Enrollment System for High School Essay Example

Enrollment System for High School Essay Example Enrollment System for High School Essay Enrollment System for High School Essay Essay Topic: High School Middle School ACKNOWLEDGMENT An ambition nurtured through the year has finally been fulfilled, this â€Å"program†. The realization of this ambition is attributed to their family and especially to the almighty God for his countless blessings bestowed on the group. For the unlimited guidance and being always in their side Mr. Romel P. Dagami for with him this priceless endeavor would have never come into fruition. To their classmates in CS 223 who shared their knowledge for the success of this system. Their family for their continued encouragement, financial and moral support and prayers. With this system a dream is now a reality. We share the joy and pride. To everyone who helped us in making this program, thank you. Table of Contents Acknowledgmentii Table of Contentsiii Chapter I Introduction Payroll1 (Advantages)2 Statement of the Problem6 Theoretical Framework8 Conceptual Framework10 Significance of the Study12 Scope and Delimitation14 Definition of Terms15 Chapter II Project Rationale19 Project Objective20 Project Description21 Constraints of the System and Project21 Project Team Organization23 Project Team Description24 Estimated time and Date25 Pert Chart26 Gantt Chart27 Data Flow Diagram28 System Flow Chart29 Program Flow Chart30 Program Output39 Codes45 Visual Table of contents62 Input Process Output Chart63 MDB Structure63 Chapter III Appendices Appendix A (User’s Manual)66 Appendix B (Guidelines in accessing the system)69 Appendix C (Curriculum Vitae)79 Chapter I Introduction Not so long ago, all payrolls used to be calculated manually, without any help from a computer. Professional accountants invested a lot of time and energy into keeping track of all employee data, files and information, calculating monthly salaries, hourly remunerations, bonuses, sick leaves, benefits, taxes, deductions and so on. And they did this all by keeping numerous files filled with track records for each and every person employed. Nowadays, however, thing are far more simple than they used to be. Because technology is always dedicated to make things easier and better, quite a wide variety of computerized payroll systems is available to save us from this tedious task. Now, instead of keeping dozens of files and spending endless hours calculating, all you have to do is get a payroll software system and let it do all the nasty work. So, manual vs. computerized payroll system? It really bares no comparison. A manual payroll system means doing everything by hand, while a computerized one will enable its users to store unlimited data, keeping track of everything. While with a manual payroll system youd have to keep track of all employees time by hand, with payroll software you can automatically transfer all punches or swipes directly into the system, which will store them instantly. It can even separate regular work hours from overtime, and calculate the different remunerations according to set parameters. And if human error sneaks in even with the most organized manual payroll system, computerized payroll software will provide accurate calculations regardless of the amount of data stored. The computerized payroll software systems save time and money, theyre very easy to use and theyre also very practical. There are several different types of payroll software systems, with various features, functions or advantages. And of course, the price will also vary according to the type of software. All programs, however, include essential features for storing employee information, files and track records, and will enable authorized users to enter, view or change information anytime. Basic features include paycheck processing, direct deposit options, payroll reports, tax reports, deductions, quarterly and annual ware reports and many others. Moreover, while with a manual payroll system you have to do everything yourself, a computerized payroll software will calculate automatically all pay frequencies, employee statutory deductions, 401k contributions, bonuses, medical benefits etc. Basically, all you have to do is enter all the data upon which the deductions are based, and the software will handle everything else. In conclusion, compared to computerized software systems, the manual payroll system takes up valuable time, resources and money. So instead of wasting valuable time with the tedious accounting tasks, let the software calculate the paychecks, while you work on developing your business, increasing production and revenue. Statement of the Problem The researchers sought to answer the following: 1. What are the problems encountered of the company when it comes in paying their employees? 2. Does it take time before the employees get their monthly salary? 3. Does the owner/employer of the company need to add an additional employee in order to do the task (computing and releasing of employee’s salary)? 4. Do the employees need to wait before they can have their monthly salary? 5. Does the releasing of the employees’ wages consume a longer period of time because of editing and adding new record? 