ACT English Grammar — Complete Reference Guide
The heaviest grammar section of all major standardized tests: 75 questions, 45 minutes. This guide covers every punctuation rule, all 6 question types, rhetorical skills, the OMIT strategy, and 30 full practice questions with detailed explanations.
Last updated: 2026 · 42 min read
ACT English Overview
The ACT English section is 75 questions in 45 minutes — that is 36 seconds per question. It is the most grammar-intensive section of any major standardized test. Questions are embedded in five prose passages, each with portions underlined and numbered.
- •Punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes)
- •Grammar & Usage (verb forms, pronoun case, agreement)
- •Sentence Structure (fragments, run-ons, parallelism, modifiers)
- •Writing Strategy (relevance, topic sentences, purpose)
- •Organization (transitions, paragraph order, intro/conclusion)
- •Style (word choice, conciseness, tone)
Commas: ACT Rules and Traps
Punctuation questions account for roughly 10–13% of ACT English questions. Commas are the most frequently tested mark. The ACT is famous for testing unnecessary comma insertion — many students insert commas where none are needed.
The Golden Rule: DO use a comma when one of these 6 conditions applies. DO NOT use a comma anywhere else.
- The proposal was comprehensive, and it addressed every concern raised by the committee.
- She had studied extensively, but the material on the exam was entirely different.
- They could accept the current offer, or they could negotiate for better terms.
- The experiment was carefully designed, yet the results remained ambiguous.
- Funding was insufficient, so the project was scaled back significantly.
ACT Trap: No comma if it is NOT a compound sentence: 'She studied hard and passed the exam.' (one subject, two verbs — no comma needed)
- Having reviewed all the evidence, the committee reached a unanimous verdict.
- Because the sample size was small, the results cannot be widely generalized.
- In recent years, renewable energy has become significantly more affordable.
- Despite initial setbacks, the team ultimately completed the project on schedule.
- When the announcement was made public, the stock price rose immediately.
ACT Trap: The longer the introductory element, the more clearly a comma is needed. Very short introductory words (First, However) still require a comma.
- Dr. Martinez, who has published over 60 papers, will lead the conference.
- The policy, which was introduced in 2019, has reduced emissions by 12%.
- The Amazon rainforest, the world's largest tropical forest, spans nine countries.
- His first novel, a coming-of-age story set in 1970s Chicago, became an instant bestseller.
- Professor Chen, the department chair, announced a major curriculum revision.
ACT Trap: Do NOT use commas around a restrictive/essential clause: 'The scientist who discovered the cure received the Nobel Prize.' — removing 'who discovered the cure' changes the meaning entirely.
- The curriculum covers reading, writing, and critical thinking.
- The new product is affordable, durable, and environmentally friendly.
- She speaks English, Spanish, and Mandarin with professional fluency.
- The study examined income levels, educational attainment, and health outcomes.
- He values honesty, transparency, and accountability in all professional relationships.
ACT Trap: The ACT, like the SAT, requires the Oxford comma (before the final 'and/or'). Omitting it is marked as incorrect.
- It was a long, challenging examination.
- She delivered a clear, convincing argument.
- The proposal was detailed, comprehensive, and well-researched.
- He offered a calm, measured response to the criticism.
- The documentary presented a nuanced, balanced account of the controversy.
ACT Trap: No comma with cumulative adjectives: 'a small red car' — 'small' modifies 'red car' as a unit, not independently. Test: if you can say 'a red small car' and it sounds odd, no comma is needed.
ACT Trap: NEVER: 'The researcher who led the study, published her findings.' NEVER: 'The study found, that results were significant.' NEVER: 'She decided, to accept the position.' These are extremely common wrong-answer traps on the ACT.
Semicolons, Colons, and Em Dashes
Semicolons
On the ACT, semicolons function exactly like periods — they must have a grammatically complete independent clause on BOTH sides. Never use a semicolon before a list (that is the colon's job) or after a subordinating conjunction.
Note: The last example is wrong because a semicolon should not replace commas in a simple series — use commas for simple lists.
Colons
A colon introduces a list, explanation, or elaboration. The clause before the colon must be a complete independent clause. The ACT tests whether students incorrectly place colons after verbs or prepositions.
Em Dashes
Em dashes on the ACT work like colons (single dash) or paired commas (double dash). The ACT primarily tests whether dashes are correctly paired mid-sentence.
