{"id":31,"date":"2013-12-12t09:00:50","date_gmt":"2013-12-12t09:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/act\/?p=31"},"modified":"2015-04-15t20:24:25","modified_gmt":"2015-04-15t20:24:25","slug":"act-vocabulary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/act\/act-vocabulary\/","title":{"rendered":"act vocabulary"},"content":{"rendered":"

even if you don\u2019t have an impressive vocabulary, you can still get great scores on the act english, act reading<\/a>, and act writing tests by keeping your focus on strategy. here are ten tips to boost your scores on this english-language heavy sections of the act!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

act vocabulary strategies<\/h2>\n

memorize transition words and phrases.<\/i><\/p>\n

especially helpful on the act reading test, words and phrases like \u201cthus,\u201d \u201ctherefore,\u201d \u201con the other hand,\u201d etc. help tell you what the author\u2019s doing with each paragraph.<\/p>\n

think like a thesaurus.<\/i><\/p>\n

it is much easier to memorize synonyms for words than their full definitions. start grouping words together mentally (and on paper) according to their meaning. for example, words like \u201cpusillanimous,\u201d \u201cpoltroonish,\u201d and \u201ctimorous\u201d would go on the \u201cshy\u201d list.<\/p>\n

word on harder passages to aim for a 36.<\/i> <\/b><\/p>\n

once you\u2019ve got the hang of how to take notes on act reading passages, seek out challenging passages to practice. if you can make sense of even the most dense, complex passages you\u2019ll likely find the act reading passages a cinch!<\/p>\n

slow down on act math word problems.<\/i> <\/b><\/p>\n

practice translating these questions from english keywords to math equations. be patient at first \u2013 these questions may be especially frustrating vocabulary-wise. luckily, the common act math phrases such as \u201cless than,\u201d \u201cis the same as,\u201d and \u201cproduct of\u201d are easily memorized.<\/p>\n

faced with a tough act vocabulary word? try to break it into its component parts.<\/i><\/p>\n

look for prefixes, roots, and suffixes if you don\u2019t know what a word means. does it \u201csound\u201d like a word you already know? it\u2019s likely that they have the same root!<\/p>\n

don\u2019t panic if english isn\u2019t your first language!<\/i><\/p>\n

many native speakers are confused by answer choices that include slang, contain popular (though incorrect) grammatical phrases, or just \u201csound right.\u201d non-native speakers learn the exact same question types and strategies as native speakers, but can apply them without any prejudice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

vocabulary practice<\/h2>\n

review the most-tested grammar errors.<\/i><\/p>\n

spend some time with a solid english grammar review book to review the parts of speech, sentence fragments and run-ons, and the basics of sentence construction. a \u201cfun\u201d book like writer\u2019s express<\/i> or english grammar for dummies<\/i> is a great resource, but you can also use an act-specific book such as mcgraw-hill\u2019s act<\/i>.<\/p>\n

apply the act idioms into your compositions.<\/i> <\/b><\/p>\n

start applying the act idioms early in your studies and incorporate them into your everyday speech, emails, and english compositions. the more you can incorporate them into your english writing, the more confident you\u2019ll become.<\/p>\n

keep up with current events to build your reading skills and boost your act writing examples. <\/i><\/p>\n

my recommendations include the new york times<\/i>, the wall street journal<\/i>, or any scholarly journal that you find interesting. listen to npr to keep up with the day\u2019s events and write down any new words you don\u2019t understand. set a regular schedule for your reading and stick to it. even twenty minutes a day will help you conquer act reading, and can help you come up with examples for the act writing test!<\/p>\n

quiz your friends.<\/i><\/p>\n

whether in real life or online, connect with other act students! you and your friends can circle any unknown vocabulary you see on your practice act english or act reading tests, then make up your own practice quizzes to build your vocab!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

even if you don\u2019t have an impressive vocabulary, you can still get great scores on the act english, act reading, and act writing tests by keeping your focus on strategy. here are ten tips to boost your scores on this english-language heavy sections of the act!   act vocabulary strategies memorize transition words and phrases. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[15,16],"ppma_author":[24879],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nact vocabulary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"the act english, act reading, and act writing sections are filled with opportunities to show off your vocabulary. by focusing on good study strategies, you can use common act vocabulary to your advantage during the act.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/act\/act-vocabulary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"act vocabulary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"the act english, act reading, and act 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