ACT English : Correcting Grammatical Errors

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT English

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Example Questions

Example Question #2091 : Act English

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Neither Danny or Rebecca was adequately prepared for the tennis match that afternoon.

Possible Answers:

nor

either

and

also

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

nor

Explanation:

"Neither" is paired with "nor," "either" is paired with "or." “Neither Danny nor Rebecca” is the correct grammatical pairing in this situation. 

Example Question #2092 : Act English

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

We enjoyed going to Alice’s art class, and the long drive over was starting to become a deterrent. 

Possible Answers:

NO CHANGE

also

but

and then

therefore

Correct answer:

but

Explanation:

The first and second parts of the sentence are both independent clauses. Since they demonstrate a contrast (We like going to the class BUT the drive is too long), “but” is the correct conjunction in this sentence.

Example Question #2093 : Act English

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

What is the best form of the underlined selection, "than the verdict would be"?

Possible Answers:

than the verdict will be

then, the verdict might be

then the verdict would be

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

then the verdict would be

Explanation:

As written, the only mistake is the improper use of "than." "Than" is most often used in comparisons such as, "He is taller than Michael." The word that is needed is "then" (not followed by a comma). The "then" is related to the "if" found at the beginning of the sentence: "If . . . our theory. . . then. . ."

Example Question #2094 : Act English

Travelling can be both fun stressful. If you leaves the country, you should always keep your passport with you. A domestic trip may be more palatable to the xenophobic. However, even a short road trip can be scary than staying at home. People would be wise to simply treat them to a movie.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Possible Answers:

NO CHANGE

Travelling can be both fun, stressful.

Travelling can be both fun and, stressful.

Travelling can be both fun, and, stressful.

Travelling can be both fun and stressful.

Correct answer:

Travelling can be both fun and stressful.

Explanation:

The correct sentence uses the correlative conjunctions “both” and “and.” No commas are needed with this pair of correlative conjunctions.

Example Question #2095 : Act English

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Because it’s a federal holiday, neither the post office or the bank will be open on Monday.

Possible Answers:

and

and not even

nor even

nor

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

nor

Explanation:

Because the sentence uses the negative “neither,” the negative "nor" should be used instead of "or," as "neither" matches with "nor," and "either" matches with "or."

Example Question #2096 : Act English

My childhood was fairly idyllic. I grew up in southern suburbia, we could play outside nearly year round. We almost played outside every day. Our days were filled with bike rides, jumping on the trampoline, playing in the sprinklers, and also imagination games. Countless afternoons were spent in the side yard of our home, where our imaginations were the limit to our fun. One of our favorite games was “Lost Children.” Oddly enough, the parents in the game were always deceased or fighting in a foreign war. The source of this game likely stemmed from the books we read.

My mother’s old, rusty, orange wheelbarrow was perpetually propped up against the fence, to serve as the base for our makeshift range. The metal braces beneath the wheelbarrow bin provided the perfect resting place for a pair of burners, hastily sketched on a flat board. Old paint buckets became a sink and a stained picnic table was scrubbed to a relative state of cleanliness. Our visitors, who were often kings and queens, were served heaping helpings of mud and grass pie, possibly adorned with a side helping of flowers. Household chores were far more fun to do in our imaginary world, and we would eagerly sweep and dust our humble home. Even covered in leaves, we loved our outdoor kitchen.  

Other days, we would scamper around the neighborhood park, sometimes venturing into the woods to go exploring. One time we borrowed my little sister’s wagon and flew down the sides of the ditch. Although we had a grand time my mother was not pleased when she had to replace the broken axle. On adventurous days, we would pretend to be statues on the entrance sign to our neighborhood. But, the most perfect afternoons were spent biking up to the local corner store. With spending money burning a hole in our pockets, we would peruse the convenience store shelves, and after carefully picking our selections, we would pedal home. Our plastic shopping bags hung from the handlebars, rustling in the wind.

The bite of crisp fall evenings would barely phase our childlike fantasies. But, to our dismay, twilight would inevitably seep into our childhood world. Mother would call us in for dinner and a bath, if needed. Tired, beds were welcomed. I would often fall asleep to the gentle rhythm of my mother’s voice.

Which of the following substitutes for the bolded section would NOT be acceptable?

Possible Answers:

or

in addition to

as well as

also there were

Correct answer:

also there were

Explanation:

"Also there were" is not a good substitute because it would make the sentence a run on sentence. The other choices are all acceptable correlative conjunctions.

Example Question #2097 : Act English

"The Election of 1800" by Alec Slatky (2013)

The presidential election of 1800 was an unusual and unique contest in American history. The opponents were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson former friends who became rivals. Jefferson had actually been Vice President under Adams, but had not supported the latter’s policies. Jefferson leapt at the chance to unseat his former boss. Adams, too, would have enjoyed spending time on his farm more than dealing with political acrimony. Accordingly, he was too prideful to willingly relinquish his office. So, the two men who were most qualified for the position but least excited to have such a stressful job became the presidential candidates.

The campaign was a bitter partisan one and included numerous personal attacks. Critics called Jefferson a Democratic-Republican radical, he would lead the country down the bloody path of the French Revolution. Jefferson’s allies fired back, painting Adams as an anti-liberty autocrat. Adams was from Massachusetts. Adams even faced opposition from some extremists among his fellow Federalists and thus lacked the party unity required to win the election.

In the end, Jefferson emerged victorious, winning 73 of the 138 electoral votes. Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as President, and Aaron Burr was inaugurated as Vice President. The election was a milestone in American history: it was the first that shifted control of the White House to a different party, the first with a modern mudslinging campaign, and the first that truly tested whether the new nation would remain united despite all its divisions.