6. What would be the possible solution out of these problems? Theoretical Framework In this part of the documentation, we will be presenting a theory that will serve as the pattern on how the researchers would make their own plans and conceptualizations in the theories of experts of the computer field and analysis. The researchers are sure that the pattern they would be following is based on standards and proven technique. The first theory is called the â€Å"System and Systematic Theory† (SST) which says that â€Å"A â€Å"system† is a collection of things which have relationships among them. of course all three: things and relationships and the whole system have to be imagined by us, and tested against ‘reality’, to serve our purpose. )† This theory implies that in order for the system to be functional and efficient, it has to be tested against reality. Meaning all things must have be considered when system be implemented already. All errors must have been corrected prior to its delivery. The â€Å"Systems a nd Systematic Theory† (SST) would are a big impact or the development of the system. The researches would have to consider all omponents of their proposed system and make sure that all of them are working properly in achieving their main goal. Conceptual Framework Diagram 1 The diagram shows how the system would involve into an Automated Payroll System. The inputs must be considered properly assess and make sure that all data needed in the development are present and available. After the inputs are gathered, the process comes next. It involves analysis of data gathered and evaluation. After the inputs have been processed the Automated Payroll System is now created. Significance of the Study Based on the employees we’ve met, they we’re having hard time in getting their monthly salary. Sometimes, their payment they expected they will receive will seldom be delayed due to the personnel who are doing the task. Because we believe that every employee needs to be paid for the services they provide. For this to happen, the employer must have a payroll system in place. Without it, chaos occurs, as employees will become upset if their checks are inaccurate (or worse, if they dont get paid) due to a haphazard payroll structure. So obviously, there are benefits to be derived from using a payroll system. The advantage of having this kind of system is that to make the transaction of every employee in getting their monthly salary easily. Secondly, to lessen the possible time it will consume, because when the employer of the company will do it manually, maybe it will take week or more. And lastly, the task of doing the transaction will be higher because it is done with the use of computer. The persons who are being benefited with this study were the owner of the company, the personnel who is doing the job and at the same time the employee of that particular company. Scope and Delimitation The proposed project, an Automated Payroll System of Asia Computer Company is developed specially for the said company’s payroll processes. But aside from that, it also covers a little of their personnel information, basically includes computation of deductions, generating of pay slips, and payroll reports. The system can also generate personnel information from the company with the intention of coming up with a system that will generally make your flow of operation of the company’s payroll processing smoother and faster, experiencing more of an efficient, reliable and accurate system. Definition of Terms * Database- is a system intended to organize, store, and retrieve large amounts of data easily. It consists of an organized collection of data for one or more uses, typically in digital form. One way of classifying databases involves the type of their contents, for example: bibliographic, document-text, statistical. Digital databases are managed using database management systems, which store database contents, allowing data creation and maintenance, and search and other access. * Query design- A database query can be either a select query or an action query. A select query is simply a data retrieval query. An action query can ask for additional operations on the data, such as insertion, updating, or deletion. * Table- is a set of data elements (values) that is organized using a model of vertical columns (which are identified by their name) and horizontal rows. A table has a specified number of columns, but can have any number of rows. * Report- Microsoft Access Database report designs, from customizing the layout of the report to including parameters and images. You will also find rticles relating to generating your Microsoft Access database reports from forms in your Microsoft Access application, and how to modify database reports using VBA programming and Microsoft Access expressions. * Data- is information that has been translated into a form that is more convenient to move or process. * Automated Payroll System- A payroll system is the method used by payroll professionals to pay employees for their services. Regardless of the type of system used, there are basic functions that must be performedcalculation of hours worked, deductions (health, garnishment), and benefits (auto allowance, vacation, personal time). Form- A database form is a window or screen of related fields from a database. It is used to enter data or browse and view data. * Log in- (also called logging in or on and signing in or on) is the process by which individual access to a computer system is controlled by identification of the user using credentials provided by the user. * System- a collection of interrelated components that acts together as a single unit to perform a specific task. * Employee – a person for wages, a salary Project Rationale With the demands of the present competitive world, the pressing needs for the computerization, the problems encountered by the employees in getting their monthly payments, this Automated Payroll System is proposed for these reasons, the implementation of this computerized system will help the said company in achieving their goals with efficiency and effectiveness in compliance the needs of the employees regarding the releasing of their monthly salary. Project Objective Specifically, the project seeks to reach the following objectives: 1. To be able to know on how to make the research study in using an application software by making a program. 