ACT Writing: Building Strong Language Use and Conventions

Word choice

The decisions a writer makes about which words and phrases best express meaning with accuracy, clarity, and appropriateness.

Precision

The use of words that point to one specific idea instead of a vague range of possibilities.

Varied word choice

Using different words purposefully to avoid distracting repetition while keeping meaning, tone, and correctness intact.

Concision

Expressing an idea in as few words as clarity allows, without unnecessary repetition or filler.

Strong verbs

Specific, active verbs that sharpen reasoning and often improve a sentence more than extra adjectives do.

Argument verbs

Verbs such as argues, assumes, overlooks, supports, and challenges that accurately describe relationships between ideas and perspectives.

Sentence structure

The arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence to create clarity, control, and style.

Clause

A group of words that contains a subject and a verb.

Independent clause

A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Dependent clause

A clause with a subject and verb that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Fragment

An incomplete sentence, often caused by treating a dependent clause as if it were a full sentence.

Run-on sentence

A sentence error that occurs when two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction.

Coordination

A way of joining ideas of equal importance, often with conjunctions like and, but, or so, or with a semicolon.

Subordination

A way of showing that one idea depends on another, often using words like because, although, since, or while.

Parallel structure

Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or comparison to improve clarity and polish.

Modifier

A word or phrase that describes or limits another word and should be placed near what it modifies.

Tone

The attitude a piece of writing conveys toward the topic and the reader, such as serious, thoughtful, or skeptical.

Style

The overall way a writer uses language, including formality, sentence patterns, and word choice.

Academic tone

A clear, reasoned, and respectful level of formality that fits argumentative writing on the ACT.

Subject-verb agreement

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, whether singular or plural.

Antecedent

The specific noun that a pronoun refers to.

Verb tense consistency

Keeping verb tenses logically stable unless there is a clear reason to shift in time.

Comma splice

An error in which two complete sentences are joined with only a comma.

Semicolon

A punctuation mark used to connect two closely related independent clauses.

Colon

A punctuation mark used after a complete sentence to introduce a list, explanation, or example.