Study on the flyACTEnglish
ACT
English — ACT topics
- 18 topics
- 50 questions on the paper
- 35 minutes
- 1616 practice questions in the app
- Free
The ACT English section is split into 18 topics, from Run-ons and comma splices to Consistency of style and tone. The paper gives it 50 questions in 35 minutes. The app holds 1616 practice questions across these topics.
What the section covers
| Topic | Share of the section | In the app |
|---|---|---|
| Run-ons and comma splicesComma splice · Fused / run-on sentence · Joining clauses correctly | ≈6% | 87 questions |
| Sentence fragments | ≈4% | 36 questions |
| Subject–verb agreementIntervening phrase or clause between subject and verb · Inverted order and "there is / there are" · Indefinite, compound, and collective subjects | ≈5% | 97 questions |
| Verb tense, form, and consistencyIrregular verb forms and participles ("would have", not "would of") · Tense consistency across a paragraph or passage · Active vs. passive voice and voice shifts | — | 35 questions |
| Pronoun case, agreement, and clear referencePronoun-antecedent agreement · Pronoun case: subject vs. object, who vs. whom · Ambiguous or vague pronoun reference · Relative pronouns and possessives (who/which/that; its/it's; reflexives) | ≈5% | 75 questions |
| Misplaced and dangling modifiers; adjective vs. adverbDangling and misplaced modifiers · Adjective vs. adverb form (incl. comparative/superlative) · Parallel structure | ≈2% | 89 questions |
| Idioms and standard usagePrepositional idioms, especially with verbs (long for, appeal to) · Commonly confused word pairs (there/their, past/passed, allude/elude) · Non-idiomatic expressions and register | ≈1% | 33 questions |
| CommasComma + FANBOYS joining two independent clauses · Introductory and dependent elements · Non-essential vs. essential elements (appositives, clauses, names/titles) · Items in a series and coordinate adjectives · Deleting unnecessary commas | ≈7% | 115 questions |
| Semicolons and colonsSemicolon joining independent clauses (or a series with internal commas) · Colon introducing an example, elaboration, or list | — | 31 questions |
| Apostrophes, dashes, and parenthesesPossessives: singular, plural, and irregular plural nouns · Possessive vs. contraction vs. plural (its/it's, their/they're/there, your/you're) · Paired dashes for non-essential elements | ≈9% | 88 questions |
| Author's purpose and focusIdentify the purpose of a word, phrase, or sentence · Does the essay meet a specified goal? · Choose text that accomplishes a stated purpose | ≈4% | 142 questions |
| Adding, deleting, and revising sentences (relevance)Relevance to the focus (delete irrelevant material) · Should the writer add this sentence? · Revise a sentence to serve the paragraph | ≈15% | 186 questions |
| Logical organization and orderingMost logical place for a sentence · Reorder sentences within a paragraph · Reorder paragraphs within the essay · Where to divide a paragraph | ≈8% | 72 questions |
| TransitionsTime and sequence transitions · Logical-relationship transitions (contrast, cause, addition) · Transitions between paragraphs vs. within a sentence | ≈9% | 92 questions |
| Introductions and conclusions | ≈3% | 57 questions |
| Word choice and precision (diction)Precise word for the content of the sentence · Commonly confused words in context | ≈8% | 133 questions |
| Redundancy and wordiness (concision)Redundancy within a single phrase ("alarmingly startled") · Wordiness judged against the sentence, paragraph, or essay | ≈9% | 170 questions |
| Consistency of style and tone | ≈5% | 78 questions |
Shares are approximate: the topic mix of the English questions on real ACT papers.
How it is scored
Counts toward the ACT composite (1–36). How ACT scores work
Every question is picked for where you are right now, wrong answers come back until they stick, and it all works offline.
Other ACT sections
Study on the fly is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any testing organization, school, or government body.
ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp., which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
All practice questions and passages are original works created for Study on the fly and are not reproduced from any official test.