Sentence Structure and Formation sample question 5

the scarlet tanager is easy to spot in summer

ACT · English · Conventions of Standard English

Sentence Structure and Formation

Sentence Structure and Formation is part of Conventions of Standard English in the ACT English section. The questions below are written in the style of the real test, each with the answer and a worked explanation.

Question types you will see here include comma splice repair, fused sentence (no punctuation), sentence fragment repair and subordination and logical connection.

Common traps: keeping the comma and adding a conjunctive adverb such as however or therefore; keeping the comma and starting the second clause with a pronoun; fixing the punctuation but leaving a subordinator that creates a fragment.

Sample questions

Question 1
The desert appears lifeless during the day. Dozens of species emerge to feed after sunset.
Which choice is best for the underlined portion? If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A.
  NO CHANGE
- B.
  day; and dozens
- C.
  day dozens
- D.
  day, dozens
Answer: A. NO CHANGE
"The desert appears lifeless during the day" and "dozens of species emerge to feed after sunset" are both independent clauses. Using a period correctly separates them. A comma alone creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on (fused) sentence, and a semicolon is not normally followed by the conjunction "and" in this construction.
Question 2
The printing press made books far cheaper to produce, literacy spread rapidly across Europe.
Which choice is best for the underlined portion? If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A.
  NO CHANGE
- B.
  produce; and literacy
- C.
  produce; literacy
- D.
  produce literacy
Answer: C. produce; literacy
"The printing press made books far cheaper to produce" and "literacy spread rapidly across Europe" are both independent clauses. Using a semicolon correctly separates them. A comma alone creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on (fused) sentence, and a semicolon is not normally followed by the conjunction "and" in this construction.
Question 3
The telescope can detect infrared light, its mirror is large enough to capture light from extremely distant galaxies.
Which choice is best for the underlined portion? If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A.
  NO CHANGE
- B.
  light; and its
- C.
  light; its
- D.
  light its
Answer: C. light; its
"The telescope can detect infrared light" and "its mirror is large enough to capture light from extremely distant galaxies" are both independent clauses. Using a semicolon correctly separates them. A comma alone creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on (fused) sentence, and a semicolon is not normally followed by the conjunction "and" in this construction.
Question 4
Her paintings are admired less for their color than for how composed.
Which choice is best for the underlined portion? If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A.
  NO CHANGE
- B.
  she composes them
- C.
  their composition
- D.
  composing
Answer: C. their composition
"Less for X than for Y" requires parallel elements: "for their color" pairs with "for their composition."
Question 5
Known for its striking red plumage, summer is when the scarlet tanager is easy to spot.
Which choice is best for the underlined portion? If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A.
  NO CHANGE
- B.
  the scarlet tanager is easy to spot in summer
- C.
  spotting the scarlet tanager in summer is easy
- D.
  birdwatchers can easily spot the scarlet tanager in summer
Answer: B. the scarlet tanager is easy to spot in summer
The modifier describes something with red plumage, so the bird, "the scarlet tanager," must come right after the comma.

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