ACT English Prep: Everything You Need to Know About Commas
ACT English prep focuses on building content knowledge, increasing confidence, and identifying useful strategies, tips, and tricks that students can use to help them defeat the time constraint on test day. Commas are a big part of the grammar that is tested in the ACT English section, and there are many comma rules you need to know in order to correctly answer the Conventions of Standard English questions correctly.
While overall ACT success depends upon a combination of content knowledge, building overall confidence levels, and identification of strategies, tips, and tricks to help work within the time constraint on test day, the foundation of ACT success lies in the first of those areas: Content Knowledge.
The content of the ACT English section tests students in two broad areas of English: Grammar and Rhetorical Skills.
Rhetorical skills questions focus on comprehension of the story itself. These questions may ask students to identify the main idea of a passage, put the sentences of a paragraph in the best order, select an answer option that best accomplishes some specific criteria, or other similar tasks. The ability to work through the rhetorical skills questions relies on frequent, repetitive practice of the types of questions that the ACT will ask and the language that they use, as well as overall level of reading comprehension.
Grammar questions (referred to by the ACT as Conventions of Standard English questions) make up 40 of the 75 total questions in the English section. These questions are all testing students on GRAMMAR. That means OVER HALF of the questions that show up in the English section test you on grammar, such as comma usage, combining clauses, subject/verb agreement, and more.
Many students find that they struggle on the grammar section of the ACT English section. This is usually simply because they have not been taught about or thought about English grammar in a long time — often not since sometime in early middle school. That’s a long time. Additionally, I think we’ve all had those teachers who instruct you to just add a comma whenever you pause. While there’s some sense to that, it does not always work, and it certainly does not do anything for helping you to understand WHY you need a comma in a certain place.
There are many English grammar rules that will come up throughout the ACT English section. Commas are just one of many concepts, but, since commas serve so many purposes, they are one of the hardest grammatical concepts on the ACT to master.
To ace this portion of the ACT English section, you need to understand WHERE commas are used correctly and WHY they are needed there.
Lets take a look at the different ways that the ACT will test you on comma usage:
1. Lists
A common place where we see commas is within lists. A comma will always separate the different items in a list. Take the example here:
I went to the store to buy milk, cheese, and eggs.
There is a comma between each of the items in my list.
You’ll notice that there is a comma before the word AND, as well as between the other items. The comma before AND is a SERIAL COMMA. The serial comma, also referred to as the Oxford comma or the Harvard comma, is optional, and you will often see lists that exclude this comma. The ACT prefers to include the serial comma, though you will not be tested on this concept.
While you will not be examined on your knowledge of the serial comma on test day, you can expect to see this comma throughout the ACT English section.
2. Between adjectives (sometimes)
Another place where commas will sometimes be found is between adjectives.
Adjectives are describing words - think color, size, shape, number, etc. The words that help to paint a picture of a particular thing.
When adjectives show up in a group to modify the description of the same item, you sometimes need to include a comma between the adjectives.
There are two types of adjective groups: COORDINATING and CUMULATIVE
You ALWAYS need to include a comma between COORDINATING adjectives, but you will NEVER include commas between CUMULATIVE adjectives.
Coordinating adjectives all modify the description of the same item, but they do not rely on each other - they are unrelated to one another. Since these adjectives are working separately, you must put a comma between every coordinating adjective.
Cumulative adjectives work together to modify an item. Because of this, they rely upon each other and must remain connected in a particular order. Because these adjectives are working together, you WILL NOT place any commas between them.
The way to determine if you need to place commas between the adjectives is to try and change the order of them around. If you can change the order of the adjectives and the meaning of the sentence remains unchanged, then you are dealing with coordinating adjectives, and you need to include commas between each one. Take a look at this example:
I live in a blue, ugly, old, big house.
I live in an ugly, old, blue, big house.
I live in a big, blue, old, ugly house.
All three of the sentences above mean the exact same thing. There are four adjectives (blue, ugly, big, old) that are modifying your picture of my house. The four adjectives do not rely on each other, so it does not matter which order I put them in. That is how I know that I need a comma between each one. (Each of the sentences above has the commas placed correctly.)
