Across
- 2. — The rule that a pronoun must match its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in number and gender. Example: "Each student must bring his or her textbook."
- 4. — The grammatical principle that items in a list or paired ideas must be written in the same grammatical form. Example: "She likes running, swimming, and to bike" is incorrect; "running, swimming, and biking" is correct.
- 6. — The quality of expressing ideas clearly and directly without unnecessary words. The ACT frequently tests the ability to identify the most concise and effective version of a sentence.
- 8. — A word, phrase, or clause that describes or provides more information about another word. A misplaced or dangling modifier creates confusion about what is being described.
- 9. — An incomplete sentence that is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Example: "Running through the park on a sunny afternoon." — this lacks a main clause and cannot stand alone.
- 10. — A sentence structure in which the subject receives the action of the verb rather than performing it. Passive voice can feel wordy or indirect, and the ACT will often ask you to identify a more active alternative. Example: "The papers were graded by the teacher."
- 11. — The unnecessary repetition of an idea already expressed, which weakens writing. Example: "The final conclusion at the end" — "final" and "at the end" both repeat what "conclusion" already implies.
- 14. — A word or phrase that connects ideas between sentences or paragraphs, showing relationships such as contrast (however), addition (furthermore), or cause and effect (therefore).
- 16. — The grammatical rule that a subject and its verb must match in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Example: "The dog runs" vs. "The dogs run."
Down
- 1. — A group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. Example: "Because she studied hard…"
- 3. — A punctuation mark used to show possession (Maria's book) or to form contractions (don't, it's). A common ACT trap is confusing possessives like "its" with contractions like "it's."
- 5. — A sentence structure in which the subject performs the action of the verb. Active voice is direct, clear, and generally preferred on the ACT. Example: "The teacher graded the papers."
- 7. — A group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence. Example: "She studied hard."
- 12. — The rule that verb tenses within a passage should remain consistent unless there is a logical reason to shift. Unnecessary tense shifts create confusion and are commonly tested on the ACT.
- 13. — A punctuation error that occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, without a coordinating conjunction. Example (incorrect): "I went to the store, I bought milk."
- 15. — A punctuation mark used to join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction. Example: "She studied all night; she passed the exam." It can also separate items in a complex list.