ACT English Tips

If you’re preparing for the ACT, the English section is one of the best places to gain marks. It rewards students who understand the rules, recognise common patterns, and apply smart exam technique.

In this guide, we’ll share the most effective ACT English tips to help you maximise your score.

Structure

Before we dive into our tips, let’s have a quick review of the English section, what it tests, and how it works.

The English section consists of multiple passages, each followed by a set of multiple choice questions.

The questions refer to an underlined part of the passage and ask you to imagine that you are editing or revising the text. Each multiple-choice option is a proposed revision to the underlined section and your job is to choose the correct revision. There is usually a ‘NO CHANGE’ option – select this if the text is already correct as it is.

How long is the English section of the ACT?

Since updates to the ACT format were announced in 2025, the ACT English section lasts 35 minutes.

How many English questions are on the ACT?

There are 50 questions in the new ACT English section. With 35 minutes to answer, that makes 42 seconds per question.

There is an extra nuance, though. As in the other ACT sections, these questions are divided into two categories:

• 40 operational questions – these are the ‘real’ questions for which your answers will be scored
• 10 field test questions – these are test questions which the ACT is trialling for potential use in future tests. These are not scored

Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell the difference between the operational questions and field test questions, so you’ll have to try to get all of them correct.

Scoring

You get one point for every correct answer you give to an operational question. This gives you a raw score out of 40 (the 10 field test questions are not scored). There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Your raw score is then scaled to an English scale score between 1 and 36, to account for differences in difficulty between the same section on different test sittings.

You can learn more about how the ACT is scored, and what a good score is, in our dedicated guide.

What does the ACT English test cover?

Next in our ACT English tips guide, we’ll explore what the ACT English test covers. This section assesses your abilities in three categories:

Production of Writing – 29–32% of marks

This category tests your understanding of the purpose of a piece of writing. Questions ask you to ensure that the writing is as relevant, organised, and coherent as possible.

Knowledge of Language – 15–17% of marks

These questions require you to make sure that the writing is precise and consistent, and the style and tone remain consistent throughout.

Conventions of Standard English – 52–55% of marks

These questions require you to make edits for grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. As they make up more than half the marks available, an essential ACT English tip is to master the grammar rules which are assessed in this section.

In the next section, we share one example ACT English question for each category along with tips on how to get to the right answer.

Production of Writing Question

Passage

From its mouth, she showed me, each glowworm dangles shimmering silken threads glossed in beads of mucus. Cave-dwelling insects are lured by the light, then trapped in these threads, and finally reeled in like fish on a line. The light responds to environmental factors. The sound of splashing water, for example, might signal that prey is nearby, causing the light to brighten. A camera flash, she reminded me, may also spell danger, and the glowworms’ light is doused.

Our trip neared its end. I spotted a dragonfly in the cave. I knew its fate; it would be ensnared, just as I had been by the brilliance of these luminescent glowworms.

Question

The writer is considering revising the bold portion to the following: soaring toward the light. Should the writer make this revision?

A) Yes, because the revised phrase more specifically describes the dragonfly’s actions to help support the narrator’s claim that she knew what its fate would be.

B) Yes, because the revised phrase adds information that explains why the light of  the glowworms was suddenly dim.

C) No, because the original phrase more clearly establishes that the trip is ending and that the narrator sees the dragonfly as they exit the cave.

D) No, because the original phrase builds on the suspense established in the narrative regarding the fate of the dragonfly.

Tips

These questions are often among the hardest in the section and require you to apply your judgement and logical thinking, rather than a memorised set of grammar rules.

We can start by eliminating answers that are definitely wrong:

B must be wrong, because there is no indication in the text that the light of the glowworms is dim. The narrator has just been told that if a camera flash goes off, the glowworms will dim their light, but that’s hypothetical, not a fact.

C must also be wrong. Writing that the dragonfly is in the cave rather than soaring towards the light does not establish that the narrator’s trip is ending.

Then we consider the other two options:

A seems plausible. We know from earlier in the passage that the glowworms use their light to lure in prey which they then trap. If the dragonfly is flying towards the light, that does indeed support the narrator’s claim that she knew what its fate would be – that it would be ensnared.

