Sentence Structure & Formation
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ACT English › Sentence Structure & Formation
To finish the project on time, we worked late every night.
NO CHANGE
we have worked late every night
working late every night
we had to work late every night
Explanation
This question tests proper infinitive clause structure. The sentence begins with the infinitive phrase 'To finish the project on time,' which expresses purpose and needs to be followed by an independent clause. The original choice 'we worked late every night' correctly provides a complete independent clause with subject 'we' and verb 'worked.' Choice B creates a fragment with only a gerund phrase. Choices C and D use different tenses that don't match the context as well as the simple past tense. Infinitive phrases expressing purpose must be followed by complete independent clauses that show how the purpose was achieved.
For her history project, Lila interviewed her grandfather about the neighborhood where he grew up. He described a movie theater that used to stand on the corner and a bakery that sold warm rolls every morning. She recorded the interview on her phone, she also took notes in a notebook. Later, she compared the details to old photographs from the library.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
She recorded the interview on her phone; she also took notes in a notebook.
She recorded the interview on her phone, and she also took notes in a notebook, later.
NO CHANGE
She recorded the interview on her phone also taking notes in a notebook.
Explanation
This question tests the correction of comma splices in compound sentences. The underlined portion is a comma splice because it joins two independent clauses with only a comma, without a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation. Each clause has its own subject and verb, making them complete thoughts that cannot be connected solely by a comma. Choice B fixes this by replacing the comma with a semicolon, which is appropriate for joining two closely related independent clauses. Choice A retains the splice, C creates a run-on with an improper participial phrase, and D adds an unnecessary comma after 'notebook' and misplaced 'later.' A key strategy is to remember that two independent clauses cannot be joined with only a comma; use a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.
He enjoys playing basketball, watching movies, and to travel.
watch movies, and traveling
NO CHANGE
to watch movies, and to travel
watching movies, and traveling
Explanation
This question tests parallel structure in a list of activities. The original phrase mixes gerunds ('playing,' 'watching') with an infinitive ('to travel'), creating faulty parallelism. Choice D corrects this by making all three items gerunds: 'playing basketball, watching movies, and traveling.' Choice C makes all items infinitives but would need to include 'to play' as well for complete parallelism. Choice B mixes a bare infinitive with gerunds. For parallel structure in lists, all items must use the same grammatical form throughout - all gerunds, all infinitives, or all nouns.
The book is both inspirational and motivational.
inspirational, and it is motivational
NO CHANGE
inspirational, motivational
inspirational, it is motivational
Explanation
This question tests the proper use of correlative conjunction 'both...and.' The original sentence correctly uses this structure: 'The book is both inspirational and motivational.' The correlative conjunction 'both...and' creates a balanced, parallel structure connecting two adjectives that describe the book. Choice B creates a comma splice by separating independent clauses with only a comma. Choice C is unnecessarily wordy and repetitive. Choice D loses the emphasis provided by 'both...and.' Correlative conjunctions like 'both...and' effectively emphasize that two qualities are equally present and important.
In history class, the teacher played recordings of speeches from different decades, and students compared how tone changes across time. Jordan took notes quickly, trying to capture repeated phrases and shifts in volume. He wanted to replay the last clip, he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line. After class, he asked for the link to the audio files.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
He wanted to replay the last clip, and he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line,.
He wanted to replay the last clip; he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line.
NO CHANGE
He wanted to replay the last clip: he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line,.
Explanation
This question tests the correction of a comma splice, where two independent clauses are incorrectly joined by only a comma. The original sentence has two independent clauses—'He wanted to replay the last clip' and 'he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line'—separated by a comma, which creates a run-on sentence. Using a semicolon properly joins the two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction. Choice D correctly uses a semicolon: 'He wanted to replay the last clip; he didn’t want to miss the speaker’s pause before the final line.' Choice A keeps the comma splice, Choice C adds an unnecessary comma at the end and uses 'and' improperly, and Choice B uses a colon incorrectly with an extra comma. A key strategy is to remember that two independent clauses can be joined with a semicolon, a period, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction like 'and' or 'but.'
