ACT English, KAPLAN NURSING ENTRANCE EXAM-WRITING SECTION

Are the commas correct? Jacksonville, which is a very large city, has a variety of cultural landmarks.

YES. Comma sandwich. "which is a very large city" is non-essential in the sentence.

Is the comma correct? The snarling, drooling raccoon in the cage scared me.

YES. The comma is separating 2 adjectives whose order CAN be reversed. EX: "The drooling, snarling raccoon in the cage scared me." (Also acceptable)

Is the comma correct? When I went to Chicago, the weather was terrible.

YES. The comma is separating a dependent clause (when...) + an independent clause, in that order.

Are the commas correct? I like apples, pear, and bananas.

Yes. Commas separating items in a list of 3 or more. ____, ____, and ____

Is the comma correct? My mother is a doctor, and my father is a teacher at the city's largest private lower school.

Yes. The comma is used to separate two sentences connected by one of the FANBOYS.

If you use who...

You can check that "he", "she", or "they" could replace "who" in the phrase. Ex: I knew the man who called the talk show. ("HE called the talk show"--YES, that is correct.)

They're=?

"They are"

Who's=?

"Who is"

An incomplete idea can't stand on its own

"the batter who hit second" (makes no sense)

If you use whom...

You can check that "him", "her", or "them" could replace "whom" in the phrase. Ex: The student whom I called on Tuesday did not attend the class. ("I called HIM on Tuesday"--YES, that is correct.)

Contraction of "it is"

it's It's hot today.

Possessive of "it"

its ex: its collar

Which is not a correct form? its, it's, its'

its'. This form does NOT exist.

GO punctuation

Use a comma to slow down, but not stop ideas. If you don't need to stop or slow down, don't use ANY punctuation.

Subject-verb agreement

A subject is the PERFORMER of an action. A verb is an ACTION, FEELING or STATE of BEING. Verbs have to be consistent with their subjects. Singular subjects take the singular form of the verb, and plural subjects take plural forms

If a verb form is underlined...

...check subject-verb agreement, then tense.

complete ideas

A complete idea can stand on its own. Whether it's the entire sentence or just one part. Complete ideas must have a subject and a verb.

declarative sentence

A declarative sentence states a fact. This word can be used to describe any action or speech that makes a statement. Ex: "I love the Red Sox!" is a declarative sentence.

Conjunctions

A word that joins words or groups of words. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating, correlative, and subordinating. Coordinating conjunctions include and, but, or, not, yet, for, and so.

Pronoun

A word that takes the place of a noun

and

ALWAYS put a comma before "and" at the end of a list with three or more items.

After a preposition, should you use "who" or "whom"?

ALWAYS use "whom." Ex: "of whom" "to whom" "with whom" because we say "of him" "to him" and "with him", NOT "to he"...

Accept Vs. Except

Accept: to receive something. Except: usually means "unless" or "excluding," but it's sometimes used as verb "to leave out."

active voice VS. passive voice.

Active voice: Expresses an action done by its subject. Passive voice: the passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.

What are the FANBOYS?

Conjunctions that can be used to connect two independent clauses (complete sentences). For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Subject-verb agreement RULE

As a general rule, singular verbs end with S and plural verbs do not. Ex: singular verb:Ryan PLAYS soccer plural verb: Mary & Allison PRACTICE every day.

Interrogative sentence

Asks a question and ends with a question mark. Ex: "Are you crazy?"

adverbs

Describe actions (verbs); often end in -ly

modifiers

Describes or modifies someone or something in the sentence. ex: No one took her warnings serious =No one took her warnings seriously.

comparisons and superlatives

For most adjectives an -er at the end makes a comparison, and a -est makes a superlative. ex: Farid is BUISER than Wesley is.

When do you use a colon?

Independent clause: a list or explanation (what follows the colon can be a complete sentence but does not have to be.)

Need a comma? I went to the store that sells all the vintage toys.

NO COMMA before or after "THAT"

Correct? could of, should of

NO, INCORRECT. There is no such phrase in English. CORRECT: could have, should have

Correct? must of

NO, INCORRECT. There is no such phrase in English. CORRECT: must have

Correct? Would of

NO, INCORRECT. There is no such phrase in English. CORRECT: would have

Correct? Its' ball.