Another way you can check to see if there should be commas between your adjectives is to try placing “and” between the words. Since I can say the house I live in is ugly AND blue AND old AND big, I can confirm that these adjectives are all separate from one another. Therefore, I must have the commas between them, as shown in the three sentences above.
In contrast, you’ll know that you’re dealing with cumulative adjectives (those that are working together) when you CAN’T change around the order of the adjectives or insert AND between them.
Here is an example of cumulative adjectives:
I bought a new smart phone.
Both the words “new” and “smart” are adjectives. However, in this context I can’t say “I bought a smart, new phone.” That changes the meaning of this phrase entirely.
Here is a second example:
He won an Olympic gold medal.
Both the words “Olympic” and “gold” are adjectives describing the word “medal.” However, we don’t ever say “He won a gold Olympic medal.” For that reason, “Olympic gold” needs to stay in the order it is already in.
For the two examples above, since I can’t change around the order of the adjectives, there will be NO COMMAS added. I bought a new smart phone. He won an Olympic gold medal. Both of these phrases are grammatically correct, whereas “I live in a big blue ugly old house.” is very wrong.
This is a concept that the ACT will test you on periodically. The key to answering this type of question correctly is to recognize first where the ACT uses many adjectives all together. Secondly, by reviewing the answer option differences, you’ll see that the comma usage varies with each answer. Adjectives + answers with lots of commas can be an indicator that coordinating vs cumulative conjunctions could be what the ACT is testing you on.
3. After an opening phrase
Throughout the English stories, you’ll see many sentences that begin with an opening phrase followed by a comma. Many of these will be preposition phrases that set the scene for an upcoming independent clause (a complete thought - we’ll go over clauses in #5 below).
Before he went to bed, Benny brushed his teeth.
After riding her bike around the block, Claire was tired.
You can see how the two examples above have introductory phrases that precede the main information of the following clause. Neither of the introductory clauses above includes a subject or the main verb of the sentence. They are simply setting the scene for the information that follows.
You can’t write either of the examples above without the comma. That creates a run-on sentence that you can tell is missing some kind of punctuation.
4. Around added information in a sentence (non-restrictive clauses)
There are only so many ways that the ACT can make the English grammar questions on the ACT more difficult for the test takers. One way that they try and do this is by giving you really long sentences to work with.
One way that the ACT will make sentences longer and more complex is by including non-restrictive clauses.
Non-restrictive clauses simply add extra “bonus” information smack-dab in the middle of a sentence. Take a look at this example:
Timmy, who is a junior in high school, will be seventeen next week.
In the sentence above, the phrase “who is a junior in high school” is your non-restrictive clause. The “skeleton” sentence, if you will, is Timmy will be seventeen next week. The writer is just giving you a little extra information by telling you that Timmy is a junior.
My sister, together with the other girls, was excited about the party.
In the example above, “together with the other girls” is your bonus information.
Sometimes, non-restrictive clauses will rename a noun. This type of non-restrictive clause is called an APPOSITIVE. Here are two examples of appositives:
A cockroach, the grossest bug of all time, creeped across the floor.
Eric, the messiest eater in the family, got mashed potatoes everywhere.
You can see how the added info in both of the examples above is working to rename the noun - cockroach and Eric.
You always need to include a comma before and after a non-restrictive clause like the two examples above. The way to test and see if you are actually dealing with a non-restrictive clause is to remove the added information that sits between the two commas. If the sentence still makes sense grammatically, then it is a non-restrictive clause and the commas both need to be there. If the sentence no longer makes sense after you remove the bonus information, then there is something else going on. If I test this with the cockroach example above, I am left with the sentence “A cockroach creeped across the floor.” This is a complete phrase that can stand alone, so the added information is correct to be included with commas surrounding it.