Apostrophes & Possessives
Apostrophe questions appear on nearly every ACT English test. The three rules below cover all ACT apostrophe scenarios.
| Type | Rule | Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular possession | Add 's (always) | the student's essay / the city's plan | the students essay |
| Plural possession (regular) | Apostrophe after the -s | the students' essays / the companies' policies | the student's essays (wrong number) |
| Irregular plural possession | Add 's | the children's toys / the women's team | the childrens' toys |
| Contractions | Apostrophe = omitted letter(s) | it's (it is) / they're (they are) / you're | its (= possessive pronoun, no apostrophe) |
| its vs. it's | its = possessive. it's = it is | The study found its results surprising. / It's a significant finding. | The study found it's results surprising. |
| whose vs. who's | whose = possessive. who's = who is/has | The author whose book won... / Who's presenting? | The author who's book won... |
| Plural nouns (no possession) | No apostrophe for simple plurals | The results were surprising. | The result's were surprising. |
Verb Forms: Regular/Irregular, Active/Passive, and -ing Forms
Regular and Irregular Verb Forms
The ACT tests whether you know the correct past tense and past participle forms, especially for irregular verbs.
| Base | Simple Past | Past Participle | Common error |
|---|---|---|---|
| rise | rose | risen | 'has risen' not 'has rose' |
| lay (to place) | laid | laid | 'She laid the book down' not 'She lied the book down' |
| lie (to recline) | lay | lain | 'He lay on the sofa' not 'He laid on the sofa' |
| sit | sat | sat | 'She sat down' not 'She set down' |
| set (to place) | set | set | 'She set the table' — 'set' never changes form |
| bring | brought | brought | 'He brought the report' not 'He brang the report' |
| go | went | gone | 'She has gone' not 'she has went' |
| write | wrote | written | 'He has written' not 'he has wrote' |
| choose | chose | chosen | 'She has chosen' not 'she has chose' |
| break | broke | broken | 'It has broken' not 'it has broke' |
Active vs. Passive Voice
The ACT tests passive voice in two ways: (1) incorrect passive construction, and (2) wordiness — preferring active voice when passive is unnecessarily wordy.
Wordy: The report was written by the team in three days.
Concise: The team wrote the report in three days.
Active voice is preferred when the agent (the team) is known and important.
Wordy: It was decided by the committee that the project should be extended.
Concise: The committee decided to extend the project.
Wordy passive constructions are a common ACT style trap — prefer concise active voice.
Wordy: The data was collected by researchers from across the country.
Concise: Researchers from across the country collected the data.
Active is more direct and concise.
-ing Forms: Gerunds vs. Present Participles
The ACT tests whether students understand when an -ing form functions as a noun (gerund) versus as part of a verb phrase or modifier.
Gerund (noun function)
Swimming is excellent exercise. / She enjoys reading.
As subject or after prepositions and certain verbs (enjoy, avoid, consider, practice).
Present participle (verb)
She is swimming. / They were reading when the phone rang.
As part of a continuous tense (be + verb-ing).
Present participle (modifier)
The running water. / The scientist working in the lab.
Modifying a noun — functions like an adjective.
Dangling participle (error)
Having reviewed the data, the conclusion was clear. ✗
The participial phrase 'Having reviewed the data' must match the grammatical subject — 'the conclusion' cannot review data.
Pronoun Case: I/me, he/him, who/whom — 20 Examples
Pronoun case questions test whether you use the nominative (subject) or objective (object) form. The rules are absolute; use the substitution test to determine which form is correct.
Nominative vs. Objective Case
| Person | Nominative (Subject) | Objective (Object) | Possessive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | I | me | my / mine |
| 2nd singular/plural | you | you | your / yours |
| 3rd singular m. | he | him | his |
| 3rd singular f. | she | her | her / hers |
| 3rd singular n. | it | it | its |
| 1st plural | we | us | our / ours |
| 3rd plural | they | them | their / theirs |
| Relative (people) | who | whom | whose |
20 Pronoun Case Examples (Correct and Incorrect)
✗ Between you and I, the project was poorly managed.
✓ Between you and me, the project was poorly managed.
After prepositions (between, for, with, to), always use objective case (me, him, her, us, them).
✗ The award was given to he and his partner.
✓ The award was given to him and his partner.
After 'to' (a preposition), use objective case (him).
