ACT English Practice Questions with Answers

Answer each question by naming the rule first, then open the explanation to check your reasoning.

These questions were written by NextPoint in the style of the ACT. They are not from an official test. Each tests one rule from the ACT English grammar rules guide.

1. By the time the train arrived, the passengers ___ on the platform for an hour.

   • A. waited
   • B. have been waiting
   • C. had been waiting
   • D. are waiting
   Show answer and solution

   Answer: C. The waiting began and was ongoing before another past event, the train's arrival. That calls for the past perfect, “had been waiting.” “Have been waiting” and “are waiting” are present tenses.

2. She enjoys hiking, swimming, and ___.

   • A. to ride bicycles
   • B. riding bicycles
   • C. she rides bicycles
   • D. bicycles being ridden
   Show answer and solution

   Answer: B. Items in a list must be in the same form. “Hiking” and “swimming” are -ing words, so the third item should be “riding bicycles.”

3. The coach gave extra practice time to Maya and ___.

   • A. I
   • B. myself
   • C. my
   • D. me
   Show answer and solution

   Answer: D. The pronoun is the object of the preposition “to,” so it takes the object form “me.” A quick test: remove “Maya and” and you would say “gave time to me.”

4. Walking through the park, ___

   • A. the fountain caught Dana's eye.
   • B. a fountain appeared before Dana.
   • C. the fountain was noticed by Dana.
   • D. Dana noticed the fountain.
   Show answer and solution

   Answer: D. The opening phrase describes whoever is walking, and that must be the subject right after the comma. Only “Dana noticed the fountain” makes Dana the walker. In the other choices the subject is a fountain, which cannot walk.

5. The new schedule had a positive ___ on student attendance.

   • A. affect
   • B. affects
   • C. effecting
   • D. effect
   Show answer and solution

   Answer: D. After the adjective “positive,” a noun is needed, and the noun meaning a result is “effect.” “Affect” is usually a verb.

Turn each miss into a rule

Write the rule in one sentence, for example “past perfect for an event before another past event.” Revisit that sentence in a few days. Most ACT English questions test a short list of rules, and a missed question usually points to one.

Next, try the style and rhetoric questions, or read how to study for the ACT.

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