2. To be able to identify the problems of the existing system. 3. To be able to calculate the employee’s salary easily. Project Description The project is entitled â€Å"Automated Payroll System. † The system involves the use of computer software such as Visual Basic and Microsoft Access. In this Project the developers of this system have also incorporated training plan, test plan, security plan and maintenance plan which will serve as the framework in implementing this project. Constraints of the System and the Project System: 1. Storage media such as hard disk and the floppy disk are very sensitive to magnetic interferences, that is, they should isolate from electronic devices. 2. Data and information could be possibly infected with computer virus that may destroy data and information significant to the system. Project: 1. The size of the project is big; hence several trivial communication lines exist, which turn, make it hard for the project team members to arrived at decision timely and accurately, as here may unexpected ppositions from other members. 2. Time allotted to finish the project is very minimal. Project Team Organization [pic] Project Team Description System Analyst – a person who is responsible for planning and at the same time the one who designs the system. Programmer – the one who is responsible in making the program as well as developing the system designs. Designer – the one who is responsible gathering data and rese arching information and the encoder of the documents. Encoder – a person who responsible in encoding all data and all documents. Researcher – The one who is responsible in researching the information needed for the system. The team used egoless structure because all members are equal and responsible for all activities in developing the system. Table of Activities |ID |Activity | | |5 |10 | |Password |Text |8 | |Period |Text |50 | tblPayroll Employee Number |AutoNumber | | |Last Name |Text |30 | |First Name |Text |20 | |Middle initial |Text |50 | |Address |Text |60 | |Status |Text |50 | |Position |Text |50 | |Rate |Number | | |dependent |Number | | |Account number |text |12 | |total |Number | | |PLoan_Pay |Number | | |PRSNL_LOAN |Number | | |SSS_LOAN |Number | | |SLOAN_PAY |Number | | |SSS |Number | | |PHP_HEALTH |Number | | |PAG_IBIG |Number | | |DEDUCTION |Number | | |Net |Number | | |Monthly |Number | | Chapter III Appendices Appendix A User’s Manual Automated Payroll System Introduction To facilitate the procedures of the systems programs, a user’s manual like this was included. This p ortion indicates the standard procedures in adding, searching, saving, deleting, computing and reckoning records in a record window. To enhance the reliability of functions, graphical images are supplemented for further understanding on the routines included in the system. Hardware and Software Requirements Hardware The computer system must have the following: Intel Version 1 or higher version of processor. At least 32 MB or RAM for faster processing. 16B or higher memory Hard Disk Printer (Matrix, desk, jet or Laser) Colored Monitor Keyboard Mouse Printer Software Operating System Windows 7 Programming Language Microsoft Visual Basic 6. 0 Microsoft Access 2003 Operating System ? Window 7 Programming Language ? Microsoft Visual Basic 6. 0 General Operating Procedures One Significant part of computer, which plays a vital role, is the keyboard. It is composed of the alphabet ranging from a to z. The numeric keypad which can be used as means for entering special keys which ar e use up and down. The function keys from F1 to F12, which has different usage. The enter key is used to move the cursor 1 line and or entering the command. Tab key is used to move the cursor some space to the right. The shift key which is used to change the character into its upper or lower case. The caps lock is used to capitalize all the letters. And lastly is the backspace, which is used to move one character space to the left of each word. Appendix B Guidelines in accessing the system: 1. Double click the payroll icon on the desktop. 2. Enter Username and Password ? Empty username and password is invalid. ? Three consecutive wrong inputs of username and password will automatically end the system. 