Which of the following alternatives to the bolded section would be LEAST acceptable?

Possible Answers:

as a result

therefore

nevertheless

consequently

Correct answer:

nevertheless

Explanation:

"Nevertheless" is correct because the other three all indicate that Adams lacked party unity BECAUSE he faced opposition from fellow Federalists. The word “fellow” indicates that the opposition came from his own party; "nevertheless" indicates that Adams lacked party unity DESPITE the opposition he faced from his own party, which does not make sense.

Example Question #2098 : Act English

As the class entered the museum, Ms. Johnson noticed that two of her students had fallen behind the group. After all of the tickets had been secured, she approached the two girls, saying: “what on Earth is causing you to go so slow?” The taller girl, whose name was Ashley, was the first to respond:

“Veronica and I were just discussing something very private. Nobody can hear what her and I are discussing.”

“Well, Ashley, I think that our tour guide, Dr. Mitchell, will be offended by your behavior. You and Veronica should find separate places in the group and you should pay attention to him and me.”

The two girls reluctantly joined the rest of the class. Ms. Johnson looked to see if another student was out of their place, but everything seemed to be in order. The tour guide, Dr. Mitchell, introduced himself to the class: 

“Hello everyone! My name is Dr. Mitchell. I’m so glad that you have all come to the Museum of Natural History today; I think you’ll really enjoy our exhibits, which have been curated with the utmost care. The museum has three distinct types of exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, and space shows. The permanent exhibition and the space show is always available for viewing, but the temporary exhibition changes seasonally.“

Having finished his introduction, the permanent exhibition was the first thing that Dr. Mitchell showed to the class.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Possible Answers:

find separate places in the group. And you should

find separate places in the group; and you should

find separate places in the group, and you should

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

find separate places in the group, and you should

Explanation:

Because the two clauses joined by the correlative or coordinating conjunction "and" are independent clauses, there must be a comma before the conjunction. Because both clauses have a subject and an object and could function independently as sentences, a comma is necessary before a coordinating conjunction.

Example Question #2099 : Act English

Adapted from “Emerson’s Prose Works” in The Works of Orestes A. Brownson: Philosophy of Religion by Orestes Brownson (ed. 1883)

Mr. Emersons literary reputation is established and placed beyond the reach of criticism. No living writer surpasses him in his mastery of pure and classic English; nor do any equal himneither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, or in the metallic ring of his style. It is only as a thinker and teacher that we can venture any inquiry into his merits; and as such we cannot suffer ourselves to be imposed upon by his oracular manner, nor by the apparent originality either of his views or his expressions.

Mr. Emerson has had a swarm both of admirers but also of detractors. With many, he is a philosopher and sage, almost a god; while with others, he is regarded as an unintelligible mystic, babbling nonsense fitted to captivate beardless young men and silly maidens with pretty curls, all of who constituted years ago the great body of his hearers and worshipers. We rank us in neither class, though we regard he as no ordinary man. Indeed, we believe he to be one of the deepest thinkers as well as one of the first poets of our country. Indeed, by long acquaintance have him and us been in mutual contact—if only from a distance at times. We know him to be a polished gentleman, a genial companion, and a warmhearted friend, whose' kindness does not pass over individuals and waste itself in a vague philanthropy. So much, at least, we can say of the man, and this do we base not only upon former personal acquaintance and upon our former study of his writings.

What is the best form of the bolded selection "Neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, or in the metallic ring of his style"?

Possible Answers:

neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, nor in the metallic ring of his style

neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences or in the metallic ring of his style

NO CHANGE

neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, and in the metallic ring of his style

Correct answer:

neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, nor in the metallic ring of his style

Explanation:

The issue here is the use of the correlative conjunctions, "Neither . . . nor." The sentence does not use "nor" properly. The "or" should be replaced with "nor."

Example Question #2100 : Act English

Adapted from “Emerson’s Prose Works” in The Works of Orestes A. Brownson: Philosophy of Religion by Orestes Brownson (ed. 1883)

Mr. Emersons literary reputation is established and placed beyond the reach of criticism. No living writer surpasses him in his mastery of pure and classic English; nor do any equal himneither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, or in the metallic ring of his style. It is only as a thinker and teacher that we can venture any inquiry into his merits; and as such we cannot suffer ourselves to be imposed upon by his oracular manner, nor by the apparent originality either of his views or his expressions.

Mr. Emerson has had a swarm both of admirers but also of detractors. With many, he is a philosopher and sage, almost a god; while with others, he is regarded as an unintelligible mystic, babbling nonsense fitted to captivate beardless young men and silly maidens with pretty curls, all of who constituted years ago the great body of his hearers and worshipers. We rank us in neither class, though we regard he as no ordinary man. Indeed, we believe he to be one of the deepest thinkers as well as one of the first poets of our country. Indeed, by long acquaintance have him and us been in mutual contact—if only from a distance at times. We know him to be a polished gentleman, a genial companion, and a warmhearted friend, whose' kindness does not pass over individuals and waste itself in a vague philanthropy. So much, at least, we can say of the man, and this do we base not only upon former personal acquaintance and upon our former study of his writings.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Possible Answers:

both admirers and with detractors

NO CHANGE

both of admirers and of detractors

both of admirers and not of detractors

both of admirers or of detractors

Correct answer:

both of admirers and of detractors

Explanation:

The problem in this selection is the use of the correlative conjunction set "both . . . and . . ." As written, the sentence incorrectly uses "but also." Note, however, that the form, "Both of admirers and not of detractors" also is incorrect because of the immediate negation ("not") after "and."

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