ACT has four categories; English, Math, Science, and Reading. One of the sections that should not be overlooked is the English examination. This consists of a series of questions that assesses your knowledge of the English grammar, and you will only be given 45 minutes to finish all these. That may seem a very short period of time to answer various daunting questions, but all you need to do to score well is be familiar with the language.
Read and Write in English
When you are familiar with English, you write in full, correct sentences. You have the ability to fully develop your ideas in writing and identify almost all grammar and composition errors when you see them. You have these capabilities because, aside from acquiring a bunch of rules, you have also been immersed in the language either in written or spoken forms.
Like a musician who can hear when an instrument or voice is off key, you can hear when something is wrong with the way the language is being used. In short, the more you immerse yourself in the language, the better you’ll be able to perform in the grammar section. And the right way to do this is through reading and writing a good bit. But, how much is a good bit?
Five times more than what you are actually assigned in school is a good start. Read and write on topics you are interested in. Take the opportunities when you get to help other people in proofreading their essays or writing assignments. This is great practice and will also help you turn a critical eye to your own writing material. If you only do what you are assigned to read or write, then you might as well expect just an average performance during the exam.
Grammar Review
In addition to reading and writing, you will also need to familiarize yourself with the grammar. Aside from your ability to fully comprehend the questions, the exam will also involve assessing your knowledge of certain grammatical rules. Hence, reviewing grammar books will be a ton of help.
There is a trend in school to critique all the grammar errors in a student’s essay. While this is all fine and well, at awesomescores.com, we believe the only way someone can truly learn the language is through immersion and constant reviewing.
As we say, quantity results in quality. If you always practice writing essays or try to read various materials, eventually you will be much better than someone who writes only one essay and works all year on perfecting it.