NO--> " its' " does not exist.

Is the comma correct? I went to see my friend, Jane, last night.

NO-->Because I hopefully have more than one friend, we do not know which friend without her name. Jane is essential information. CORRECT: I went to see my friend Jane last night.

Is the comma correct? She is one of the greatest painters, of all time.

NO. "of" is a preposition. NO COMMA before or after a preposition. CORRECT: She is one of the greatest painters of all time.

Is the comma correct? Jacksonville is a very large city, and has a variety of cultural landmarks.

NO. NO COMMA because "has a variety of cultural landmarks" is NOT an independent clause/complete sentence. It has no subject. CORRECT: Jacksonville is a very large city and has a variety of cultural landmarks.

Is the first comma correct? I attended a liberal arts college, (which I enjoyed a great deal), but I earned my graduate degree at a large university.

NO. NO COMMA before an open parenthesis. The second comma comes before a FANBOYS and independent clause so it IS correct. CORRECT: I attended a liberal arts college (which I enjoyed a great deal), but I earned my graduate degree at a large university.

Is the comma correct? The man in the red coat, will definitely miss the bus.

NO. NO COMMA between a subject and a verb. Correct: The man in the red coat will definitely miss the bus.

Is the comma correct? The forest was filled with snarling, animals.

NO. NO COMMA between an adjective and a noun. CORRECT: The forest was filled with snarling animals.

Is the comma correct? The weather was terrible, when I went to Chicago.

NO. NO COMMA between an independent clause + a dependent clause (if in that order). Correct: The weather was terrible when I went to Chicago.

Is the comma correct? I like dogs that have black spots, and cats with orange stripes.

NO. NO COMMA separating a list of only 2 things. INCORRECT: ______, and _______ CORRECT: ______ and ____

Is the comma correct? The big, red ball bounced into the street.

NO. NO COMMA separating adjectives whose order CANNOT be reversed. (We don't say red big ball.) CORRECT: The big red ball bounced into the street.

Are the commas correct? Jacksonville is Florida's largest city by land area, however, it is not the largest by population.

NO. Run-on/comma splice. Use a semi-colon or period before "however."

Is the comma correct? Jacksonville is a very large city, some cities are even bigger.

NO. You must use a period or semi-colon to separate 2 independent clauses (2 complete sentences). CORRECT: Jacksonville is a very large city; some cities are even bigger. OR Jacksonville is a very large city. Some cities are even bigger. OR Jacksonville is a very large city, but some cities are even bigger.

Correct? This is they're friend Bob.

No. Their friend. (possessive) CORRECT: This is their friend Bob.

When do you use a semi-colon?

On the ACT, it's the same as a period.

Coordinating Conjunctions

One type of conjunction is a coordinating conjunction - these conjunctions help link ideas together and describe how two clauses relate to one another. To remember them, use the FANBOYS mnemonic device! FANBOYS stands for: For - And - Nor - But - Or - Yet- So! Let's look at a sample ACT question involving a coordinating conjunction: The Roman Senate was dominated by the patricians, or the descendants of the original senators from the time of Romulus. NO CHANGE nor and for The correct answer is (A). Here the second clause ("the descendants...") explains what the word "patricians" means, so we need a conjunction that helps describe that relationship. "Nor" would require the word "neither" or "not" in front of the word "by." That's because "nor" and "neither" make up a two-part idiom (or expression) when you're giving two negative attributes to a subject. For example: Coffee is not very healthy, nor does it taste very good. "And" makes it sound like "patricians" and "descendants" are different groups of people. "For" is usually used to offer an explanation, but that is not the meaning of this sentence. Conjunctions are also used right before the last item in a list (notice how a comma is used BEFORE the conjunction): My favorite things to do at camp are hiking, swimming, and sailing.

Correct this sentence: I like swimming, dancing, and to hike.

Parallel structure: I like swimming, dancing, and hiking.

stop punctuation

Period (.) semicolon (;) question mark (?) exclamation point (!)

