’s hat = the hat that belongs to the boy). As a result, many people very logically mistake it’s ( a pronoun) for the possessive form. Note that on the ACT, its is almost always the correct answer for precisely this reason.
There is, however, a simple trick.
If you see both it’s and its show up as answer choices and aren’t sure which one to choose, plug in it is. If the sentence makes sense, you need the apostrophe; if it doesn’t (much more likely), you don’t need the apostrophe.
Incorrect: Florida, the site of some of the first European settlements in North America, increased it’s population very slowly after being established as a state.
Plug in: Florida, the site of some of the first European settlements in North America, increased it is population very slowly after being established as a state.
Correct: Florida, the site of some of the first European settlements in North America, increased its population very slowly after being established as a state.
Finally, remember that its’ does not exist. (Nor, for that matter, does its’s, which has been known to appear on occasion.) The plural of its is their. Any answer that contains its’ can be automatically eliminated—no exceptions.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 13, 2011 | ACT English/SAT Writing
This is one of the most common errors involving commas on the ACT, and it’s one that’s very easy to identify and fix.
A compound item is simply two nouns or verbs joined by the word “and.” The rule is that you never need a comma before the “and.”
If the grammatical terminology makes you too nervous, there’s also a great shortcut: comma + and = period, and if you plug in a period, you won’t have two full sentences. Since the period isn’t correct, “comma + and” isn’t correct either.
Compound Subject Errors
Incorrect: The cover, and the binding of the old book are beginning to disintegrate.
Period replaces “comma + and:” The cover. The binding of the old book are beginning to disintegrate.
Correct: The cover and the binding of the old book are beginning to disintegrate.
Compound Object Errors
Incorrect: The book has many pages, and illustrations.
Period replaces “comma + and:” The book has many pages. Illustrations.
Correct: The book has many pages and illustrations.
Compound Verb
Incorrect: The cover of the old book is beginning to fade, and disintegrate.
Period replaces “comma + and:” The cover of the old book is beginning to fade. Disintegrate.
Correct: The cover of the old book is beginning to fade and disintegrate.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 12, 2011 | ACT English/SAT Writing, Grammar (SAT & ACT)
For some reason, colons have a tendency to make people nervous. There’s really no reason for concern, though, because there are only three things you need know in order to use them flawlessly.
Colons can be used in two situations:
1) Before a list
New England consists of six states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
2) Before an explanation
Correct: I spoke to my supervisor, and this is what she said: I should come in early tomorrow morning in order to make up for the shift that I missed last night.
The first half of the sentence sets up the information after the colon, which explains what the supervisor said.
Let’s look at a slightly more challenging example.
Correct: The Greek goddess Athena was a complex figure: she was a patron of the arts and music, but she also was a warrior who was typically depicted as wearing armor and carrying a shield.
Again, the second half of the sentence expands on the first — it explains why Athena was a complex figure.
Now, there is an additional requirement:
The sentence before a colon must be able to stand on its own as a complete thought.
For instance, in the second example above, the statement The Greek goddess Athena was a complex figure is both a grammatically complete sentence and a statement that makes sense on its own.
In contrast, we cannot say this:
Incorrect: The Greek goddess Athena was: a complex figure.
Even though The Greek goddess Athena was is technically a complete sentence because it contains a subject (The Greek goddess Athena) and a verb (was), it does not make sense as an independent thought.
One more example.
Incorrect: In recent years, forest fires have become: an increasing threat in the United States and abroad.
Because In recent years, forest fires have become does not make sense as an independent statement, it should not come before a colon.
Correct: In recent years, forest fires have become an increasing threat: they burn earlier and later in the year, both in the United States and abroad.
Because In recent years, forest fires have become an increasing threat does make sense on its own, it can come before a colon.
