ACT English : Comma Errors
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Example Questions
Example Question #151 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
When I retired I took up sprinting. I ran for my university track team a D3 team don’t get too excited and performed as a top athlete in our conference. I fell in love with running so much that I even signed up to run cross country in the fall. Endurance is not my thing and that is part of why I am lazy. I played soccer one season because the team needed an extra body. I was an awful terrible soccer player but it was so much fun!
What would make the underlined portion of the sentence correct?
soccer player! But it was so much fun!
soccer player (but) it was so much fun!
NO CHANGE
soccer player, but it was so much fun!
soccer player but it was so, much fun!
soccer player, but it was so much fun!
Commas are placed before conjunctions to separate two complete thoughts in a compound sentence. Generally, it is not a good idea to begin a sentence with a conjunction: and, but, for, or.
Example Question #152 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
I now ride horses and run for fun. I am lazy however because as I mentioned before I don’t have much endurance. I’m a sprinter through and through! I like the pain to be over in less than 60 seconds. I’ll run longer but I’m not usually happy about it. For as much as I love sports I also love to sit on my couch with potato chips and watch tv too! Generally I love athletics but I am a lazy relaxer also!
What would make the underlined portion of the passage correct?
I now ride horses and—run for fun
NO CHANGE
I now ride horses, and run for fun
I now ride horses and also running for fun.
I now ride horses and even though I run for fun
NO CHANGE
Commas are only necessary in front of conjunctions when they join two complete sentences or when they end a list of three or more words. This sentence is short and the and only separates two things: ride and run.
Example Question #131 : Punctuation Errors
I now ride horses and run for fun. I am lazy however because as I mentioned before I don’t have much endurance. I’m a sprinter through and through! I like the pain to be over in less than 60 seconds. I’ll run longer but I’m not usually happy about it. For as much as I love sports I also love to sit on my couch with potato chips and watch tv too! Generally I love athletics but I am a lazy relaxer also!
What would make the underlined portion of the text grammatically correct?
I am lazy, however - because as I mentioned
I am lazy, however, because as I mentioned
NO CHANGE
I am lazy however because as I was mentioning
I am lazy however because, as I mentioned
I am lazy, however, because as I mentioned
When there are additives to a sentence, they must be surrounded by commas and separated from the main sentence. "However" here is an effective transition from one idea to the next, but it is not essential to the sentence itself; therefore, it must be surrounded on both sides by commas.
Example Question #132 : Punctuation Errors
I now ride horses and run for fun. I am lazy however because as I mentioned before I don’t have much endurance. I’m a sprinter through and through! I like the pain to be over in less than 60 seconds. I’ll run longer but I’m not usually happy about it. For as much as I love sports I also love to sit on my couch with potato chips and watch tv too! Generally I love athletics but I am a lazy relaxer also!
What would make the underlined portion of the text grammatically correct?
none of the other answers
For as much as I love sports, I also
For, as much as, I love sports I also
NO CHANGE
For, as much as I love sports I also
For as much as I love sports, I also
"For as much as I love sports" is a dependent clause that begins the sentence. It cannot stand alone as a sentence, but the rest of the sentence can stand alone. Dependent clauses must be separated from other parts of the sentence by one comma.
Example Question #131 : Punctuation Errors
Make any necessary changes to the underlined word or phrase in the sentence.
When I finished writing the essay I packed my bag and headed home.
NO CHANGE
essay and I
essay, then I
essay, I
essay, I
There needs to be a comma after the first clause, “When I finished writing the essay,” to separate it from the second action (which comprises the second clause), “I packed my bag and headed home.”
Example Question #132 : Punctuation Errors
Make any necessary changes to the underlined word or phrase in the sentence.
Our dance teacher finally arrived; and she told us we were learning a new hip-hop number that day.
NO CHANGE
arrive however
arrived, next
arrived, and
arrived, and
The first clause requires a comma before the conjunction “and” in order to be grammatically correct.
Example Question #133 : Punctuation Errors
The Channel Tunnel, commonly known as the Chunnel, is an underwater tunnel that connects England and France.
Tunnel. Commonly
NO CHANGE
Tunnel; commonly
Tunnel commonly
NO CHANGE
The phrase "commonly known as the Chunnel" is a nonrestrictive clause because it is not required for the sentence to make sense grammatically. Nonrestrictive clauses usually appear between commas or dashes.
Example Question #134 : Punctuation Errors
In 1990, the two sides of the service tunnel met; one year later, the northern and southern tunnels met. And in 1993, the first test run was completed. Finally, in 1994, the tunnel opened.
met and
NO CHANGE
met up and
met, and
met, and
When two independent clauses are connected using a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), a comma must precede the conjunction. Independent clauses are clauses that have a subject and predicate and can therefore stand on their own. Although informal writing may begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, this is not acceptable in formal writing such as the essays found on the ACT. Thus, the original version of the underlined portion is not acceptable.
Example Question #135 : Punctuation Errors
After the discovery of gold in California settlers began traveling west in search of fortune.
NO CHANGE
California, settlers
California: settlers
California; settlers
California, settlers
"After the discovery of gold in California" is a dependent clause because it cannot stand on its own. Dependent clauses need to be connected to independent clauses with a comma. "Settlers began traveling west in search of fortune" is an independent clause because it can stand on its own. Dependent clauses cannot be connected to independent clauses with a colon or semicolon.
Example Question #134 : Punctuation Errors
Then, during the winter of 1860, William H. Russell, William Bradford Waddell, and Alexander Majors designed the Pony Express.
NO CHANGE
William H. Russell. William Bradford Waddell. And Alexander Majors
William H. Russell William Bradford Waddell, and Alexander Majors
William H. Russell William Bradford Waddell and Alexander Majors
NO CHANGE
Items in a list must be separated by commas. In this case, the list contains three names.
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