D feels less plausible. Has there been any suspense established in the narrative regarding the fate of the dragonfly? We’ve only just read about the dragonfly for the first time here. Even if there had been suspense established, it feels more suspenseful to write that it is soaring towards the light – i.e., towards potential capture by the glowworms – than just to write that it is in the cave.

So A must be the right answer.

Knowledge of Language Question

Passage

No photographs,” whispered the woman next  to me, pointing up to the cave ceiling. “The flash will make them stop glowing,” she said, whispering.

Question

A) NO CHANGE

B) glowing,” she said as she pointed up to the ceiling.

C) glowing,” she said in a hushed, whispering voice.

D) glowing.”

Tips

This is a favourite question type of the examiners. A key ACT English tip is that the test values brevity very highly – the shortest grammatically correct answer is often the right one. That would point us towards D here – but let’s double check that that’s correct.

A includes redundant information – from the previous sentence we know that the woman is whispering, so we don’t need it repeated here.

B likewise repeats information from the previous line, that the woman is pointing up to the ceiling.

C is like A but worse – as well as repeating the fact that she’s whispering, it states that she’s doing so in a hushed voice. All whispering is done in a hushed voice – that’s what whispering means! – so this option is doubly redundant.

D makes sense and doesn’t include any redundant information. That’s our answer!

Conventions of Standard English Question

Passage

She explained that to attract prey, glowworms (not really worms at all, but the larval stage of a fungus gnat) emit light through their translucent skin; via a cellular chemical reaction.

Question

A) NO CHANGE

B) skin, and via

C) skin. Via

D) skin via

Tips

One tip you’ll get a lot of use out of is that the ACT considers semicolons and full stops to be essentially interchangeable. Combine that with another tip – that if there are two functionally identical options, then neither of them will be right, and we’re a long way to solving this question.

A and C are identical as far as the ACT is concerned – and they can’t both be right, so they must both be wrong.

That leaves us with B and D. Remember our tip from the last question – the shortest grammatically correct answer is usually right – and that leaves us with D as our answer.

ACT English Tips

If you want to improve your ACT score, the good news is that the ACT English section is one of the most learnable parts of the test. It rewards students who learn the grammar rules and use good exam technique.

These ACT English tips will help you do exactly that.

Always Read the Entire Sentence

One of the most important ACT English tips is to read the whole sentence, not just the underlined portion. Many students lose marks because they focus too narrowly on what is underlined and ignore the surrounding context. Getting the right answer often depends on information elsewhere in the sentence.

Learn the Core ACT English Rules

The ACT repeatedly tests the same grammar rules, so mastering them gives you a significant advantage.

Independent vs Dependent Clauses

You should be completely comfortable identifying independent and dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, whereas a dependent clause cannot. This distinction is essential for punctuation questions.

Punctuation

FANBOYS

FANBOYS is a useful acronym to help you get ‘comma splicing’ questions right.

You can separate two independent clauses with a comma only if the word after the comma is one of the following: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Without one of these conjunctions, a comma alone creates a comma splice, which is incorrect.

Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes

Semicolons and full stops perform the same function. Both separate two independent clauses.

As we saw in our example question earlier, the ACT will never ask you to choose between two answer choices that are identical except for a semicolon versus a full stop. If that appears to be the case, both options are wrong.

Colons introduce explanations, clarifications, or emphasis, not just lists.

Dashes are used to add emphasis or insert extra information.

Parenthetical Punctation Comes in Pairs

When commas, dashes, or brackets are used to set off additional information, they must appear in pairs. If one is missing, the sentence is incorrect:

Wrong:

William Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon) was educated at his local grammar school.

Right:

William Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, was educated at his local grammar school.

Wrong:

I complained to Emma – who has never done a hard day’s work in her life, that she hadn’t cleaned the dishes.

Right:

I complained to Emma – who has never done a hard day’s work in her life – that she hadn’t cleaned the dishes.

Subject-verb Agreement

Be careful with prepositional phrases that separate the subject from the verb. For example, in the sentence “The group of students was excited,” the subject is “group,” not “students,” so the verb must be singular.

Parallel Structure

When verbs appear in a list, they must match in form and tense. A sentence such as “She likes running, biking, and to swim.” is incorrect because the forms do not match. It should read “She likes running, biking, and swimming.” All items in a list should follow the same grammatical pattern.

