ACT English : Correcting Grammatical Errors
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Example Questions
Example Question #322 : Comma Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany is famous for his theory of relativity, which is important to modern physics.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany, is famous for his theory of relativity, which is important to modern physics.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany, is famous for his theory of relativity which is important to modern physics.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany is famous for his theory of relativity, which is important to modern physics.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany is famous for his theory of relativity which is important to modern physics.
Einstein who was born in Ulm, Germany is famous for his theory of relativity, which is important to modern physics.
Einstein, who was born in Ulm, Germany, is famous for his theory of relativity, which is important to modern physics.
Here, “who was born in Ulm, Germany,” is a relative clause that modifies or describes “Einstein,” and “which is important to modern physics” is a relative clause that modifies “his theory of relativity.” Because relative clauses contain non-essential information (they can be removed and still leave a complete sentence), they must always be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Also, don’t forget that commas are always used between the name of a city and the name of its state or country, as in “Ulm, Germany.”
Example Question #6 : Correcting Punctuation Errors: Other Commas
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
My dad, after buying the new puppy, followed the training techniques, that the book recommended.
My dad, after buying the new puppy, followed the training techniques that the book recommended.
My dad after buying the new puppy, followed the training techniques, that the book recommended.
My dad, after buying the new puppy, followed the training techniques, that the book recommended.
My dad, after buying the new puppy followed the training techniques, that the book recommended.
My dad, after buying the new puppy followed the training techniques that the book recommended.
My dad, after buying the new puppy, followed the training techniques that the book recommended.
Here, “after buying the puppy” is an interrupting phrase and can be removed from the sentence without making a sentence fragment. For this reason, it has to be set apart by commas. There is no comma between “techniques” and “that” because the words “that the book recommended” are necessary to specify which training techniques the sentence is talking about. If the words were removed, readers wouldn’t know which training techniques the speaker's dad followed. So, as with all essential sentence information, this phrase is not set apart by commas. (An easy trick is to remember that commas never appear immediately before or after the word “that.”)
Example Question #601 : Correcting Punctuation Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes and by the end of the day, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes and by the end, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes, and by the end, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes, and by the end they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique, that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes and by the end they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes, and by the end, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique, that their friends had recommended.
The twins spent all day trying on shoes, and by the end, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended.
Since “the twins spent all day trying on shoes” and “by the end of the day, they concluded their favorite store was the new boutique that their friends had recommended” are independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences on their own), a comma must be used before the conjunction (“and”) that joins these two independent clauses. “By the end of the day” is an introductory phrase for the second clause, so it must be separated from that clause with a comma.
There is no comma between “boutique” and “that” because the words “that their friends had recommended” are necessary to specify which boutique the sentence is talking about. So, as with all necessary sentence information, it’s not set off by commas. (Remember, commas never appear immediately before or after the word “that.”)
Example Question #323 : Comma Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The boy, whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash, that no one could identify.
The boy, whose parents were dermatologists, and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash that no one could identify.
The boy whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field came down with a strange rash that no one could identify.
The boy, whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash that no one could identify.
The boy, whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash, that no one could identify.
The boy whose parents were dermatologists, and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash that no one could identify.
The boy, whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field, came down with a strange rash that no one could identify.
In this sentence, “whose parents were dermatologists and experts in their field” is a relative clause (non-essential information) that describes “the boy.” As with all relative clauses, this one can be removed and still leave a complete sentence, so it must be set apart with commas.
There is no comma between “rash” and “that” because the words “that no one could identify” are necessary to specify which rash the sentence is talking about. So, as with all necessary sentence information, these words aren’t set apart with commas. (Also, remember that commas never come immediately before or after the word “that.”)
Example Question #471 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
Adapted from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861)
As she applied herself to set the tea-things, Joe peeped down at me over his leg, as if he was mentally casting me and himself up and calculating what kind of pair we practically should make, under the grievous circumstances foreshadowed. After that, he sat feeling his right-side flaxen curls and whisker, and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes, as his manner always was at squally times.
My sister had a trenchant way of cutting our bread and butter for us, that never varied. First, with her left hand she jammed the loaf hard and fast against her bib, where it sometimes got a pin into it and sometimes a needle, which we afterwards got into our mouths. Then, she took some butter (not too much) on a knife and spread it on the loaf, in an apothecary kind of way, as if she were making a plaster. She used both sides of the knife with a slapping dexterity and trimming and moulding the butter off round the crust. Then, she gave the knife a final smart wipe on the edge of the plaster and then sawed a very thick round off the loaf: which she finally, before separating from the loaf, hewed into two halves, of which Joe got one and I the other.
On the present occasion, though I was hungry, I dared not eat my slice. I felt that I must have something in reserve for my dreadful acquaintance, and his ally the still more dreadful young man. I knew, “Mrs. Joe's housekeeping to be of the strictest kind,” and that my larcenous researches might find nothing available in the safe. Therefore, I resolved to put my hunk of bread and butter down the leg of my trousers.
Which of the following is the correct form of the selected statement, "whisker, and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes, as his manner"?
whisker, and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes as his manner
whisker and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes, as his manner
NO CHANGE
whisker, and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes—as his manner
whisker and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes, as his manner
There are two adjectival uses of the participles "feeling" and "following." Each of these describe what Joe was doing. Simplify the sentence, and you will see this: "He sat [1] feeling . . . and [2] following . . ." Since we are not initiating a new independent clause, there is no need for the comma before the conjunction "and." Therefore, the correct answer is the one that removes that comma.
