ACT English : Correcting Grammatical Errors
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Example Question #22 : Apostrophe Errors
Adapted from “The Fear of the Past” in What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton (1910)
The last few decades have marked by a special cultivation of the romance of the future. We seem to have made up our minds to misunderstand what has happened; and we turn, with a sort of relief, to stating what will happen—which is (apparently) more easy. The modern man no longer presents the memoirs of his great grandfather; but is engaged in writing a detailed and authoritative biography of his great-grandson. Instead of trembling before the specters of the dead, we shudder abject under the shadow of the babe unborn. This spirit is apparent everywhere, even to the creation of a form of futurist romance. Sir Walter Scott stands at the dawn of the nineteenth century for the novel of the past; Mr. H. G. Wells stands at the beginning of the twentieth century for the novel of the future. The old story, we know, was supposed to begin: "Late on a winter's evening two horsemen might have been seen . . ." The new story has to begin: "Late on a winter's evening two aviators will be seen . . ." The movement is not without its elements of charm; theres something spirited, if eccentric, in the sight of so many people fighting over again the fights that have not yet happened; of people still aglow with the memory of tomorrow morning. A man in advance of the age is a familiar phrase enough. An age in advance of the age is really rather odd.
What is the best form of the underlined selection, "theres something spirited, if eccentric, in the"?
There's something spirited, if eccentric, in the
NO CHANGE
There's something spirited if eccentric in the
Theres something spirited, if eccentric in the
There's something spirited, if eccentric, in the
The primary problem with passage as written is the improper form of "theres" in the sentence. This is not even grammatically a word. The author clearly intends that the independent clause begin, "There is something spirited..." This can be expressed using the contracted form "there's." Although this form is a bit informal, it is the only correct option found among those provided as answers. Note, also, that, "There's something spirited if eccentric in the,"is incorrect because it does not set off "if eccentric" in commas.
Example Question #21 : Apostrophe Errors
Which of these sentences uses an apostrophe incorrectly?
He had locked the keys in his' car.
They're waiting for the bell to ring.
Gloria's backpack was an alarming shade of orange.
It's raining cats and dogs today.
Sam's anger was clear from his expression.
He had locked the keys in his' car.
Apostrophes can be used to mark the place where two words join together in a contraction. They can also be used to show a subject's possession of an object or quality. They should not be used to show a pronoun's possession of an object or quality.
Example Question #22 : Apostrophe Errors
Adapted from The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (ed. 1896)
Look at a plant in the midst of it's range, why does it not double or quadruple its numbers? We know that it can perfectly well withstand a little more heat or cold, dampness or dryness, for elsewhere it ranges into slightly hotter or colder, damper or drier districts. In this case, we can clearly see that if we wish in imagination to give the plant the power of increasing in number, we should have to give it some advantage over its competitors, or over the animals of the wild that prey on it. On the confines of its geographical range, a change of constitution with respect to climate would clearly be an advantage to our plant; but we have reason to believe that only a few plants or animals range so far, that they are destroyed exclusively by the rigor of the climate. Not until we reach the extreme confines of life, in the Arctic regions or on the borders of an utter desert, will competition cease. The land may be extremely cold or dry, yet there will be competition between some few species, or between the individuals of the same species, for the warmest or dampest spots.
Hence we can see that when a plant or animal is placed in a new country amongst new competitors, the conditions of its life will generally be changed in an essential manner, although the climate may be exactly the same as in its former home. If its average numbers are to increase in its new home, we should have to modify it in a different way to what we should have had to do in its native country; for we should have to give it some advantage over a different set of competitors or enemies.
It is good thus to try in imagination to give to any one species an advantage over another. Probably in no single instance should we know what to do. This ought to convince us of our ignorance on the mutual relations of all organic beings; a conviction as necessary, as it is difficult to acquire. All that we can do is to keep steadily in mind that each organic being is striving to increase in a geometrical ratio; that each at some period of its life, during some season of the year, during each generation or at intervals, has to struggle for life and to suffer great destruction. When we reflect on this struggle, we may console ourselves with the full belief that the war of nature is not incessant, that no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and that the vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply.
