Correct the following errors: 2/7/121. Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched

the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts.

2. Before the moon landing, the TV announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about who we were all quite interested.

3. The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

4. Each of these moments have played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.

ACT Preparation: March 6, 20121. Sentence Structure– Combining Sentences– Fused, Fragments, and Comma Splices– Parallel Structure and Dangling Modifiers

2. Grammar and Usage– Pronouns & Pronoun/Verb Agreement– Subject/Verb Agreement– Verb Tense– Adjectives and Adverbs– Idiomatic Expressions

3. Punctuation4. Rhetorical Skills5. Reading 6. Writing

Pronouns• Words such as he,

she, it, and they- used to replace nouns.

• ACT- 2 ways to test your knowledge1. The First Pronoun

Rule: Agreement2. The Second Pronoun

Rule: Case

The First Pronoun Rule: Agreement

• A pronoun must always agree with the noun it refers to. – EX: Any young boy who watched the first moon

landing probably spent the next few years wishing that they could become an astronaut.

• Which noun is being referred to by the word “they”?

The First Pronoun Rule: Agreement• A pronoun must always agree with the noun it

refers to. – EX: Any young boy who watched the first moon

landing probably spent the next few years wishing that they could become an astronaut.

– Which noun is being referred to by the word “they”?

– “they” is referring to “boy”, which is singular, so “they” should be “he”.

Singular PronounsSubject Object Possessive

I me mine

you you yours

he him his

she her hers

it it its

Plural Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

we us ours

you you yours

they them their

Example #2:• Neither of the two young

girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts.

• Hint: neither and either are considered singular.

Example #2: Explained• Neither of the two young girls

with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed her feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts.

• Hint: neither and either are considered singular, so “their”, which is a plural pronoun, should be “her”, which is a singular pronoun in order to correctly refer back to the noun “girls”.

Special Cases• The following pronouns are always considered singular:

–Anybody–Anyone–Each–Everybody–Everyone–Somebody–Someone

Pronoun Agreement in ACT FormatAlthough the American bad

eagle has been on the

endangered species list for

years, (3) they have been

sighted in wildlife preserves

much more frequently

during the past two years.

1. A. No change B. they are C. it can be D. it has been

Pronoun Agreement in ACT FormatAlthough the American

bad eagle has been on the

endangered species list for

years, (3) they have been

sighted in wildlife preserves

much more frequently

during the past two years.

1. A. No change B. they are C. it can be D. it has been

The Second Pronoun Rule: Case• If a pronoun is the subject of a sentence, it must

be expressed as a subject. –I, we, you, he, she, it, they, and who.

• If a pronoun is the object of a sentence, or the object of a preposition, it must be expressed as an object.–Me, us, you, him, her, it, them, and

whom.

Example• Which choices best fits the

sentences below?

1. (She/her) bought a souvenir NASA sweatshirt.

2. Jane bought a souvenir NASA sweatshirt for (he/him).

Examples Explained• Which choice best fits the

sentence below?1. (She/her) bought a souvenir

NASA sweatshirt. 2. Jane bough a souvenir NASA

sweatshirt for (he/him). • Since the person who buys the shirt is

the subject of the sentence, the correct pronoun is “she” in the first example.

• Since the person who receives the shirt is the object of the preposition “for”, the correct pronoun is “him” in the second example.

ACT Helpful Hint: Who and Whom• Correct Example:– The TV announcer, who was

quite an expert, told us many interesting facts about the lunar mission.

• “who was quite an expert” is functioning here as the adjective describing the TV announcer.

• Is this group of words a phrase or a clause?

Phrases v. Clauses• The TV announcer, who was quite an expert, told us

many interesting facts about the lunar mission. • Phrases = cannot contain a subject• Clauses = must contain a subject and a verb– In our example, the relative pronoun “who” serves as

the subject, which means this is a clause. – You should always use “who” when the relative

pronoun is functioning as the subject of a clause, or as the subject of an entire sentence.

– “…whom was quite an expert” would be completely wrong here.

Let’s Try an Incorrect Example

Before the moon landing, the TV announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about who we were all quite interested.

Incorrect Example…explained

• If you spot who following a preposition (in this case, “who” follows the word “about”) on the ACT, it will almost certainly turn out to be incorrect.

• In most cases, a pronoun following a preposition is supposed to be the object of the preposition. The sentence should read:– Before the moon landing, the TV announcer gave

some additional background on the astronauts, about whom we were all quite interested.

Example in ACT Format

The students, (2) who

had been studying the

space program, were

thrilled to witness the

lunar landing.

2. A. NO CHANGE

B. about whom had been studying the space program,

C. whom had been studying the space program,

D. who had been studying the space program

Example in ACT Format

The students, (2) who

had been studying the

space program, were

thrilled to witness the

lunar landing.

2. A. NO CHANGE

B. about whom had been studying the space program,

C. whom had been studying the space program,

D. who had been studying the space program

Partner Practice Answers1. Its2. Their3. His4. Its5. His or her6. Their7. His or her8. His or her9. His or her10. Her11. Her12. His or her

1. Me2. We3. Correct4. She5. Him6. Her7. Correct8. Him9. Correct10. I

Partner Practice Answers1. When a woman has to walk from the subway to her office,

she needs to wear one pair of shoes and carry another.2. C3. Because the man in front of me had a heap of groceries in

his cart, my work was delayed.4. When we read Will and Ariel Durant were both historians,

we became interested not only in them, but also in history (or the study of history)

5. If a man decides to order a monogrammed shirt, he should be absolutely sure that it will fit.

6. Coach Mike told John, “You have to spend more time on the track if you expect to stay in shape.”

Subject/Verb Agreement• The verb of a sentence must always agree

with its subject. • If a sentence contains a singular subject, the

verb that goes with it must also be singular.• If a sentence contains a plural subject, then

the verb that goes with it must be plural. – EX: The best moment during a broadcast filled

with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

Subject/Verb Agreement• EX: The best moment during a broadcast filled with

many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

• Subject = “moment” which is singular• Verb = “were” which is plural, so the subject should

be “was”– EX: The best moment during a broadcast filled with many

great moments WAS when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

ACT Tip: Confusing S/V Placement• If the sentence had been written like this…– The best moment were when the astronaut stepped out

of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.• …the error would have been much easier to detect.• ACT writers like to stick in lots of modifying

phrases/clauses between the subject and verb in hopes that you will forget what the subject is by the time you get to the verb.

• The best way to get them right is to put mental parentheses around all the words between the subject and the verb so that you can see if they really agree.

Pronoun/Verb Agreement

• Sometimes, the subject of a sentence turns out to be a pronoun; don’t let that throw you.

• The verb must still agree with the subject, even if it is just a pronoun. – Ex: Each of these moments have played in my

mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.

• How do we fix this sentence?

Pronoun/Verb Agreement

• Ex: Each of these moments have played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.

• Ex: Each of these moments has played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.

Correct the following errors: 2/6/121. Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched

the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts.

2. Before the moon landing, the TV announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about who we were all quite interested.

3. The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

4. Each of these moments have played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.

Answers:1. Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first

moon landing expressed her feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts. (Pronoun Agreement)

2. Before the moon landing, the TV announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about whom we were all quite interested. (Pronoun Case)

3. The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon. (Subject/Verb Agreement)

4. Each of these moments has played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June. (Pronoun/Verb Agreement)