✗ Her and the team completed the analysis.
✓ She and the team completed the analysis.
Subject position requires nominative case (she).
✗ The professor asked Tom and I to present.
✓ The professor asked Tom and me to present.
Object of the verb 'asked' requires objective case (me). Test: 'The professor asked me to present.'
✗ Whom do you think will win the debate?
✓ Who do you think will win the debate?
The clause is 'who will win' — 'who' is the subject of 'will win.' Test: substitute 'he/she' vs 'him/her.'
✗ The scientist who the committee selected was Dr. Kim.
✓ The scientist whom the committee selected was Dr. Kim.
'The committee selected him/her' → him → whom.
✗ Us students are responsible for the outcome.
✓ We students are responsible for the outcome.
Appositive pronoun with subject ('students') uses nominative (we).
✗ The data were shared with my colleagues and I.
✓ The data were shared with my colleagues and me.
After the preposition 'with,' use objective case (me).
✗ Who are you going to the conference with?
✓ Whom are you going to the conference with?
'Going with him/her' → him → whom.
✗ It was her who identified the error first.
✓ It was she who identified the error first.
After 'it was/is,' use nominative case: 'It was she.'
Comparatives & Superlatives
The ACT tests whether students form comparatives and superlatives correctly and avoid double comparisons.
| Adjective | Comparative (2) | Superlative (3+) | Common error |
|---|---|---|---|
| good | better | best | 'more better' — double comparison error |
| bad | worse | worst | 'more worse' — double comparison error |
| many/much | more | most | 'more much' — incorrect |
| little | less / fewer | least / fewest | 'more little' — incorrect; 'less' for uncountable, 'fewer' for countable |
| far | farther (distance) / further (degree) | farthest / furthest | Mixing 'farther' and 'further' |
| long (adjective) | longer | longest | 'more longer' — double comparison error |
| interesting | more interesting | most interesting | 'interestinger' — incorrect; multi-syllable adjectives use 'more/most' |
Double Negatives
A double negative uses two negative words to express a single negative — this is always incorrect in Standard English. The ACT tests this in both obvious and subtle forms.
✗ I don't have no time for this.
✓ I don't have any time for this. / I have no time for this.
Replace one negative: 'don't' + 'any' OR 'have no.'
✗ She couldn't hardly believe the results.
✓ She could hardly believe the results.
'Hardly' is already negative — combining with 'couldn't' creates a double negative.
✗ He didn't have nothing to offer.
✓ He didn't have anything to offer. / He had nothing to offer.
Same pattern: 'didn't' + 'nothing' = double negative.
✗ The committee didn't accept neither proposal.
✓ The committee accepted neither proposal. / The committee didn't accept either proposal.
'Neither' and 'didn't' cannot both appear — use one or the other.
✗ They barely had no resources left.
✓ They barely had any resources left.
'Barely' is already a limiting/near-negative word — pair with 'any,' not 'no.'
Idiomatic Expressions: Preposition + Verb Combinations
The ACT tests idiomatic preposition usage — the correct preposition that follows a specific word. These must be memorized because they cannot be predicted by rules.
| Correct idiom | Common wrong version | Example |
|---|---|---|
| interested in | interested on / at | She is interested in environmental science. |
| responsible for | responsible of | He is responsible for the outcome. |
| capable of | capable to | The system is capable of processing large datasets. |
| different from | different than / different of | The result was different from what we expected. |
| consist of | consist from / in | The committee consists of seven members. |
| comply with | comply to | All participants must comply with the guidelines. |
| result in (effect) | result on | The policy resulted in a 15% reduction in emissions. |
| result from (cause) | result because of | The error resulted from a miscalculation. |
| depend on | depend of | The outcome depends on several factors. |
| agree with (a person) | agree to a person | She agreed with the professor's assessment. |
| agree to (a plan) | agree with a plan | They agreed to the revised proposal. |
| prohibit from | prohibit to | Students are prohibited from using calculators. |
| distinguish between X and Y | distinguish X from Y (formal) | The study distinguishes between correlation and causation. |
| independent of | independent from | The variables were shown to be independent of each other. |
| attribute to | attribute for | The improvement was attributed to the new policy. |
Rhetorical Skills Deep Dive
Rhetorical Skills questions (~47% of ACT English) are not about grammar — they are about writing decisions. You must evaluate whether a change improves the essay's logic, clarity, tone, and organization.
