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ACT English 4.12 Passage Drill 181 Views


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Description:

ACT English: Passage Drill 4, Problem 12. Which choice indicates the best placement for the word "actually"?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here’s your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by chopsticks.

00:07

The eating utensils, not that annoying song that even monkeys can play on the piano.

00:28

The best placement for the word “actually” would be where?

00:31

And here are the potential answers...

00:37

The word “actually” is an adverb. Like all adverbs, it’s pretty versatile.

00:43

It can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

00:45

It’s great for the adverb that it’s so multitalented.

00:48

In this job climate, we all need every leg-up we can get.

00:52

Let’s read the segment of the original sentence in which the word “actually” appears.

00:57

“Well, the process is very actually simple...”

01:00

Hm, sounds like “actually” might be slacking a bit on its adverbial duties.

01:05

We’d advise it to take its job more seriously, or else it might find itself in the unemployment line.

01:10

Option (A) recommends that we leave “actually” where it is, but this doesn’t work.

01:14

As is, the adverb “very” is modifying “actually,” but “very actually” isn’t

01:21

a construct that’s typically used in the English language--except maybe in an E. E. Cummings poem.

01:26

We’re guessing the writer wasn’t trying to slip experimental poetry into this article,

01:30

so we’ll go ahead cross out choice (A).

01:31

Option (C) has another bad suggestion, but we’ll read the sentence its way just for fun.

01:36

Show: “Well, the actually process is very simple...”

01:41

See, we said it was a bad suggestion.

01:43

Here, the adverb “actually” is modifying the noun “process.”

01:46

This is the kind of thing that makes grammarians really upset.

01:50

As we said earlier, adverbs are only allowed to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

01:58

Anything else is out of bounds, so choice (C) is wrong.

02:01

Now we’re down to (B) and (D).

02:03

We’ll read the sentence both ways and see which works the best.

02:05

Here goes...

02:06

(B) “Well, the process is very simple actually...”

02:09

or...

02:10

(D) “Well, the process is actually very simple...”

02:13

Option (B) wouldn’t sound weird in a normal conversation,

02:15

but out of the two, option (D) is the better bet.

02:18

“Actually” is modifying its fellow adverb “very,” and to avoid confusion it’s

02:23

usually best to place the modifier directly before the word it’s modifying.

02:28

Quick question before we go...

02:29

What if we want a 100%-guaranteed-to-come-true fortune? Is the process still simple?

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