Their=?

Possessive, ex: their books

Whose=?

Possessive, ex: whose hat is this?

pronouns

Pronouns makes writing more concise. Replaces a noun. A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used so that our language is not cumbersome with the same nouns being repeated over and over in a paragraph. Some examples of pronouns include I, me, mine, myself, she, her, hers, herself, we, us, ours and ourselves.

Perfect tense

Provides additional ways to place an event in time. when the verb phrase contains a form of the verb to have

Syntax

Sentence structure

Is the comma correct? I went to see Matt Damon's latest film, "The Bourne Ultimatum," at the theater last night.

YES--> the title is non-essential because we would all be able to figure out which movie based on it being Matt Damon's latest film.

Imperative sentence

Tells someone to do something and ends with a period. Ex: "Go to the store and buy milk."

Simple tense

Test your ability to choose from among three simple tenses: Present, past and future

Capitalization

The 1st word of every sentence is capitalized. When citing poetry, the first word in every line should be capitalized. The 1st word in formal statements or direct quotations should be capitalized. Calendar terms should be capitalized. Proper names and title are capitalized. the name of seasons are not capitalized unless they are part of a literary quote;. The name of geographical places should be capitalized. Ex: Houston, Texas is by the Gulf of Mexico. Directions, north/south should be capitalized if their referring to a region. BUT not capitalized if referring to parts of states or when they are points on a compass. The name of religions are capitalized.

Verb tense

The tense of the verb changes with the time of the event. tells the time of the action (past, present, future)

Rewrite this with a possessive form of "teachers": The salaries of these teachers are very low.

These teachers' salaries are very low.

Rewrite this with a possessive form of "teacher": The salary of this teacher is very high.

This teacher's salary is very high.

Whether (this)...

Whether (this)...or (that)...

who verses whom

Who is the subject pronoun, whom is the object pronoun. Whenever you see who and whom, replace with he and him in their place.

concise writing

Writing clearly and concisely means choosing your words deliberately, constructing your sentences carefully, and using grammar properly. By writing clearly and concisely, you will get straight to your point in a way your audience can easily comprehend

Subordinating Conjunctions

a conjunction that introduces an adverb clause (ex: after, because, since, until, even though). There are also conjunctions called subordinating conjunctions. Examples include: because, after, although, before, until, when, etc. These are used when a sentence has two independent clauses, but one is clearly most important than the other. Using a subordinating conjunction creates a clearer relationship between the two clauses. Don't worry if this is hard to imagine. On ACT Test Day, you'll know which conjunction is correct because only one will make logical sense for the structure of the sentence. Let's look at a few examples: Because I had a high fever, I took some cold medicine. I took my vacation to Paris after I found out about my bonus check.

There=?

a place, ex: I live there.

Affect Vs. Effect

affect is a verb. It means to influence something. Effect is mostly commonly used as a noun meaning the result or impact of something, an outcome. If there's "a/an/the" in front of it, it's an effect. If affect is used as a verb: verb, action, to influence ex. The fire affected the entire family ex. The storm affected Brad's itinerary. ex. Patricia hopes to affect her father's decision about pet adoption by showing how he and she could set an example for her youngster sister. ex. Roberta determined the bruise in her arm affected her sleep whenever she was lying on her side. it's a noun if you see an article shortly before it. noun (a result) or verb when it means to cause or produce ~ change doesn't always mean effect ~ ex.The treat had a significant effect on Fido's behavior. ex. We may never know the full effect we have on others. ex. Whoever has spent much time in Florida waters knows that motorboats can have a harmful effect on manatees.

apostrophes

are used to indicate possession or to make a contraction. Example (as possession - singular): Shirley's scarf was bright purple. Example (indicating possession - plural): The students' scores were very strong. Example (as a contraction): We won't sleep in on Saturday. If an apostrophe is being used to make a contraction, it always replaces one or more missing letters. Make sure you understand the difference between "Its" and "It's." "Its" is the possession form, and means "belonging to it," so you would not need an apostrophe if you were using "its" to indicate possession. "It's" means "it is" or "it has" and does not show possession. If you are confused whether a sentence should have "its" or "it's" in it, re-read the sentence with "it has" or "it is". If it makes sense, you can use the apostrophe. single nouns add 's, and with plural nouns, add just the apostrophe. For trick plurals that don't end in s, add s (ex men= men's) * note if you see its' if you see this, it's wrong*

as...