Topic Sentence Identification
ACT questions may ask which sentence best introduces a paragraph or best concludes it. A good topic sentence:
- States the main idea of the paragraph (not a detail)
- Transitions logically from the preceding paragraph
- Does not introduce ideas that the paragraph never develops
- Uses an appropriate level of generality — specific enough to be meaningful, general enough to cover the paragraph
Paragraph Purpose Questions
Questions like "What is the primary purpose of the second paragraph?" require you to identify the function of a paragraph: providing background, introducing a problem, presenting evidence, offering a counter-argument, or drawing a conclusion.
Relevance: Does This Sentence Belong?
One of the most frequent question types: should a given sentence be kept or deleted? Use this decision framework:
KEEP if:
It supports the paragraph's main idea, provides evidence for the preceding claim, or transitions to the next idea.
DELETE if:
It introduces a tangential detail that distracts from the paragraph's focus, contradicts the essay's tone, or merely restates something already stated.
The OMIT Strategy
Many ACT English answer choices include the option "OMIT the underlined portion" (or an equivalent phrasing like "DELETE the underlined words"). On the ACT, when "OMIT" is an option, it is correct approximately 40–50% of the time. This is because one of the ACT's most heavily tested writing principles is conciseness — eliminate any word or phrase that does not add meaning.
When to Choose OMIT
OMIT: Redundancy
The new innovation (OMIT 'new') — 'innovation' already implies newness.
OMIT: Unnecessary qualification
In my personal opinion (OMIT 'personal') — all opinions are personal.
OMIT: Restated information
The twins, who were born on the same day, celebrated their shared birthday. (OMIT 'who were born on the same day' — it restates 'twins')
OMIT: Wordy prepositions
Due to the fact that (OMIT → Because) / At this point in time (OMIT → Now)
DO NOT OMIT: The sentence provides essential context
Do not omit if the phrase introduces a key fact, provides necessary transition, or the paragraph needs the information.
Common Redundant Phrases to Omit
Transitions: 30+ Examples by Type
Transition questions ask you to choose the word or phrase that best conveys the logical relationship between sentences or paragraphs. Always identify the relationship first, then select the matching transition type.
The results were encouraging; however, the sample size was too small to draw firm conclusions.
The policy reduced emissions; furthermore, it generated significant revenue for infrastructure investment.
The study was flawed; consequently, its conclusions were rejected by peer reviewers.
First, the samples were collected. Then they were analyzed in a controlled environment.
Several factors contributed to the decline; for instance, reduced funding played a central role.
Admittedly, the approach has limitations; however, it remains the most practical available option.
All 6 ACT English Question Types — with 5 Examples Each
Choose the correct punctuation (comma, semicolon, colon, dash, no punctuation) to join or separate parts of a sentence.
- No comma: 'The scientist who discovered the vaccine received immediate recognition.' (restrictive clause — no commas)
- Comma needed: 'Dr. Lee, who discovered the vaccine, received immediate recognition.' (non-restrictive clause)
- Semicolon: 'The evidence was compelling; the committee approved the measure unanimously.'
- Colon: 'The study identified three factors: cost, access, and implementation time.'
- No punctuation: 'She studied diligently and earned a perfect score.' (compound predicate — no comma before 'and')
Choose the correct verb form, tense, pronoun case, or word form.
- Verb tense: 'By the time the report was published, the team had already implemented the changes.' (past perfect for prior action)
- Pronoun case: 'Between the professor and me, there was a clear disagreement.' (objective 'me' after preposition)
- Agreement: 'Each of the participants was given a consent form.' (each = singular)
- Word form: 'The data suggest a significant correlation.' (data = plural noun)
- Irregular verb: 'She has written three papers on this topic.' (not 'has wrote')
Fix fragments, run-ons, comma splices, misplaced/dangling modifiers, and faulty parallelism.
- Fragment: 'Although the results were significant.' → Add main clause: 'Although the results were significant, more research is needed.'
- Comma splice: 'The study was comprehensive, it covered all major variables.' → Use semicolon or conjunction.
- Dangling modifier: 'Having analyzed the data, the conclusion was clear.' → 'Having analyzed the data, the researchers reached a clear conclusion.'
- Parallel structure: 'She likes reading, to write, and painting.' → 'She likes reading, writing, and painting.'
