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Sentence Structure and Formation

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you tell a complete sentence from a fragment on the ACT, and how do you fix an underlined portion that leaves a sentence incomplete?

Complete sentences and fragments on ACT English: a clause needs a subject and a finite verb and must express a complete thought, recognizing fragments created by missing verbs, -ing verbs without a helper, and stray subordinators, and fixing an underlined portion to form a complete sentence.
A focused answer to complete sentences and fragments on ACT English: a sentence needs a subject and a finite verb and a complete thought, how fragments arise from missing or -ing verbs and stray subordinators, and how to fix an underlined portion that leaves a sentence incomplete. The foundation of the sentence-structure questions.
9 min answer →

How do coordinating, subordinating, and conjunctive-adverb connectors work on the ACT, and how do you pick the connector that joins two clauses correctly and logically?

Joining clauses on ACT English: the three connector types (coordinating conjunctions with a comma, subordinating conjunctions that make a clause dependent, and conjunctive adverbs that need a semicolon), how each is punctuated, and choosing the connector whose logical relationship and punctuation are both correct.
A focused answer to joining clauses on ACT English: coordinating conjunctions (comma before, FANBOYS), subordinating conjunctions (make one clause dependent), and conjunctive adverbs (semicolon before, comma after), how each is punctuated, and how to choose the connector whose logic and punctuation are both right.
9 min answer →

How do you fix a misplaced or dangling modifier on the ACT, and what is the rule for what an introductory phrase must modify?

Modifier placement on ACT English: the rule that a modifier should sit next to the word it describes, recognizing dangling modifiers (an introductory phrase whose subject is missing) and misplaced modifiers, and fixing an underlined portion so the word right after an introductory modifier is the one it logically describes.
A focused answer to modifier placement on ACT English: the rule that a modifier sits beside what it describes, how dangling modifiers leave an introductory phrase with no logical subject and how misplaced modifiers attach to the wrong word, and how to fix an underlined portion so the modifier lands correctly.
9 min answer →

How do you make items in a list or pair grammatically parallel on the ACT, and how do correlative conjunctions and comparisons require matching forms?

Parallel structure on ACT English: matching the grammatical form of items in a series, a pair, or a comparison so each element is the same kind (all nouns, all -ing forms, all clauses), and keeping correlative pairs (not only/but also, either/or) and than/as comparisons parallel.
A focused answer to parallel structure on ACT English: making items in a series, a pair, or a comparison share the same grammatical form, and keeping correlative conjunctions (not only/but also, either/or) and than/as comparisons parallel, with a routine for fixing the odd element in an underlined portion.
9 min answer →

How do you spot a run-on or comma splice on the ACT, and which of the four standard fixes does each answer choice represent?

Run-ons and comma splices on ACT English: recognizing two independent clauses joined with no punctuation (fused) or with only a comma (splice), and applying the four standard fixes (period, semicolon, comma plus a coordinating conjunction, or subordination) to the underlined portion.
A focused answer to run-ons and comma splices on ACT English: how to recognize two independent clauses fused with no punctuation or joined with only a comma, and the four standard fixes (period, semicolon, comma plus a FANBOYS conjunction, or subordination), and how each answer choice maps to one of them.
9 min answer →

How do you keep verb tense consistent within a passage on the ACT, and when is a shift in tense actually correct?

Verb tense and consistency on ACT English: keeping tense consistent with the surrounding sentences unless the meaning requires a change, using context (other verbs, time words) to set the right tense, and avoiding unjustified shifts in an underlined verb.
A focused answer to verb tense and consistency on ACT English: matching an underlined verb to the tense of the surrounding passage, using time words and nearby verbs to set the tense, and telling a wrong shift from a justified change of time, with a routine for choosing the consistent verb.
9 min answer →