ACT Preparation / Unit 1 ACT 0010 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Which Idea Leads
The idea
Two related facts can be joined as equals, or with one placed under the other, and the choice changes the stress. Join with a coordinating conjunction when both ideas carry equal weight. Subordinate one when it is background, such as a cause, a condition or a time. Then check that the joining word matches the relation: because for a cause, although for a contrast, when for a time, if for a condition.
In practice
Worked example: the facts are "the bridge was repaired" and "traffic still moved slowly." As equals: "The bridge was repaired, but traffic still moved slowly." With the slow traffic stressed: "Although the bridge was repaired, traffic still moved slowly." With the wrong relation: "Because the bridge was repaired, traffic still moved slowly" says the repair caused the delay, which neither fact says.
Where people slip
A grammatical sentence can still say the wrong thing. On a test, a choice that joins the clauses correctly with the wrong relation word is a wrong answer.
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