General Strategies
Bubble What?
Prepositions
add a bunch of trash to your sentence - cross out the whole prepositional phrase
Apostrophes
with a noun = possession
with a pronoun = contraction
they're, their, and there
they're = they are
their = belonging to it/them
there = a place at a distance, not here
Where does the comma(s) go?
Journe' Da'Rion and Hutch usually sit with Aaliyha.
Journe', Da'Rion, and Hutch usually. . .
Add the proper punctuation.
The ACT has four test sections English, Math, Reading, and Science.
The ACT has four test sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science.
Play What?
Play all 4 quarters. Every minute. Every Second is a chance to raise your score.
Check verb tense and subject / verb agreement
Semicolons
Combine two independent clauses.
Never uses a FANBOYS conjunction.
Then / Than
Then = next, at a later time
Than = compared to
Where does the comma(s) go?
The lead guitarist who had a tattoo of a dragon on his back and the drummer who always wore cowboy boots were often seen fighting backstage during the band's ill-fated ten-year reunion tour.
The lead guitarist, who had a tattoo of a dragon on his back, and the drummer, who always wore cowboy boots,
The students scores were equal to the teachers score.
Add 2 punctuation marks
The students' scores were equal to the teacher's score.
Eliminate Wrong Answers.
It's easier to find wrong answers than right ones.
Independent Clause
Subject, verb, and a complete thought
Colons
Independent clause to the left: list or explanations to the right
affect / effect
affect (verb) to cause a result
effect (noun) the result
Where does the comma go?
If we made even a slight mistake. The entire project could be ruined.
If we made even a slight mistake, the entire project could be ruined.
You need a comma between an independent and dependent clause each clause has a subject and a verb.
Add 1 punctuation mark
You need a comma between an independent and dependent clause; each clause has a subject and a verb.
Lose the Battle.
Win the War. 2 minute rule.
What do FANBOYS do?
Combine two independent clauses with a comma
Semicolons, periods, and comma FANBOYS are equivalent. Eliminate if together.
It's / its / its'
It's = it is
its = belonging to it
its' = NOT A FREAKING WORD
Where does the comma go?
He tried to tell his mother that he was feeling ill but she knew that he was lying.
He tried to tell his mother that he was feeling ill, but she knew that he was lying.
Whenever you use a dependent clause you need to use a comma also.
Whenever you use a dependent clause, you need to use a comma also.
What are the 4 test sections, in order.
English, Math, Reading, Science
What do AAAWWWUUBBIS words do?
Introduce dependent clauses.
3 ways to separate irrelevant info
2 commas, 2 dashes, 2 parentheses
Your / You're
Your = belongs to you
You're = you are
Where does the comma(s) go?
Unfortunately the train workers were on strike that day so I ended up delayed in Milan for several hours.
Unfortunately, the train workers were on strike that day, so I ended up delayed in Milan for several hours.
Its normal for students to take the ACT several times; there trying to raise there scores.
3 corrections to make
It's normal for students to take the ACT several times; they're trying to raise their scores.