Example Question #472 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
Adapted from Hard Times by Charles Dickens (1854)
A candle faintly burned in the window, to which the black ladder had often been raised for the sliding away of all that was most precious in this world to a striving wife and a brood of hungry babies. Stephen added to his other thoughts the stern reflection, that of all the casualties of this existence upon earth, not one was dealt out with so unequal a hand as death. The inequality of birth was nothing to it. For example, the child of a king and the child of a weaver were born tonight in the same moment. What would be the disparity between the death of any human creature who was serviceable to, or beloved by, another, while this abandoned woman lived on!
From the outside of his home he gloomily passed to the inside with suspended breath and with a slow footstep. He went up to his door opened it and so into the room.
Quiet and peace was there. Rachael was there, sitting by the bed.
She turned her head, and the light of her face shone in upon the midnight of his mind. She sat by the bed watching and tending his wife. That is to say, he saw that someone lay there and knew too good that it must be she. However, Rachael’s hands had put a curtain up, so that she was screened from his eyes. Her disgraceful garments were removed, and some of Rachael’s were in the room. Everything was in it’s place and order as he had always kept it. The little fire was newly trimmed, and the hearth was freshly swept. It appeared to him that he saw all this in Rachael’s face. While looking at it, it was shut out from his view by the softened tears that filled his eyes; however, this was not before he had seen how earnestly she looked at him, and how her own eyes were filled too.
Which is the best form of the underlined sentence, "She sat by the bed watching and tending his wife."?
NO CHANGE
She sat by the bed to watch and tend his wife.
She sat by the bed to be watching and tending his wife.
She sat by the bed, watching and tending his wife.
She sat by the bed, watching and tending his wife.
In its context, the sentence is being used to describe the scene. It is not so much saying why Rachel is sitting by the bed. (This is implied in the answer, "She sat by the bed [in order] to watch and tend his wife.") Instead, it simply is stating what she is doing, which is expressed well in the sentence that uses the present participles. However, as written, the sentence should have a comma before the phrase containing these participles.
Example Question #471 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
Choose the correct form of the following sentence:
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up there shoes jerseys, and equipment before football practice.
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up they're shoes, jerseys and equipment before football practice.
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up their shoes jerseys, and equiptment, before football practice.
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up there shoes, jerseys and equipment before football practice.
Sentence is correct as it is.
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up their shoes, jerseys and equipment before football practice.
Luke and Tony went to the gymnasium to pick up their shoes, jerseys and equipment before football practice.
There are two errors in the sentence: (1) "There" refers to a place. Because it is being used to show possesion, it should be changed to "their." (2) A comma must be added between shoes and jerseys and removed before and to demonstrate correct usage of a comma.
Example Question #451 : Punctuation Errors
During the final months of 2007, the prices of basic grains nearly doubled in Northern Africa, Latin America, and much of Asia, the high prices caused a global food crisis. The catastrophe sparked and incited an international debate regarding the licensing of new technologies to developing nations. One economist warned that because of the risk of unforeseen price shocks, officials should proceed very cautiously. The construction of private farms pose a serious financial threat to farmers in the United States; nevertheless, of the five most industrialized nations, the United States exports more crops.
How do some countries cope with food crises better than others. It is technology that accounts for the majority of the difference. The rate at which countries adopt innovations depends significantly on environmental factors. These environmental factors include climate, soil and elevation. The variability in environment inhibits new technologies from gaining worldwide popularity that are suited for one particular region over another. For example, the pesticides used in Europe are much more acidic than North America. Without the different levels of acidity, pests would prevent the crops to grow.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
NO CHANGE
soil, and last but not least, elevation
soil, and elevation
soil, and, of course, elevation
soil, and elevation
Lists with three or more items must be separated by commas. The original text contains an error because the list is missing a comma between items. The sentence should read: "climate, soil, and elevation." The answer choice "soil, and elevation" is correct.
Example Question #472 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
The French philosopher Rene Descartes once went out to dinner at a French restaurant because (1) after all (2) where else would he go to eat? On that occasion (3) he ordered the escargot en beurre, the chicken liver paté, the gratineed scallops (4) and the blanquette de veau. Then he proceeded to order another portion of each dish. The waitress was appeased (5). She had never seen anyone order so much food in one sitting it (6) made her slightly ill to watch him eat it all. What made it worse he had no table manner at all since (7) philosophers tend to be thinking about life and death and (8) not about using a napkin. Finally (9) as he sipped the last of his burgundy (10) Descartes made a motion for the check. The waitress asked (11) "Would you care for any desert, monsieur?" At that point, Descartes replied, "I think not" (12) and promptly vanished.
Choose from the following four options the answer that best corrects the underlined mistake preceding the question number. If there is no mistake or the original text is the best option, choose "NO CHANGE."
after all -
after all,
NO CHANGE
after all;
after all,
"After all" is a phrase that can be taken out of the sentence without damaging it grammatically, and thus it should be set off in commas.
Example Question #473 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
The French philosopher Rene Descartes once went out to dinner at a French restaurant because (1) after all (2) where else would he go to eat? On that occasion (3) he ordered the escargot en beurre, the chicken liver paté, the gratineed scallops (4) and the blanquette de veau. Then he proceeded to order another portion of each dish. The waitress was appeased (5). She had never seen anyone order so much food in one sitting it (6) made her slightly ill to watch him eat it all. What made it worse he had no table manner at all since (7) philosophers tend to be thinking about life and death and (8) not about using a napkin. Finally (9) as he sipped the last of his burgundy (10) Descartes made a motion for the check. The waitress asked (11) "Would you care for any desert, monsieur?" At that point, Descartes replied, "I think not" (12) and promptly vanished.
Choose from the following four options the answer that best corrects the underlined mistake preceding the question number. If there is no mistake or the original text is the best option, choose "NO CHANGE."
scallops:
scallops,
NO CHANGE
scallops;
scallops,
In lists, even the last item requires a comma just before the "and" as is the case here.
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