ACT English - Transition Questions

There is a category of ACT English question that is seriously increasing in significance between what is quickly becoming the "old" ACT test (being permanently phased out starting September 2025) and the "new" ACT test (being phased in permanently in September 2025). This type of question is called a Transition question (which I break down in video form on YouTube here).

The transition, in English, serves as a bridge between two sentences or ideas.

A transition is a word or a phrase that transitions one sentence to another, serving as a kind of bridge between the two. This transition creates a certain kind of relationship between the two sentences, and of course, not any old transition will do. This is the type of question in which a best answer is necessary.

For example, consider this pair of sentences and the underlined portion between them (called the transition):

I put way too much honey in my tea. On the other hand, it is too sweet.

Can you see that the transition "On the other hand" does not work? The reason is because this phrase implies contrast, but what is needed is cause and effect: that there is too much honey in the tea is the cause of how sweet the tea is.

Thus, if we were to choose a proper transition, the sentence should look like this:

I put way too much honey in my tea. Because of this, it is too sweet.

Check out this week's YouTube video if you want a breakdown or more examples, including a significant change to both how and how often this question is asked on the "new" ACT.

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