3. Click the OK button after typing the username and password. ? Ok button – log-in serves name and password serves as a security of the system to avoid or to protect the system from unauthorized person. This button will search username and password from the database if available. If the record is not found, the system will ask from the user to input again the correct one. If the username and password are correct the main menu will display Main Form – the user can add entry, view or edit records, report generation, create pay slip, loan entry, pay period entry, help and find. Add Entry Button – this button will let you add additional employees information. View or Edit Record – will let you view and edit your employees information. Report Generation ? Bank Report – where you can see all your employees name, account number and net income for bank purpose report. ? Management Report – where you can see all your employees name, account number and annual net income for management purpose. Create Pay Slip – this button will clear all the inputs in the textbox allowing the user to input new records in order to create employees pay slip. Loan Entry – the user can view the loans he/she applied either personal or SSS loan. Pay Period Entry – indications when the employees will be paid for their wages. Help – this button will help you on how to use the system. Find – this button will help you to search the employee record as specified by the user. Exit – end of the system. Add New Employee Entry View or Edit Record Report Generation Create Pay Slip Loan entry Pay Period Entry Find In the maintenance File, it consist of login form for changing the password in case that there were unexpected thing that happened on the system. Exit File terminates the execution of the program. Error Messages Error message that display when using the program reveals that exception or fault was encountered by the system. Its either the user provides the wrong data inputs or the record required by the user is not available. Error messages that will be encountered when accessing the system are as follows. This error occurs when the user entered an employee’s name that is not in the record. This error message takes place when the user inputted a wrong password. Appendix C Curriculum Vitae Personal Information Data Type Field Name 1. 4 Help 1. 3. 1 Create Payslip 1. 3 Payslip 1. 2. 1 Management Reports 1. 2. 1 Bank Reports 1. 2 Reports 1. 1. 2. 1 Add 1. 1. 1. 2 Add 1. 1. 2. 2 Add 1. 1. 1. 1 Add 1. 0 Employee 1. 0 Log-in 1. 1 Record 1. 1. 1 Faculty Computerized Payroll System Display â€Å"Add Entry† â€Å"View or Edit Records† â€Å"Create Pay slip† â€Å"Loan entry† â€Å"Pay Period entry† â€Å"help† â€Å"Find† â€Å"exit† Read Username and password Begin Cashiers 23 Feedback 2 Database 0 Generate Computerized Payroll System Payroll Reports System Analyst Programmer Researcher Designer Encoder 18 Record and Management System Users 1 Employees ET=20 TE=49 TL=49 ET=10 TE=28 TL=29 ET=20 TE=29 TL=29 E1 ET=1 TE=9 TL=9 ET=4 TE=8 TL=8 ET=10 TE=18 TL=19 D2 D1 C2 B2 C1 B1 A2 ET=3 TE=52 TL=52 ET=2 TE=4 TL=4 Admin. Department Payroll Reports Employees data 6 Pay slip 14 17 Process Automated Payroll system ii Automated Payroll System Process the inquires / operation 24 Mission and Vision Downloaded References Hardware and software Development Books Research Analysis evaluation Programming 8 Document 6 5 Input Field Width A A Is Click=cmd add? Display Form empoyee Read Info. B Is Click=view or edit records? Display Form empoyee Display â€Å"Edit†,†close†,†delete†,†process† C Is Click=report generation? Display Form report Display â€Å"Bank report† â€Å"Management report† D E B display â€Å"save† â€Å"cancel† Is Click=save? Save Info. Is Click=cancel? exit Display â€Å"new† â€Å"process† †close† Is Click=new? F G C Is Click=edit? Edit employees information Display â€Å"Save† â€Å"cancel† H Is Click=delete? Display â€Å"are you sure? † Is Click=yes I Is Click=process? Display â€Å" Last Record† J J Is Click=close? J K K H Is Click=Bank Report? Display Report Monthly M Display Report Annual L Is Click=Bank Report? Is Click=Cancel? K N N E Is Click=CreatePayslip? Display Form Payslip K Is Click=Loan Entry? Display Form Loan Display â€Å"Personal† â€Å"SSS† â€Å"EXit† P Is Click=Pay Period Entry? Display Form Pay Period Q R R If Click=Find? Display Form Find S If Click=Exit? End K P Field Name Data Type Width Close User name OK button Password Add Entry View or Edit records Pay Period Entry Help Loan Entry Create Pay Slip Report Generation Find Exit Cancel button Close Close Close Close Close Close Is click= Personal? Display Form Find K Is click= SSS? 1 1 Is click= Exit? K T T Q Read Pay Period K S Display â€Å"Find† and â€Å"cancel† Is Click=Find? Display Employee information K K Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Yy y 2 2 N N N N N N N N K K N Y N N Y Y N Y Input Password Username Input Password Username Process Verify the username password in the password Output Display the main form menu Input Employee Info Process Verify if data inputed are all correct *Add the record to the faculty table *update data Output New employee record added *Datebase Updated. iii 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 12 15 16 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 27 iv 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 43 48 47 50 49 53 52 51 55 57 58 60 59 56 58 63 60 3 62 4 64 70 69 2 69 73 71 75 76 74 77 26 28 v v Output 14 45 46 54 56 61 64 65 66 67 68 71 72 74 78 62

ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors

ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the trickier concepts that you will be tested on ACT English is your ability to choose the right word from among many that are not quite right, and to spot when words are being used incorrectly. Are you confident in your ability to find the differences in a group of similar words? Can you distinguish what’s needed from the context of a question? If you’re not so sure, read on to see how the ACT English will test you on this skill!In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about these questions: What Does â€Å"Diction† Mean, Anyway? Diction is a fancy synonym forâ€Å"word choice† - you may have heard your literature teacher talk about itwhen analyzing a famous author’s writing style. On the ACT English, there are three main ways that word choice becomes important: recognizing commonly confused words understanding meaning in context recognizing idiomatic uses of phrases with prepositions This final topic is large enough thatwe have a whole separate article dedicated to it. But for the first two, let's lookat some example sentences that illustrate these concepts. There is nothing better then (1) waking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. The exciting (2) smell really gets my blood pumping. 1. A. NO CHANGE B. better than C. better D. better to 2. A. NO CHANGE B. simulating C. dazzling D. stimulating Answers: 1. B; 2. D How did you do? These questions cover two of the most common types of diction errors that you will see on ACT English – commonly confused words and understanding meaning in context. Both of these test your ability to understand when a word is being used incorrectly. I’ll go into each of these question types in more detail below. But first, let’s talk about why ACT English has diction errors in the first place. Why Diction Errors? ACT English basically tests your ability to be an editor. The ACT wants to see if you can spot and correct errors in short passages. This skill is important for college level work, such as writing papers. Most of the ACT English questions focus on grammar, punctuation and style. By reading our guides or using another prep method, you can learn the various grammar rules that are important for being able to answer most of the questions on ACT English. With diction questions, the ACT is looking to see which students can also spot errors where you can’t apply your grammar rules. The only way you will know these answers is to understand the subtle differences between similar words. If you don’t think this task sounds too difficult, keep in mind that many students make diction errors all the time in their everyday speech and writing. The makers of the ACT know which words are most confusing for students, and focus on these when writing the test. So let’s start there – with the most commonly confused words that the ACT loves to test. The Most Common Diction Errors Some of the diction errors the ACT tests are random and therefore essentially impossibleto study for. However, the ACT writers havea couple of favorite errors, which usually appear at least once on every test. We'll go through these one at a time. THAN vs. THEN The first key concept for diction questionsis understanding the difference between â€Å"than† and â€Å"then.† Than is used to show a comparison. I am smarter than you are. He eats more rice than beans. Then is used for showing what happens next. First, she went to the store. Then, she went home. I want to eat my rice, then my beans. Pop Quiz! Look at the following pair of sentences. Can you tell which one is correct? I like blue Cornish cheese more then any other cheese in the world. I like blue Cornish cheese more than any other cheese in the world. Answer: the second is correct because the sentence shows a comparison - than is needed. How Should You Approach These Questions? Then/than errorsare pretty easy to spot and correct. When you see one of these words underlined, look at the rest of the sentence. If it is comparing something, use â€Å"than." If it is telling that one thing happened after another, use â€Å"then.† Let’s look back at the first question At the beginning of the article, I gave you the following question: There is nothing better thenwaking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. A. No change B. better than C. better D. better to Now you can understand why the answer is (B) better than. The sentence shows a comparison (waking up and smelling coffee vs. waking up and doing anything else), so we need than. HAVE vs. OF The second most important diction pair to know is â€Å"have† and â€Å"of." The important distinction here is that â€Å"have† is a helping verb, while â€Å"of† is a preposition. If you see â€Å"of† being used as a helping verb, it will be incorrect! The #1 Rule for Have/Of: If you see could of, would/will of, should of, or might of: these are all INCORRECT. Instead they should be could HAVE, would/will HAVE, should HAVE, and might HAVE. This is one of those â€Å"everyday English† mistakes. In speaking, people tend to pronounceâ€Å"have† likeâ€Å"of† because it’s faster and easier to say. It also sounds a lot like our contractions â€Å"would’ve," â€Å"should’ve," etc. This has led some people to believe that â€Å"of† is actually the correct word to use in these circumstances - but it’s not! Let’s look at some examples: She would of preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. INCORRECT She would have preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. CORRECT "Would of" is always incorrect; "would have" is the correct replacement. How Should You Approach These Questions? Have/of questions should also be very easy to spot if you're looking for them. If you see of or have underlined, be ready to see a diction question. Remember that if you have would/will of, might of, should of, or could of, you can immediately cross out those answers. Choose an answer that replaces â€Å"of† with â€Å"have† and is also grammatically correct in the sentence. Let’s look at an example from the ACT. Dickinson’s last twenty years of letters many over 1,500 words in length reveals the breadth and depth of her connection to