Modifier Errors

A modifying phrase must clearly and logically describe the subject that follows it. In the sentence “Running to catch the bus, my backpack fell off,” the sentence incorrectly suggests that the backpack was running. Always check that introductory phrase logically connects to the correct subject.

Its vs It’s

• It’s = it is
• Its = belonging to it
• Its’ = not a word

Who vs Whom

Who is the subject, whom is the object.

In other words, if you can replace it with ‘him’, use ‘whom’.

Choose Concise Answers When Possible

Another essential ACT English tip is that shorter answers are usually better, provided they express the full idea clearly and grammatically. The test often rewards concision.

If three answer choices are wordy and one conveys the same meaning more efficiently without losing clarity, the shorter one is likely correct.

Pay Attention to Logical Transitions

When answering questions which test transition words (‘Therefore’, ‘Moreover’, ‘However’, etc.), remove the transition word temporarily and read the sentences together. Determine the relationship between the ideas before selecting an answer.

Ask yourself whether the second sentence adds information, contrasts with the first, or provides a cause or example. Only then should you choose the transition that accurately reflects that relationship.

If two answer choices seem nearly identical in meaning, such as “however” and “nevertheless,” they are often both incorrect.

Learn to Recognise ACT Patterns

The Odd One Out is Usually Right

The ACT frequently uses predictable patterns. Three answer choices may follow one pattern while one differs. The “odd one out” is often correct.

For instance, in a subject-verb agreement question, the answers may be:

• Was
• Is
• Has been
• Were

The first three are all singular, while the fourth is plural, and is therefore the odd one out. ‘Were’ is probably correct.

Equally Right, Equally Wrong

There is only one correct answer to each question. So if two answer choices seem equally correct, they are usually both wrong.

Read the Question Prompt Carefully

Not every question simply asks for the most grammatically correct answer. Sometimes the question asks for the least effective option, or the answer that best achieves a particular goal. Students often lose marks by not reading the actual task carefully. Before answering, make sure you understand exactly what the question requires.

Guess – but Strategically

If all else fails, our final ACT English tip is to make sure you guess any answers you don’t know. There’s no penalty for incorrect answers, so you should put something down for every question.

However, there are smarter ways to be a guesser. First, take a few seconds to eliminate any answers that are definitely wrong. If you can reduce your options from 4 to 2, then you’ll likely double your number of ‘guessed’ marks.

How to Improve Your ACT English Score

If you’re not happy with your score, these ACT English tips will help you turn it around.

Diagnose Your Problem

The first step is to take a practice test without a time limit and see how you score. If your score jumps up, then what’s holding you back is timing. If it doesn’t, then what’s holding you back is knowledge.

Addressing Timing Challenges

• If you need to improve speed without sacrificing accuracy, there’s no substitute for practice. You can even drill in shorter sections: complete 10 questions in 7 minutes. Over time, your familiarity with the test and recognising common patterns will help you speed up.
• If the answer isn’t obvious within a few seconds, mark the question and come back to it later. Finishing all the ‘easy’ questions quickly will enable you to see how much time you have left for the harder ones
• On exam day, keep an eye on the clock – aim to have answered 20 questions in 11 minutes, and 40 in 22. This will give you leeway to come back to any questions you didn’t get first time around.
• Remember to leave a few minutes at the end for strategic guessing any questions you still can’t work out, and then double-checking all your answers.

Addressing Knowledge Gaps

Take a couple of untimed practices and review your answers:

• Were your errors due to carelessness (e.g. not reading the question or passage properly) or genuine knowledge gaps?
• If the latter, which question types do you get most routinely wrong?

As mentioned before, the English section is probably the most learnable of all the ACT’s sections. Whatever you struggle most with – a particular grammar rule, or relevance questions – memorising the principles and drilling the questions is guaranteed to improve your performance.

Get Help from Dukes Plus

If you’re struggling to make progress on your own, consider seeking extra help.

At Dukes Plus, our expert ACT preparation has helped students improve their scores for more than 20 years. Our ACT prep course offers an intensive guide to the content and key test strategies to excel, while our ACT test tutoring helps students increase their score by 7 points on average.

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