The ACT will test you on non-restrictive clauses with questions that examine whether you know when they are correct AND questions that examine whether you know when they are wrong. There will be many instances where the ACT will include a clause that is separated with commas, but it will not actually be a non-restrictive clause. Test it by removing the added info to see if the phrase still makes sense without it. If it does not make sense, then it is not a non-restrictive clause, and you will have to change the punctuation or the wording somehow based on the answer options. Therefore, you’ll need to recognize when you need to add commas because there is a non-restrictive clause, and you’ll need to be able to tell when a phrase is not a non-restrictive clause, so you’ll need to correct the punctuation because it is wrong.
5. Between clauses
Chances are you learned about independent and dependent clauses at some point in your academic career. A clear understanding of the differences between these clauses and the ability to identify them in the English stories will be a key part of making sure to answer the grammar questions correctly.
Independent clause: A complete thought that can stand by itself
Dependent clause: Additional information that adds to an independent clause but cannot stand by itself
An easy way to determine if you are dealing with a dependent clause or an independent clause is to ask yourself if the phrase can stand by itself. An independent clause will be a full thought, while a dependent clause will feel like something is missing and it need more information to be complete.
Dependent clauses MUST be attached to an independent clause. One way that this happens is by using a comma. You can use a comma to attach a dependent clause to an independent clause. This is a common question that you’ll see on the ACT. Take a look at the phrase below:
Even though she was hungry, Susan did not stop for lunch.
The sentence above contains two clauses: first a dependent and then an independent. The dependent clause is “Even though she was hungry.” When I read this by itself, it becomes clear that this is not a phrase that can stand by itself. If I were to say this phrase to someone, they would become confused because they’d be expecting me to say more. In contrast, the independent clause “Susan did not stop for lunch,” can certainly stand by itself. This is a complete thought with a subject (Susan) and a verb (did not stop). Notice the comma that is used between the two clauses: Dependent Clause + COMMA + Independent Clause is a very common sentence structure that will show up throughout the English section of the ACT.
Questions surrounding this concept will often require you to be able to identify if a clause is independent or dependent and then know how to combine different types of clauses. Here are some main things to remember regarding clauses that will help you tremendously on test day if you can identify types of clauses and apply these rules:
Dependent clauses CAN’T stand alone
Common sentence structure = Dependent Clause, Independent Clause
There are ONLY 4 ways to combine 2 independent clauses:
Period and a capital letter to start a new sentence - Example: I went to the store. I bought milk, butter, and eggs.
A common followed by a FANBOYS word (FANBOYS are talked about in #6 below) - Example: I went to the store, and I bought milk, butter, and eggs.
A semicolon (a semicolon has to have a full sentence on each side) - Example: I went to the store; I bought milk, butter, and eggs.
A colon (a colon, though not seen often in real life, only has to have a full sentence on one side. The information that follows the colon can be a list, one word, a dependent clause, or an independent clause.) - Example: I went to the store: I bought milk, butter, and eggs.
You CAN’T have two independent clauses connected with only a comma - this is called a COMMA SPLICE
You CAN’T have two independent clauses connected with no punctuation at all - this is called a RUN-ON SENTENCE
These rules above make up the foundation of the grammar on the English section. If you can successfully identify independent and dependent clauses and appropriately combine them, you’re going to do very well on a lot of the more difficult English grammar questions.
6. Before one of the FANBOYS
The FANBOYS are the only 7 coordinate conjunctions that can show up between two independent clauses. You can use these words elsewhere as well, but when they show up in between two independent clauses you will need to include a comma BEFORE the FANBOYS word.
FANBOYS = For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
Take a look at these examples:
My best friend was mad at me, so I bought her a present.
His car was making weird sounds, yet he decided to drive to his friend’s house.
She could go to the store, or she could go to the restaurant.
All three examples above are grammatically correct. They all contain two independent clauses: each of the clauses can stand alone as a complete thought. The two independent clauses in each are separated with a COMMA AND A FANBOYS WORD.