- Misplaced modifier: 'He almost earned a perfect score on every section.' → 'He earned an almost perfect score on every section.'
Decide whether to add, keep, or delete information based on the essay's purpose.
- DELETE: A sentence about the founding of a university is irrelevant in a paragraph about the university's research output.
- KEEP: A sentence providing a specific statistic that supports the paragraph's main claim should be kept.
- Question: 'Should the writer add the proposed sentence here?' — Answer YES only if it supports the paragraph's focus.
- Question: 'Which sentence best supports the main purpose of this paragraph?' — Identify the paragraph's specific claim.
- Question: 'If the writer were to delete this sentence, the paragraph would lose...' — Identify the sentence's unique contribution.
Choose the best transition word or rearrange sentences within a paragraph.
- Contrast transition: The argument has merit; _____, it overlooks several key factors. (Answer: however)
- Cause-effect transition: The sample was too small; _____, the results cannot be generalized. (Answer: therefore)
- Sentence order: Which sequence of sentences produces the most logical paragraph?
- Paragraph placement: Where in the essay should this paragraph be placed for the most logical flow?
- Opening sentence: Which sentence best introduces the paragraph that follows?
Choose the most concise and stylistically appropriate option, including OMIT questions.
- OMIT: 'The new innovation represented a significant advance.' → OMIT 'new' (innovation is always new)
- Wordiness: 'due to the fact that' → 'because'
- Redundancy: 'In my personal opinion, I believe...' → 'In my opinion,...' or just state the claim
- Tone: Choose vocabulary that matches the formal/informal register of the passage.
- Clarity: 'He finished the assignment quickly and efficiently.' vs 'He quickly finished the assignment efficiently.' — place adverbs for clarity.
30 ACT English-Style Practice Questions with Explanations
Each question presents a sentence with an underlined portion. Choose the best replacement (including NO CHANGE). The correct answer and explanation follow each question.
“The committee, that was formed last year, has approved the proposal.”
Correct: The committee, which was formed last year, has approved the proposal.
Explanation: Non-defining relative clauses (set off by commas) must use 'which,' not 'that.'
“Having read the report, the conclusion seemed obvious to everyone in the room.”
Correct: Having read the report, everyone in the room found the conclusion obvious.
Explanation: Dangling modifier: 'Having read the report' must modify the subject — 'everyone,' not 'the conclusion.'
“The results was surprising, they showed a 40% improvement.”
Correct: The results were surprising; they showed a 40% improvement.
Explanation: Two errors: (1) 'results' is plural → 'were.' (2) Comma splice — use a semicolon.
“She is one of the most intelligent student in the program.”
Correct: She is one of the most intelligent students in the program.
Explanation: 'One of the most... [noun]' requires a plural noun: 'students.'
“Between you and I, the schedule is unrealistic.”
Correct: Between you and me, the schedule is unrealistic.
Explanation: After prepositions ('between'), use objective case: 'me,' not 'I.'
“The study examined people's work habits, their sleep patterns, and how much they exercised.”
Correct: The study examined people's work habits, sleep patterns, and exercise levels.
Explanation: Faulty parallelism: all three items should be noun phrases, not a mix of noun phrases and a how-clause.
“The professor who's research was groundbreaking received the award.”
Correct: The professor whose research was groundbreaking received the award.
Explanation: 'Whose' is the possessive form. 'Who's' means 'who is' — the substitution test confirms 'whose' is needed here.
“The new innovation in solar technology could reduce household energy costs.”
Correct: The innovation in solar technology could reduce household energy costs.
Explanation: OMIT 'new' — 'innovation' already implies newness. This is a redundancy.
“Not only does the program reduce costs, but it also the improvement of efficiency.”
Correct: Not only does the program reduce costs, but it also improves efficiency.
Explanation: Parallel structure with 'not only...but also' requires two parallel verb phrases: 'reduce costs / improves efficiency.'
“Each of the researchers have submitted their findings.”
Correct: Each of the researchers has submitted their findings.
Explanation: 'Each' is always singular → 'has.' The plural 'their' is acceptable as singular gender-neutral.
“Although the data was compelling, but the methodology was questioned.”
Correct: Although the data was compelling, the methodology was questioned.
Explanation: 'Although' and 'but' both signal contrast — they cannot both appear in the same sentence.
“The cities with the most severe housing shortages tend to attract fewer investments.”
