ACT Preparation / Unit 1 ACT 0025 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Fixing One Error Without Making Another
The idea
In an item that asks for the best version of an underlined portion, a choice can repair the error in front of you and create a new one. Work in three steps. First, name the error in the original, or decide there is none. Second, cross out every choice that leaves that error in place. Third, read each remaining choice inside the full sentence, start to finish, and cross out any that creates a fragment, a splice, a broken series or a dangler. The choice that survives every check is the answer.
In practice
Worked example: the sentence reads "The festival drew record crowds, the vendors ran out of food by noon," with everything after the comma underlined. The original is a splice. The choice "and the vendors running out of food by noon" removes the splice but leaves the second half without a working verb. The choice "; the vendors ran out of food by noon" removes the splice and leaves a complete clause on each side, so it survives.
Where people slip
ACT's own preparation guide warns about answers that correct one error and cause a different one. Read alone, the new error hides; only the full sentence shows it.
Your place on the trail
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