How do I make a verb agree with its subject on the ACT?

Match the verb to its true subject in number, and cross out any phrase between the subject and the verb. The noun nearest the verb is often the object of a preposition, not the subject ('The box of photographs was found', not 'were'). Watch the tricky subjects: indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, neither) are singular, compound subjects joined by 'and' are plural, with 'or' or 'nor' the verb agrees with the nearer subject, collective nouns are singular in American usage, and in 'there is / here are' sentences the subject follows the verb.

How do I choose between who and whom, and I and me?

Use the subject case (I, he, she, we, they, who) for subjects and the object case (me, him, her, us, them, whom) for objects of verbs or prepositions. For compounds, drop the other noun: 'between Daniel and me' (you would say 'between me'). For who versus whom, answer the clause with he or him: if 'he' fits, use 'who'; if 'him' fits, use 'whom'. Do not use 'myself' as a substitute for 'I' or 'me'.

What verb-form errors does the ACT test?

It tests the principal parts of irregular verbs and the perfect tenses. Use the past participle (not the simple past) after a helping verb: 'has gone' and 'had begun', never 'has went' or 'had began'. Use the past perfect ('had' plus a participle) for an action completed before another past action. And never write 'would of', 'could of', or 'should of'; the correct forms are 'would have', 'could have', and 'should have'.

How do comparatives and superlatives work on the ACT?

Use the comparative (more, or -er) when comparing exactly two things ('the taller of the two') and the superlative (most, or -est) for three or more ('the tallest of the five'). Never double a comparison: 'more taller' and 'most fastest' are always wrong. Short adjectives take -er and -est; longer adjectives take more and most. Signal phrases help, since 'of the two' points to a comparative and 'of all' points to a superlative.

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ACT English usage and grammar: complete overview of agreement, pronouns, verb forms, modifiers, and confused words

A complete overview of usage and grammar on ACT English: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and reference, pronoun case, verb forms and tense, adjectives and adverbs and comparisons, and commonly confused words. The usage half of the Conventions of Standard English category.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.811 min readACT-ENG-CSE-UUpdated 2026-06-14

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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The six usage and grammar skills
The thread through every skill: find the controlling word, then apply the rule
How the items are tested
How to study ACT usage and grammar
For the official exam materials

Usage and grammar is the usage half of the Conventions of Standard English category (the other half being sentence structure and punctuation), and like the rest of Conventions it is rule-based and high-yield. This site breaks the area into six dot points. This overview maps them, shows the common thread (find the controlling word, then apply the rule), and explains how to study them.

The six usage and grammar skills

Each skill is part of using words correctly in a sentence.

Subject-verb agreement. Matching a verb to its true subject and handling tricky subjects. See subject-verb agreement.
Pronoun agreement and reference. Matching a pronoun to its antecedent and fixing vague or ambiguous reference. See pronoun agreement and reference.
Pronoun case. Subject versus object pronouns, compounds, comparisons, and who versus whom. See pronoun case.
Verb forms and tense. Irregular participles, the perfect tenses, and would-have versus would-of. See verb forms and tense.
Adjectives, adverbs, and comparisons. Good versus well and comparatives versus superlatives. See adjectives, adverbs, and comparisons.
Commonly confused words. Their/there/they're, affect/effect, fewer/less, and more. See commonly confused words.

The thread through every skill: find the controlling word, then apply the rule

The organizing idea is that each usage question has a controlling word that decides the answer, and the work is to find it and apply a rule. For agreement, the controlling word is the true subject (cross out the phrases in between). For pronouns, it is the antecedent (match number, ensure clear reference) or the pronoun's job (subject or object case). For verb forms, it is the helping verb (use the participle) or the time relationship (past perfect for the earlier action). For modifiers, it is the word being described (noun means adjective, verb means adverb) and the number compared. For confused words, it is the meaning and part of speech needed. Find the controlling word and the rule resolves the question.

How the items are tested

Underlined-portion questions: a verb, pronoun, modifier, or word is underlined, and four versions vary the form. You apply the rule.
Substitution tests: simple tests (cross out the phrase, drop the other noun, expand the contraction, try he/him) turn confusing options into clear ones.
Overlap with structure and punctuation: agreement, verb consistency, and apostrophes connect to the other Conventions modules.

How to study ACT usage and grammar

Drill the cross-out reflex for subject-verb agreement and learn the tricky subjects.
Run two checks on every pronoun: number agreement and clear reference; plus case (subject or object).
Memorize the irregular participles and the "participle after a helper" and "would have" rules.
Apply two checks to modifiers: what is described (adjective or adverb) and how many compared (comparative or superlative).
Learn the confused-word sets and the expand-the-contraction and part-of-speech tests.

For the official exam materials

ACT, Inc. publishes the English test description and free official practice. See the description of the ACT English test and the test preparation page. Always study from the current official materials, because the question style is set by ACT.

Sources & how we know this

Description of the ACT English Test — ACT, Inc. (2025)
Preparing for the ACT Test — ACT, Inc. (2025)