The ACT will examine your understanding of FANBOYS in a couple of different ways. There will be questions where you will have to identify that two clauses are both independent and then make sure to use a comma with one of the FANBOYS as the correct answer. There will also be questions where the ACT will give answer options with this same formatting but with words that ARE NOT FANBOYS. Take a look at this WRONG example:
His car was making weird sounds, however he decided to drive to his friend’s house.
THIS SENTENCE ABOVE IS INCORRECT. There are two independent clauses, which must be connected in one of the four ways mentioned above: 1) period and capital letter, 2) comma and a FANBOYS, 3) semicolon, or 4) colon. HOWEVER IS NOT A FANBOYS word. There is no H in the word FANBOYS. That means you CAN’T connect these two phrases with a comma and “however.” Instead, you’d have to change the way these phrases are combined to be one of the four appropriate ways of combining two independent clauses, or you may have to change this into two separate sentences, with the second sentence beginning with “however.” This would work as well.
The main idea is to make sure you know which words are the FANBOYS and how they have very unique rules when it comes to combining clauses that do not apply to words outside of the FANBOYS. If you find it helpful, write yourself a note on your ACT booklet identifying what the 7 letters in FANBOYS stands for: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
7. Quotations
This is an area where the ACT will periodically try to confuse students. We are used to seeing commas come either before or after quotations that refer to dialogue in text. Here is an example:
“He told me he misses me,” Sharon said to her friend.
The comma above is used to denote when the dialogue quotation ends and the extra information for the reader begins. Here, the extra information is telling us who said the quotation and to whom. The same type of comma can be used in the opposite direction, when this information comes at the head of the sentence, as in this example:
Sharon told her friend, “He told me he misses me.”
The examples above are correct uses of commas when paired with quotations. However, the ACT is going to try and be confusing with quotations.
While we generally see quotations used as a way of identifying that someone is speaking, there are other ways that quotations can be used as well. Take a look at this example:
The food at the restaurant was terrible. The “chef” had never taken any cooking lessons.
The example is not referring to a direct quote that was spoken. This is more like when we use “air quotes” with our fingers, identifying something more like irony, sarcasm, or slang. In the example above, the narrator does not want the reader to take the word “chef” at face value. The quotations induce sarcasm, telling us that the narrator does not think the chef is qualified for his title.
This is the type of quotations that you may see on the ACT. The ACT will include a quote that denotes sarcasm or irony and give answer options that include putting commas either before or after the information. In the example above, there is no need to put a comma before or after chef, as it is simply part of the independent clause and flows as such. Be on the lookout for quotations that DO NOT refer to someone speaking. These will not necessarily need commas around them, unless it is at the end of a clause that requires a comma before what follows.
In addition to these uses, you’ll also see quotation marks used to denote titles of articles other short, published works. Using quotation marks this way seems to be more straightforward for most people, and you will also not be examined on this on the ACT.
8. Miscellaneous other uses for commas -
There are some other jobs that commas have that are not often seen examined on the ACT.
One of these roles is to separate items in a calendar date. You’ll see commas separating the day of the week from the month, as well as commas separating the date from the year. Here is how to correctly format a date:
Today is Sunday, July 14, 2019.
Similarly, you’ll see a comma show up between the names of a city and a state. Here is how to appropriately format locations:
I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
While it may not seem like much fun to spend time reviewing, relearning, and practicing English grammar rules, you’ll be happy that you did. There are so many parts of the ACT exam that are not black and white, where success depends very much on whether you’re familiar with what types of answers the ACT prefers. English grammar is not one of these areas — English grammar is VERY black and white. The ACT can’t change the rules of English grammar, so if you take the time to really understand the different grammatical concepts that show up on the ACT, you’ll do really well on this portion of the test.
Furthermore, you’ll find that learning and understanding English grammar will help you not only on the ACT but in other areas of your life as well. Understanding how to use commas will help you with your high school homework and essays, your college application essays, the TONS of writing you’ll go on to do in college, and even the writing you’ll end up doing in your career one day. No matter what field you decide to study, a solid understanding of when you should use a comma and when you shouldn’t will prove helpful and may keep you from looking unintelligent in important texts, essays, and presentations.