Active Reading

Back to: ACT English

Annotation

Remember that you are allowed to write on the exam booklet, so use it to your advantage. While annotation is most commonly applied in the Reading section of the ACT, it can be quite helpful for the English section as well. This is especially the case for questions concerning production of writing and knowledge of language. Annotating helps you pinpoint the grammatical rules being assessed, break longer sentences down into their component parts, and stay focused.

Why annotate?

• pinpoint the grammatical rules being assessed
• break longer sentences down into their component parts
• stay focused

How to annotate?

• underline or circle key words or phrases
• cross out words, phrases, or parts of a paragraph that you don’t need to focus on
• draw lines connecting different words and phrases
• write out sentences trying different answer options to see which one is correct

Process of Elimination

One of the quickest ways to deal with questions that you’re unsure about is the use the process of elimination to rule out wrong answers.

• Eliminate all answer choices with the same error or that create new errors.
• In a two-part question, quickly eliminate any answer in which one of the items in the pair is incorrect.
• Remember, there can be only one right answer—If any two answers seem equally right, then they are equally wrong.