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ACT English reporting category

ACT Conventions of Standard English Practice

Conventions of Standard English questions test the rules of written English: sentence structure, punctuation, and usage such as agreement, verb tense, and pronouns. According to ACT, this category makes up 38–43% of scored English questions. Naming the rule a choice breaks is usually more reliable than choosing by what sounds right.

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38–43% of scored English questions3 original questionsInstant answer checks

At a glance

Conventions of Standard English on the ACT: the key numbers

Section and category facts from ACT.org, checked October 9, 2026. Time per question is ACT's section time divided by its question count.
SectionACT English: 50 questions in 35 minutes
Scored questions40 scored, 10 field test
Reporting categoryConventions of Standard English
Share of scored questions38–43%, according to ACT
Average time per questionAbout 42 seconds
Counts toward the CompositeYes
Practice on this page3 original questions: Easy, Medium, Hard

What this tests

What does ACT Conventions of Standard English test?

Practice questions

Practice ACT Conventions of Standard English questions

Pick an answer to check it. Each question has one correct choice.

Question 1 of 3Easy

The Harlow County Historical Society owns more than two hundred maps, some drawn before 1850. The collection of hand-painted maps are kept in a climate-controlled room on the second floor. Visitors can see a few of them each month on guided tours.

Which choice best replaces the underlined portion "are"?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answerC. is

How to solve it

  1. The subject of the second sentence is "collection," not "maps. " The phrase "of hand-painted maps" only describes the collection.
  2. "Collection" is singular, so it needs a singular verb.
  3. The passage uses present tense ("owns," "can see"), so the singular present verb "is" is correct.
Why the other choices miss
A, "are," agrees with "maps," the noun closest to the verb, instead of the subject "collection. " B, "were," is plural and also shifts to past tense. D, "have been," is plural as well.
Question 2 of 3Medium

Heavy rain washed out part of the Ridge Loop trail in April. The trail was closed for repairs, however, the visitor center stayed open and offered free maps of other routes.

Which choice best replaces the underlined portion "repairs, however,"?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answerB. repairs; however,

How to solve it

  1. "The trail was closed for repairs" and "the visitor center stayed open and offered free maps" are both complete sentences.
  2. "However" is a transition word, not a joining conjunction like "but," so a comma alone cannot connect the two clauses.
  3. A semicolon before "however" and a comma after it join the clauses correctly.
Why the other choices miss
A is a comma splice: two complete sentences joined by only a comma. C removes the punctuation before "however," creating a run-on. D is still a comma splice and also drops the comma after "however. "
Question 3 of 3Hard

The school gym was repainted over the summer. Walking in on the first day of practice, the smell of fresh paint surprised the players. Coach Reyes propped open every door to let in a breeze.

Which choice best replaces the underlined portion "the smell of fresh paint surprised the players"?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answerD. the players were surprised by the smell of fresh paint

How to solve it

  1. The opening phrase "Walking in on the first day of practice" describes whoever comes right after the comma.
  2. The players did the walking, so "the players" must be the subject of the main clause.
  3. Only D makes "the players" the subject, so the opening phrase now describes the right people.
Why the other choices miss
A says the smell was walking in. B makes "surprise" the subject; "players'" is only a possessive describing it, so the modifier still dangles. C makes "a smell" the subject and adds the wordy "was what. "

Avoid these traps

What mistakes do students make on Conventions of Standard English?

Matching the nearest noun

Students make the verb agree with the noun right before it, such as "maps," instead of the actual subject, such as "collection. "

Fix: Mentally cross out the phrase between the subject and the verb, then check the verb against the subject that remains.

Treating commas as connectors

Students join two complete sentences with only a comma, or with a comma and a word like "however," which creates a comma splice.

Fix: Check both sides of the punctuation. If each could stand alone, use a period, a semicolon, or a comma with "and," "but," or "so. "

Fixing half a modifier

Students pick a choice that names the right person somewhere in the sentence, but not as the subject right after the opening phrase.

Fix: Ask who does the action in the opening phrase. That person or thing must be the subject that comes right after the comma.

Study method

How should you practice ACT Conventions of Standard English?

  1. When the choices differ in punctuation, check whether the words on each side form complete sentences before deciding.
  2. For verb questions, find the true subject and the time frame of the paragraph, then test each verb form against both.
  3. When a sentence opens with a descriptive phrase and a comma, check that the subject right after the comma is the one doing the action.
  4. Keep a short list of the rules you miss most often, and review it before each practice set.
  5. Practice Conventions of Standard English questions in Dolphin, and label each miss with the rule it tested.
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FAQ

Questions about ACT Conventions of Standard English

Is Conventions of Standard English just grammar?

Mostly, but it covers three areas: sentence structure and formation, punctuation, and usage. Sentence structure includes fragments, run-ons, modifiers, and parallelism. Punctuation includes commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes. Usage includes agreement, verb tense, and pronouns. Questions about whether a sentence belongs or whether a word fits the tone fall under the other two English categories.

How much of the ACT English section is Conventions of Standard English?

According to ACT, Conventions of Standard English makes up 38–43% of scored English questions, the same range as Production of Writing. With 40 scored English questions, that is about 15 to 17 questions. Your score report lists this category with the number of questions in it, the number you answered correctly, and your percent correct.

Does the ACT English score count toward the Composite?

Yes. According to ACT, the Composite score is the average of your English, math, and reading scores, rounded. Science and writing are optional and do not affect the Composite.

Can I answer grammar questions by what sounds right?

Your ear helps with some errors, such as an obvious verb mismatch, but it often misses comma splices, dangling modifiers, and agreement errors across long phrases. Learning the rule behind each question type gives you a reason for every answer, which makes your choices more consistent under time pressure.

What should I do when NO CHANGE is a choice?

Treat NO CHANGE like any other choice. Read the sentence as written and check it against the rules you know. If you find no error and no other choice is clearly better, NO CHANGE is a reasonable answer. Do not pick it just because you cannot spot a problem quickly, and do not rule it out just because it seems too easy.

Related practice

ACT Production of Writing PracticeACT Knowledge of Language PracticeAll ACT English practiceACT Math practiceACT Reading practiceACT Science practiceDolphin ACT prepSAT vs ACTCollege ACT score ranges

Sources

Where these facts come from

ACT facts checked . Every practice question on this page is original Dolphin practice written to match one ACT reporting category. None is a released ACT item.

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