as...as...

independent clause

basically, a complete sentence

commas

can be used in a list -can set apart unnecessary info -can be used to link an incomplete and complete idea. Example (in a list): My favorite foods are ice cream, macaroni and cheese, pancakes and string cheese. Example (unnecessary info): Her Aunt Shelley, married to her Uncle Eric, had a great voice. Example (incomplete idea): After the movie, I went to the late-night diner. Example (complete idea): I am a good soccer player, but my sister is much better.

antecedent

is the word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. The antecedent and pronoun must agree in gender and person. Ex: the MAN used HIS glasses.

semicolons

can be used to combine two independent clauses or to separate items in a list when the items already contain commas. Example (combining clauses): We went up in the hot air balloon; the view from that high up was amazing. Example (separating items): I wanted to study drawing, painting and sculpting in the Art department; French and Spanish in the Languages department; and biology, chemistry and anatomy in the Science department. If you see a semicolon in the middle of sentence and it is not part of a list, make sure that the two clauses on either side of the semicolon are independent (meaning they form a complete sentence on their own). You cannot separate a dependent and an independent clause with a semicolon. Both must be independent!

dashes

can be used to indicate a change in thought or to set aside nonessential information (much like the comma!) Example (indicating a change): My favorite color is green - no, blue! Example (with a nonessential clause): My favorite store is Sears - which is officially called Sear's, Roebuck's and Co. - but I also shop at Macy's. Make sure that two dashes are used to set apart nonessential information. Don't set off information with dashes that is important to the understanding of the sentence.

dependent clause

cannot stand on it's own. ex: "when I went to Europe" "because I am a teacher" "after I called the doctor"

Irregular verbs

change their form when changing from present to past tense (e.g. 'swim'/'swam')

If a pronoun is underlined...

check what it refers to....should it be singular or plural? Is there an answer choice with a more specific and logical noun? Does it make sense in the sentence...he vs him, she vs her, etc?

it's

contraction for it is

either...

either...or...

superlatives

end in -est

FANBOYS

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (coordinating conjunctions)

pronoun

he, she, it, they, him, her, them...

adjectives

modify nouns (gives more of a description)

neither...

neither...nor...

not only...

not only...but (also)...

its

possessive

Prepositional phrases

prepositions are little words that show a relationship between nouns. Ex: at, between, by, in, of, on, to and with. *always look to the left of the preposition to find your subject.

pronoun case

refers to the "form" of a pronoun; there are three forms - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person

unnecessary info

use a pair of commas around unnecessary info. *if info is necessary to the sentence in either meaning or structure, don't use the comma. It the meaning would be exactly the same but the additional info makes the sentence more interesting, use a PAIR of commas or a pair of DASHES-around the information.

colons

used before a list of items, especially after expressions. *colons can link a complete idea to either an incomplete idea or another complete idea. the complete idea MUST come first and the second idea will be a DEFINITION, EXPLANATION OR LIST. *THEY ARE ALWAYS USED WITH AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE IDEA. are used to introduce information, commonly a list, definition or explanation. Example (introducing a list): Here is what is in my closet: three sweaters and two pairs of jeans. Example (introducing a definition): After school he joined the French foreign legion: a unique unit in the French army open to foreign nationals. Example (introducing an explanation): Here is how to succeed on the SAT: learn strategies for each question type, practice as much as possible and stick to a study schedule.

Transitions

used to link words, phrases or sentences. They help the reader to progress from one idea (expressed by the author) to the next idea. Thus, they help to build up coherent relationships within the text. The transition words like also, in addition, and, likewise, add information, reinforce ideas, and express agreement with preceding material. Transition phrases like but, rather and or, express that there is evidence to the contrary or point out alternatives, and thus introduce a change the line of reasoning (contrast).

subject of a sentence

who or what the sentence is about