the world through a wide circle of correspondents. A. NO CHANGE B. reveal C. will of revealed D. would of revealed First thing we see in the answer choices are two answers that can automatically be crossed out, whichmakes our lives so much easier! Get rid of C and D, which both have the dreaded â€Å"of† construction. Now it’s a matter of differentiating between â€Å"reveals† and â€Å"reveal." At this point, you may notice that we are looking at a subject-verb agreement question. So we need to find what the subject is. Ask yourself: what is doing the revealing? It’s the â€Å"last twenty years of letters." When we cross out modifiers and the prepositional phrase, we get â€Å"last twenty years of letters." Now it’s obvious that â€Å"years† is the subject. Since â€Å"years† is a plural noun, we need the plural verb, which is â€Å"reveal." B is the answer. Other Easily Confused Words The ACT will rarely test other commonly-confused words. These questions are very difficult to predict because they happen quite infrequently. I have included a list of commonly confused words at the end of this article. Try reading through them and see if there are any that surprise you or that you didn’t know. If so, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have these down before you take the test. But don’t bother spending a lot of time worrying about this list. The ACT will rarely test this kind of question, so it’s really not worth stressing out over. You will most often see these commonly confused words in the context of our next type of question, which is†¦. Understanding Word Meaning in Context Instead of using really tricky commonly confused words, the ACT usually uses fairly common words with similar meanings, and asks you to choose which one is best for the sentence. This can be tricky because you have to really think about what the differences are between the different words that you're given, and also understand what the sentence needs in order to most correctly complete it. Let’s look at an example of this type of problem from the ACT: Many people might be surprised to learn that the American way of computing a person’s age differs from the traditional Korean way. In Korean tradition, a person is considered to be already one year old at the time of his or her birth. As a child growing up in two cultures, I found this contest a bit confusing. When I was in the fifth grade, was I ten or eleven years old? A.NO CHANGE B. change C. dispute D. difference This example shows how the ACT uses relatively simple words to try to trick you. You are probably familiar with all of the words in the answer choices, so let’s look at them closely to see which one best fits the sentence. All of the words here imply some sort of contrast or conflict, but in very different ways. Let’s start with the given word, â€Å"contest." A contest implies some form of formal competition between two things. Though the author says that there are differences between American and Korean age counting traditions, he doesn’t imply that they were actually in competition with each other. So (A) is out. Let’s look at (B). â€Å"Change† implies that something was one way, and then became another way. This doesn’t work because these traditions haven’t changed from one to the other - they were just different to begin with. So (B) is out. (C) is quite similar to (A), in that â€Å"dispute," like â€Å"contest," shows a direct conflict between two things. Again, this doesn’t really work because the two traditions aren’t actually competing with each other. That leaves us with (D), which is the only answer that makes sense. As we’ve said, the two traditions aren’t having a fight; they contrast simply because they have different characteristics. That means that (D), â€Å"differences," is the most appropriate answer. How Should You Approach These Questions? The meaning in context questions are definitely the trickiest of the diction questions. To spot them, look for questions that have an underlined word and answer choices that are completely different words, but are loosely related in meaning. First, read through the sentence. Try to place a word of your own in the spot of the underlined word. Now look at the answer choices. Though they will be slightly similar words, they will have different meanings. Which of them can have the meaning most like the word you put into the sentence? Choose that as the answer. Let’s look at this example from the ACT and use the above strategy to answer it. Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is heightened because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party. A. NO CHANGE B. raised C. lifted D. lighted First, let’s read through the sentence and try to see what should go in the blank. â€Å"Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is _______ because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party.