ACT ENGLISH & READING GUIDE
ACT English & Reading Mastery Guide
Grammar rules, rhetoric, precision, and reading strategies — everything you need for the two most language-intensive sections of the ACT.
Start Practicing FreeEnglish Section Overview
The ACT English section has 75 questions in 35 minutes (28 seconds per question). Questions are embedded in five passages. About 55% of questions are Conventions of Standard English (grammar/punctuation), 20% are Production of Writing (rhetoric/organization), and 25% are Knowledge of Language (style, tone, conciseness).
The Reading section has 36 questions in 40 minutes — roughly 67 seconds per question across four passages. Unlike English, Reading questions require you to read the passage before answering. The four passage types are: literary narrative, social science, humanities, and natural science (or one paired Conflicting Viewpoints set).
Topic Guides
ACT ENGLISH · PRODUCTION OF WRITING
ACT Production of Writing: Strategies & Practice
Master ACT Production of Writing questions — topic sentences, transitions, adding/removing details, and conclusions. Proven strategies with worked examples.
ACT ENGLISH · KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGE
ACT Knowledge of Language: Precision, Style & Tone
Tackle ACT Knowledge of Language questions on word choice, style, tone, redundancy, and conciseness. Learn to spot wordiness and pick the most precise option.
ACT ENGLISH · CONVENTIONS
ACT Conventions of Standard English: Grammar & Punctuation
Master ACT Conventions of Standard English — comma rules, apostrophes, semicolons, fragments, and run-ons. The most common grammar errors on the ACT with fix strategies.
ACT READING · STRATEGIES
ACT Reading Strategies: How to Tackle Every Passage
Proven ACT Reading strategies for all four passage types. Learn the 3-pass approach, how to use line references, and how to handle paired passages and conflicting viewpoints.
Top 8 ACT Grammar Rules
1. Comma splices are always wrong
You cannot join two independent clauses with a comma alone. Use a semicolon, a period, or a comma + FANBOYS conjunction.
2. Semicolons join independent clauses
Both sides of a semicolon must be able to stand alone as complete sentences.
3. Apostrophes never form plurals
"Banana's on sale" is wrong. Apostrophes mark possession (the dog's bowl) or contractions (it's = it is).
4. Its vs. it's
"Its" is possessive. "It's" = "it is." Same for their/they're, your/you're, whose/who's.
5. Find the real subject
Cross out prepositional phrases to find the subject. "The results of the study was published" → subject is "results" → should be "were published."
6. Parallel structure
Items in a list must match grammatical form: "running, jumping, and to swim" should be "running, jumping, and swimming."
7. Dangling modifiers
An introductory phrase must modify the subject immediately following the comma: "Running fast, the finish line was crossed" is a dangling modifier.
8. Colons introduce a list or explanation
A colon must be preceded by a complete sentence. "The ingredients are: flour, sugar, eggs" is incorrect.
Practice ACT English & Reading Now
Adaptive sessions across all three English topic areas. AI tutor explains every wrong answer.
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