ACT Knowledge of Language: Concision, Style & Word Choice

Knowledge of Language makes up roughly 18–23% of current ACT English.

These questions ask whether the writing is:

• clear;
• concise;
• precise;
• appropriate in style and tone.

Concision

ACT often prefers the shortest answer that keeps the full meaning and remains grammatically correct.

Example:

Due to the fact that the road was flooded, the event was delayed.

Better:

Because the road was flooded, the event was delayed.

Same meaning. Cleaner sentence.

Redundancy

Bad:

The two twins both wore identical matching shirts.

Better:

The twins wore matching shirts.

“Two,” “both,” “identical” and “matching” overlap.

Word choice

Choose the word that fits the exact meaning.

Example:

The new evidence ___ the earlier theory.

If the evidence makes the theory less believable:

• supports — wrong
• challenges — correct
• repeats — wrong
• announces — wrong

Tone

A scientific article should generally not suddenly use casual slang unless the context calls for it.

A formal historical essay should not shift into:

“This discovery was super awesome.”

ACT tests whether the wording fits the passage.

Precision

Vague:

The machine did something to the temperature.

Precise:

The machine reduced the temperature by 8°C.

When the passage gives enough information, precise language is usually stronger. Fixing these patterns can meaningfully move your English subscore — see our guide on what counts as a good ACT score for context.

Idiomatic language

Some choices test standard English usage.

Examples:

• responsible for
• similar to
• capable of

Do not rely only on what “sounds okay” if two choices seem plausible. For more English skill breakdowns like this one, see the rest of our ACT guides.

Original practice

1

Choose the most concise version:

A. The reason why Maya left early was because she was tired.
B. Maya left early because she was tired.
C. Maya, due to the fact that she was tired, left early.
D. Being tired was the reason why Maya left early.

2

Which word best fits?

The new measurement did not disprove the hypothesis, but it did ___ the researchers' confidence in it.

A. strengthen
B. reduce
C. celebrate
D. repeat

3

Which sentence best fits a formal research report?

A. The result was pretty wild.
B. The result was unexpectedly large.
C. The result totally shocked everyone.
D. The result was crazy.

Answers

1. B
2. B
3. B

Fast method

Ask:

1. Is anything repeated?
2. Can the sentence be shorter without losing meaning?
3. Does the word mean exactly what the author needs?
4. Does the tone fit the passage?

Once these rules feel automatic, check the 2026–27 ACT test dates to plan your testing timeline, or see our complete guide to the Enhanced ACT for how this section fits into the full test.

Official source

• ACT Enhanced FAQs: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act-educator/the-act-test/enhancements-k12/faqs.html

---

Trademark note: ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp. MastaPrep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ACT Education Corp.