ACT: Clear (Day #1)

ACT: Clarity with Verbs and Pronouns

by Danielle Barber

The 4 C's

​The ACT English section will never make you name a particular error, BUT it will test many different rules. Let's boil it down.

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​1. Good writing should be in COMPLETE sentences.

​2. Everything should be CONSISTENT

​3. The meaning should be CLEAR.

​4. The correct answer, free of any errors, will be the most CONCISE.

​CLEAR

​With subject-verb agreement and pronoun antecedent agreement, we have been focusing on CLARITY.

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​You should be able to tell clearly to whom the pronoun is referring in each paragraph and sentence. When you cannot, you risk being misunderstood.

​Ensure clarity in your writing by making pronoun antecedents absolutely clear and obvious.

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a) Place pronouns as close to their antecedents as possible.

b) Make pronoun reference exact.

c) Whenever possible mention the noun first before you replace it with a pronoun.

​What is the problem here?

​The birds sang in the forest where the undergrowth was thick, and a brook wound slowly in the valley. They were of many colors.

How do we fix the problem?

​​The birds sang in the forest where the undergrowth was thick, and a brook wound slowly in the valley. They were of many colors.

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​A. The birds

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​B. The leaves of the undergrowth

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is the most CLEAR and CORRECT?

• Ashley told Crystal that she should never have married Brad Pitt.

• Ashley told Crystal that she should never have married him

• Ashley told Crystal that Ashley should never have married Brad Pitt.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is the most CLEAR and CORRECT?

• When Bonnie visited her mother, she was very angry.

• When she visited her mother, she was very angry.

• When visiting her mother, Bonnie noticed that her mother was very angry.

​VAGUE PRONOUNS

​Avoid the vague use of “this,” “that,” or “which” to refer to the general idea of a preceding clause or sentence. In general, a pronoun should refer to a particular word in the preceding sentence. Eliminate a vague pronoun reference by the following methods:

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​a) Recast the sentence to eliminate the pronoun.

b) Supply a specific antecedent for the pronoun.

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences is the MOST CLEAR?

• If fans don't buy all the peanuts, pack them away for the next game.

• If fans don't buy all the peanuts, pack the peanuts away for the next game.

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences is the MOST CLEAR?

• The supervisor complimented the workers on receiving a bonus.

• The supervisors told the workers that they would receive a bonus.

Poll

How well do you understand this topic so far?

• I love it! 

• I would like some more help.

• It's going well.

• I don't understand.