Which of the following is the proper form of the underlined word “it’s” found in the first sentence?
it is
its
its'
it's
its
The word "its" is being used as a "possessive" adjective. Which range are we talking about? We are talking about the "plant's range." However, whereas we use an "s" preceded by an apostrophe to make nouns possessive, in the case of "it," we use the "s" preceded by an apostrophe to represent the contraction "it is" = "it's". If you chose "it's," your sentence would read, "Look at the plant in the midst of it is range." The proper form is "its."
Example Question #23 : Apostrophe Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The sun was blotted out as thousands of birds silhouettes appeared overhead.
NO CHANGE
bird's silhouettes
birds' silhouettes
birds silhouette's
bird's silhouettes'
birds' silhouettes
Only the correct answer shows proper possession of the noun "silhouettes" by the plural noun "birds." Remember, the singular or plural nature of a noun is often revealed through context clues (in this case, the word "thousands").
Example Question #24 : Apostrophe Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The Emperor Augustus dog has the sniffles.
The Emperor Augustus' dog's have the sniffles.
The Emperor Augustus' dog has the sniffles.
NO CHANGE
The Emperor Augustu's dog has the sniffles.
The Emperor Augustuses dog has the sniffles.
The Emperor Augustus' dog has the sniffles.
"The Emperor Augustus' dog has the sniffles" is the correct answer. When forming a possessive with a proper noun that ends in -s, such as "Augustus," the apostrophe follows the -s. (You may see some style guides give "Augustus's dog" as the correct answer for a problem like this, but this way of forming the possessive is falling out of favor.) American readers will read the phrase aloud as "Augustuses dog", whereas British readers will read it aloud as "Augustus dog", but both will use the apostrophe after the -s.
Example Question #25 : Apostrophe Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
A few guests’ bags had been stolen that night.
NO CHANGE
guest
guest's
guests
of the guest's
NO CHANGE
An apostrophe denotes possession. In this case, the bags belong to a few guests. Because the noun "guests" is plural, the apostrophe is placed after the “s.” If it were only one guest (if the noun were singular), then the apostrophe would be placed before the “s.”
Example Question #26 : Apostrophe Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
At that school on Fridays, the childrens' lunches are made by a local seafood chef who makes crowd favorites like California roll sushi and fried popcorn shrimp.
childrens lunches
children's lunches
NO CHANGE
childs' lunches
childrens lunch's
children's lunches
The lunches belong to the children, so the correct possessive is "children's"; the "lunches" are simply plural.
Example Question #27 : Apostrophe Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Seeing the stable had always been Madeleine's favorite part of visiting her grandparents; it had been her family's for nearly a century and the architecture reflected a time long past.
families
familie's
familys'
NO CHANGE
families'
NO CHANGE
The stable belongs to just one family. The possessive form of the singular word "family" is "family's."
Example Question #601 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The dog went to it's doghouse and proceeded to bury all of it's belongings.
The dog went to doghouse and proceeded to bury all of belongings.
The dog went to its' doghouse and proceeded to bury all of its' belongings.
The dog gone to its doghouse and proceded to bury all of its belongings.
NO CHANGE
The dog went to its doghouse and proceeded to bury all of its belongings.
The dog went to its doghouse and proceeded to bury all of its belongings.
While the apostrophe does mark possession in a phrase like "Tony's dog," the possesive form of the pronoun "it" is "its", without an apostrophe. "It's" is the contracted form of the phrase "it is", in which the apostrophe stands in for the missing "i" in "is."
Example Question #602 : Correcting Grammatical Errors
"My dear," said the thief, "you simply must get out of my way."
Which of the following is the best correction for this sentence?
"My dear you simply must get out of my way," said the thief.
"My dear, you simply must get out of my way" said the thief.
NO ERROR
"My dear," said the thief "you simply must get out of my way."
"My dear," said the thief, "you simply must get out of my way".
NO ERROR
There are no errors in the sentence as written. The phrase "my dear" is a non-essential phrase which can be removed from the sentence without affecting it, so it needs commas on both sides. Also, the period at the end of the quoted sentence must go inside the quotation marks. Moving the signal phrase "said the thief" to the end of the sentence would be fine, but leaving the comma after "dear" out after making such a move would not be.
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