† Something along the lines of â€Å"made more important† makes sense here. So which word could mean that? You’ll notice that almost all the words imply going up in one way or another - this is how the ACT is trying to trick you. But in the right context, one of them can also mean showing greater importance. â€Å"Raised† and â€Å"lifted† both refer to physically moving something up (unless they are paired with other words - not the case here). So (B) and (C) are out. â€Å"Lighted† is thrown in here to trick you and is quite different to the others - its means something has been made lighter, as in the opposite of darker. It doesn’t work at all, so (D) is out. Therefore the best word is the one the sentence started out with. If you look up â€Å"heighten†, you will see it can mean to physically raise something up, but it can also mean to make something more intense or significant, which is close to the original idea we came up with, which was making something more important. Looking Back The second question I gave you about smelling coffee in the morning had one of these meaning in context errors. Take a second look at the question. Though the answer choices are all vaguely related – they all imply something that excites or surprises in some way – the correct answer is â€Å"stimulating†. This is the only word that really implies something that helps wake you up, which is what is needed to correctly complete the sentence. Quick Recap To summarize, here are the key strategies you need to use to master diction questions on ACT English: â€Å"Of† used as a helping verb (would of, should of) is always incorrect. Choose an answer that replaces it with â€Å"have." Use â€Å"than† for sentences with comparisons. Use â€Å"then† to show one thing happening after another. When you see a meaning in context question, first read through the sentence and mentally replace the word with one that makes sense in the sentence. Choose the answer that comes closest to the word you used. Now It’s Your Turn! Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. For the past twelve years, Khoubbane has been the unassuming leader of a unique (1) culinary movement in Morocco: creating and distributing a variety of high-quality cheeses throughout the country He slices a small piece off the outer edge of the wheel. A fine dusting of white mold already covers the cheese. The flavor is intense and creamy, with just a hint of the tang that will of developed (2) over the next five months with only Khoubbane's watchful eye and sensible (3) palate to determine when it has finished maturing. It is an unexpected undertaking for the 56 year old. Cheese, as the western world knows it, is unpopular in Morocco. "Moroccans don't eat smelly things," he says with a shrug. "There is less love for cheese here then in (4) France or Italy." This attitude is slowly changing, thanks to Khoubbane. His success, he says, has been due to the fact that he has viewed the process as a labor of love, rather than a business adventure.(5) A. NO CHANGE B. single C. differentiated D. specified A. NO CHANGE B. would of developed C. will develop D. develops A. NO CHANGE B. sensitive C. emotional D. touchy A. NO CHANGE B. then between C. than in D. than between A. NO CHANGE B. venture C. advantage D. process 1. A; 2. C; B.; 4. C; 5. B List of Commonly Confused Words WORD MEANING WORD MEANING accept to receive, take except excluding access entrance; opportunity excess more than needed addition something added edition a certain production of something adopt to legally take on, accept adapt to change to be more suitable advice a recommendation advise to give a recommendation adverse bad; unfavorable averse opposed to affect to influence effect a result afflict to cause suffering inflict to force something harmful aisle space between rows isle island allude to make an indirect reference elude to avoid allusion an indirect reference illusion a false idea or vision already happened before now all ready to be entirely prepared altar table for religious ceremony alter to change altogether completely; entirely all together all things with each other a lot a large number of something allot to give out an amount of something ambivalent to have two different feelings about something ambiguous having more than one possible meaning amoral having no sense or right and wrong immoral having intentionally bad morals anecdote ashort personal story antidote a substance or activity that stops something bad angel a spiritual creature angle space between intersecting lines measured in degrees apart separated, into pieces a part a piece of something appraise to examine and judge apprise to tell someone of something are 3rd person plural of â€Å"to be† our belonging to us accent how someone pronounces words ascent movement up assent agreement/approval assistance help assistants helpers attribute a quality/characteristic contribute to give something auditory related to hearing audible able to be heard aural related to hearing oral spoken, or related to the mouth balmy pleasantly warm barmy crazy or silly bare not covered bear to carry or accept something bated in suspense, excited baited to harass (past tense) bazaar a market bizarre very strange and surprising berth a bed on a boat/train birth time when a baby is born beside next to something besides in addition to something boar a wild pig bore a dull person board a long, flat piece of wood bored feeling uninterested born to have been birthed borne carried bough a large branch of a tree bow bend upper body forward breath air that comes from lunch breathe to take air in and out brake part of a vehicle that stops it break to separate into pieces buy to purchase by shows a person who does something canvas a strong cloth canvass to ask people their opinions censure to criticize formally censor to remove offensive things from public capital city where government is based,ormoney capitol state legislature building choose to decide or pick chose past tense of choose climactic an important or exciting time climatic relating to the weather coarse rough and thick course a series of lessons collaborate to work together corroborate to provide supporting