Writing Questions (Actually it's ACT English... but whatever)

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1

<ol>
<li> "I learned that I should build plywood in each of my parents' backyards so that Rosie would be safe year-round</li>
</ol>

<p>"I learned that I should build plywood in each of my parent's backyards so that Rosie would be safe year-round</p>

<p>Why is the first correct? I thought that because of "each," "parents" would be treated singularly, making it "parent's"</p>

<ol>
<li> "Though limiting his access to formal education, Banneker nevertheless...."<br></li>
</ol>

<p>^What exactly is wrong with that sentence? </p>

<ol>
<li> "The clock has kept/kept precise time for - can you believe it? - over forty years"</li>
</ol>

<p>^Why is the answer kept and not has kept? If you need it in context, it is "He had dismantled a pocket watch borrowed from a traveling merchant, made detailed drawings of its components and returned it. Based on these drawings, Banneker designed the works for his own clock and carved the gears, wheels, and other moving parts. The clock ________ precise time for- can you believe it? - over forty years"</p>

2

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<p>“each” is not what is modifying “backgrounds.” If “each” were the subject of a verb, you would indeed use the singular form, as in:</p>

<p>Each of my parents’ backyards is a monkey.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Conjunctive adverb redundancy. “Though” already implies a contradiction; “nevertheless” serves the same function.</p>

3

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</code></pre>

<p>Ahh got it… where do you learn this stuff! Thanks!</p>

4

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<p>You’re missing the serial comma.</p>

<p>As for the third question, the context that you provided is not sufficient to render either tense incorrect.</p>

5

<p>By the way, I misplaced my apostrophe in “parents” in post #2. I have fixed it now; sorry.</p>

6

<p>What’s a serial comma? lol. I copied the sentence down quickly and took some parts out. Here is the actual sentence, as found in the passage</p>

<p>"He had dismantled a pocket watch borrowed from a traveling merchant, made detailed drawings of its components, and returned it - fully functioning - to the merchant.</p>

7

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</p>

<p>That comma right there is the serial comma. For more, see: [Serial</a> comma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma]Serial”>Serial comma - Wikipedia). The ACT requires it. It doesn’t help us figure out the appropriate tense, though.</p>

8

<p>Oh I know what a serial comma is, just didn’t know what it was called. </p>

<p>So… any idea on how you would find the answer to the 3rd question? I’m willing to provide more text… but I’m not sure if that is necessary. Could it be possible that the question is… flawed?? :O</p>

9

<p>You can provide more context if you really want to, but I think it’ll just be easier to call it a bad question. :slight_smile: (It’s not as though we’ll learn anything that is generally applicable from finding a tense indicator somewhere else in the passage.)</p>

10

<p>Well if you look at the whole passage, I think it becomes pretty obvious that the clock isn’t still keeping time. Benjamin Banneker made the clock in 1753. Forty years later would still be way in the past.That rules out “has kept” in favor of “kept”.</p>

11

<p>^ Well, there you go.</p>

12

<p>Ah… we aren’t living in the 1800s you’re saying!?</p>

13

<ol>
<li>“The clock has kept/kept precise time for - can you believe it? - over forty years”
key word here is the indicator for</li>
</ol>

<p>For the past 40 yrs, the clock has been xxx.
Same can be said for “since”
Since he broke the glass, he has to pay for it.</p>

<p>Why is it kept instead of has kept?
Are you sure it’s “kept”?</p>

<p>edit: oops theres a context…</p>

14

I should mention, that in this conjunctive adverb redundancy would not work since the underlined portion of the sentence is only “He had limited access to formal education”, which is being replaced by "limiting his access to formal education. The word Though IS NOT UNDERLINED.

It is a modification error. A Dangling Modifier. Read the sentence.

Though limiting his access to formal education, Banneker, Was Banneker limiting his access to formal education?. Obviously not. Therefore that option is incorrect.