Here is the good news: THE MORE TIME AND EFFORT YOU PUT INTO STUDYING THE GRAMMAR RULES CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, THE MORE YOUR ACT ENGLISH TEST SCORE WILL INCREASE.
PUNCTUATION MARKS:
Commas are tested throughout the ACT English Test as a means to:
- Separate a dependent clause [cannot exist as its own independent sentence] from an independent clause [can exist as its own sentence]. A good rule to follow here to identify dependent clauses in the sentence is if you can take that clause out from the sentence and still have a perfectly good sentence, that clause is dependent. If the dependent clause appears in the middle of the sentence, surround it with commas, whereas if the dependent clause appears at the start or end of the sentence, separate from main (independent) clause with a comma.
- Place commas between coordinate adjectives [adjectives that separately modify the noun] not between cumulative adjectives. Use the following rule: if you can place “and” between the adjectives and you can reverse the order of the adjectives, place commas between those adjectives. Same rules apply to coordinate v cumulative adverbs.
- Place a comma before a conjunction—and, but, or—that separates two independent clauses.
- PRACTICE COMMA USAGE IN BARRON’S ACT TEXTBOOK PAGES 145-149.
PSA 