Correct: The cities with the most severe housing shortages tend to attract fewer investments. (NO CHANGE)
Explanation: 'Fewer' is correct for countable nouns ('investments'). The sentence is correct.
“The team was comprised of experts from several different disciplines.”
Correct: The team comprised experts from several different disciplines.
Explanation: 'Comprise' means 'to consist of.' The passive 'is comprised of' is technically nonstandard; 'comprises' or 'is composed of' is preferred.
“She barely had no resources to complete the project.”
Correct: She barely had any resources to complete the project.
Explanation: Double negative: 'barely' is already limiting. Use 'any,' not 'no,' with 'barely.'
“The experiment which produced the most significant results was replicated three times.”
Correct: The experiment that produced the most significant results was replicated three times.
Explanation: In a defining (restrictive) relative clause, 'that' is preferred over 'which' in American English when there are no commas.
“Running for over three hours, the audience found the performance exhausting.”
Correct: Running for over three hours, the performance exhausted the audience.
Explanation: Dangling modifier: 'Running for over three hours' should modify the subject — the performance ran, not the audience.
“The policy is both comprehensive and also inclusive.”
Correct: The policy is both comprehensive and inclusive.
Explanation: With 'both...and,' 'also' is redundant — remove it.
“Due to the fact that funding was reduced, the project was scaled back.”
Correct: Because funding was reduced, the project was scaled back.
Explanation: 'Due to the fact that' is wordy and should be replaced with 'because' — an OMIT/conciseness question.
“The professor asked my colleagues and I to lead the seminar.”
Correct: The professor asked my colleagues and me to lead the seminar.
Explanation: 'My colleagues and me' is the object of 'asked.' Test: 'The professor asked me to lead.' Objective case.
“The scientists which discovered the compound were awarded the prize.”
Correct: The scientists who discovered the compound were awarded the prize.
Explanation: Use 'who' for people, not 'which.'
“The policy had an affect on air quality in urban areas.”
Correct: The policy had an effect on air quality in urban areas.
Explanation: 'Effect' is the noun meaning 'result or impact.' 'Affect' is the verb.
“More better preparation leads to stronger performance on standardized tests.”
Correct: Better preparation leads to stronger performance on standardized tests.
Explanation: Double comparison: 'more better' combines 'more' and the -er comparative form. Use one or the other.
“The proposal was approved; although some members expressed reservations.”
Correct: The proposal was approved, although some members expressed reservations.
Explanation: A semicolon must be followed by an independent clause. 'Although some members expressed reservations' is a dependent clause — use a comma.
“In my personal opinion, I believe that the policy should be revised.”
Correct: I believe that the policy should be revised. / The policy should be revised.
Explanation: Triple redundancy: 'In my personal opinion' + 'I believe' both signal the same thing. Omit one or both.
“The report, written by a team of independent researchers clearly showed that costs had risen.”
Correct: The report, written by a team of independent researchers, clearly showed that costs had risen.
Explanation: The non-essential participial phrase 'written by a team of independent researchers' must be closed by a comma.
“Neither the professor nor the students was prepared for the announcement.”
Correct: Neither the professor nor the students were prepared for the announcement.
Explanation: With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it: 'the students' (plural) → 'were.'
“The article implies that readers should infer that the study was flawed.”
Correct: The article implies that the study was flawed.
Explanation: Redundancy: 'implies' and 'infer' convey the same communicative act — the author implies, so readers infer. Simplify.
“The team not only succeeded in completing the project on time but also under budget.”
Correct: The team succeeded not only in completing the project on time but also under budget. / The team not only completed the project on time but also came in under budget.
Explanation: 'Not only...but also' must be placed so that both elements are parallel: 'on time' and 'under budget' are both adverbial phrases.
“The new policy effects all employees, irregardless of their department.”
Correct: The new policy affects all employees, regardless of their department.
Explanation: Two errors: (1) 'affects' (verb) not 'effects' (noun). (2) 'Irregardless' is not a standard word — use 'regardless.'
“To prepare for the exam effectively, early and consistent practice is recommended by experts.”
Correct: To prepare for the exam effectively, students should practice early and consistently.
Explanation: Dangling modifier: 'To prepare for the exam' implies a human subject. 'Practice' cannot prepare itself — give the sentence a human subject ('students').
Apply every grammar rule above in a full ACT practice exam.
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