The storm passed, everyone emerged from their shelters.
and everyone emerged from their shelters
so everyone emerged from their shelters
NO CHANGE
everyone emerged from their shelters.
Explanation
This question addresses comma splices between related independent clauses. The original sentence incorrectly joins 'The storm passed' and 'everyone emerged from their shelters' with only a comma. Choice D correctly adds the coordinating conjunction 'and' to show the sequence of events - first the storm passed, then people emerged. Choice C separates the clauses with a period, which is grammatically correct but loses the connection between the related events. Choice B uses 'so,' which implies causation rather than sequence. When two independent clauses describe related sequential events, a comma plus coordinating conjunction provides the best connection.
Not only did she excel in academics but also in sports.
and she excelled in sports
NO CHANGE
but she also excelled in sports
but also excelled in sports
Explanation
This question tests the correct use of correlative conjunctions. The sentence begins with 'Not only did she excel in academics,' which requires the correlative conjunction 'but also' to complete the parallel structure. The original choice 'but also in sports' correctly maintains this correlative relationship and uses ellipsis (omitting the repeated verb 'excel') for conciseness. Choice B adds an unnecessary pronoun and verb. Choice C removes 'also,' breaking the correlative conjunction pair. Choice D changes the conjunction entirely. Correlative conjunctions like 'not only...but also' must appear in pairs and maintain parallel structure between the elements they connect.
At the community garden, volunteers rotate tasks each week. Some people water seedlings, and others pull weeds near the fence. Priya prefers harvesting because she can see progress quickly, and because she likes to share extra vegetables with neighbors. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
she likes to share extra vegetables with neighbors.
because she likes to share extra vegetables with neighbors.
NO CHANGE
and she likes sharing extra vegetables with neighbors.
Explanation
This question tests parallel structure in compound phrases connected by coordinating conjunctions. The original sentence correctly uses parallel structure with two 'because' clauses: 'because she can see progress quickly' and 'because she likes to share extra vegetables with neighbors.' Both clauses are dependent and grammatically parallel. Choice B removes the coordinating conjunction 'and,' making the second clause a sentence fragment. Choice C removes 'because' from the second clause, breaking parallelism. Choice D changes the verb form to 'sharing,' which disrupts the parallel structure of the 'because' clauses. When items are joined by coordinating conjunctions, they must maintain parallel grammatical structure.
He applied for the job, but didn’t get it.
so he didn’t get it
NO CHANGE
and didn’t get it
but he didn’t get it
Explanation
This question tests the proper use of coordinating conjunctions and ellipsis. The original phrase 'but didn't get it' correctly uses the coordinating conjunction 'but' to show contrast between applying for the job and not getting it. The ellipsis (omission) of the repeated subject 'he' is appropriate and creates a concise compound predicate. Choice B removes 'but,' losing the contrast. Choice C adds the pronoun unnecessarily since ellipsis is acceptable here. Choice D uses 'so,' which illogically suggests that applying caused not getting the job. The contrast conjunction 'but' most appropriately shows the disappointing outcome despite the effort.
The tour guide explained the history of the castle and then pointed out its unique architectural features.
also pointed out
then he pointed out
NO CHANGE
as well as pointing out
Explanation
This question tests proper coordination and logical flow in compound predicates. The original phrase 'and then pointed out' correctly uses the coordinating conjunction 'and' plus the temporal adverb 'then' to show the sequence of the tour guide's actions: first explaining the history, then pointing out features. This creates a logical, chronologically ordered compound predicate. Choice B removes 'and,' creating two separate sentences instead of a compound predicate. Choices C and D use different structures but don't improve upon the clear sequential relationship established by the original. Compound predicates can effectively show the order of related actions performed by the same subject.