information command to order commend to praise complacent feeling you don’t need to try hard complaisant willingness to please others complement something that goes well with something else compliment saying something to show praise comprehensive thorough comprehensible easy to understand conscience the part of you that makes you feel guilty conscious aware; awake contemptuous showing contempt contemptible extremely bad corps a group of people or military force corpse a dead body council an elected group of people counsel to give advice credible able to be believed credulous gullible dairy milk products diary a book of personal thoughts descent a movement down dissent disagreement desirous wanting something desirable attractive dessert sweet food desert hot, dry area device equipment used for a particular purpose devise to design or invent something discreet secretive discrete separate and different disinterested impartial uninterested not interested do a helping verb dew drops of water due expected or planned dominant most important or wanting control dominate to control or have power over die to stop living dye substance used to change color dyeing to change the color of dying present participle of â€Å"die† elicit to get info or a reaction from someone illicit not legal eminent respected imminent about to happen immanent permanent part of something emit to send out gas/heat/light omit exclude envelop cover something envelope what letters go in everyday commonplace every day each day exhaustive comprehensive exhausting tiring expandable gets bigger expendable non-essential explicit clear, detailed implicit implied or suggested fair reasonable fare cost farther more distant (physical distance) further more flaunt exaggerate flout intentionally break the rules formally properly formerly before foreboding apprehension or anxiety forbidding unfriendly or hostile forth forwards fourth first, second, third†¦.. gorilla large monkey guerrilla unofficial military group hear percieving sound here in this place or moment heard percieved sound (past tense of hear) herd flock/gaggle/group hoard collect/store horde large group hole hollow space in something whole complete human people/person humane kind implicit implied or suggested complicit involved in imply suggest implicate suggest someone is involved in something infer guess something based on the information you have incur cause unpleasant consequences to oneself occur to happen indeterminate uncertain or unclear interminable lasting a long time, in a boring way influence impact affluence wealth ingenious really clever ingenuous innocent and trusting its belongs to it’s it is knew past tense of "know" new not old know to be aware of something no a denial laid past tense of lay lain past tense of lie later occuring further along in time latter near the end of a period lay to put something down lie to recline horizontally lead to take charge led had taken charge lessen to reduce or decrease lesson what a teacher teaches lightning weather lightening becoming lighter or brighter loose not tight lose to not win maybe an adverb that means "perhaps" may be a verb phrase indicating that something could happen but is not certain meat flesh meet assemble mete administer a punishment metal hard, shiny substance medal metal object given as a prize mettle courage, strength, or fortitude miner someone who works in a mine minor not important; underageperson moral right and wrongs morale confidence level in the success of an endeavor passed to go by something; alternatively, to qualify past something that’s happened before now patience to stay calm patients sick people peace tranquility piece a part of peak the top peek a quick look pique annoyance pedal foot operated part of machine petal part of a flower peddle to sell perpetrate do something bad perpetuate to sustain or preserve something personal relating to a person personnel staff persecute oppress or abuse prosecute to take legal action against someone perspective viewpoint prospective potential buyer, or applying to the future plain ordinary, unremarkable plane flying vehicle pore small hole, esp. in the skin pour make liquid flow from a container precede to happen before something else proceed to go forward precedent an example or model president the head of prescribe recommend or authorize medical treatment proscribe to forbid presence being in a place presents gifts principal most important principle fundamental rule quiet no noise quite completely rain precipitation reign to rule rein straps that control a horse raise to lift raze completely destroy rational reasonable rationale the reason reluctant unwilling reticent saying little about what you feel respectfully showing respect respectively in the same order reverend Christian official reverent showing respect right correct rite traditional religious ceremony write produce words road surface built for vehicles rode to have ridden scene location or site seen to have looked sense feeling or awareness of something; one of the 5 senses since between the past and now; because sensible practical or realistic sensitive delicate; responsive sensory connected to the physical senses sight vision site a place cite mention something as proof simulate to mimic stimulate to activate or energize a process stationary unmoving; still stationery office supplies, esp. paper straight not curved strait narrow waterway or channel connecting two bodies of water suppose assume or presume supposed to expected to do something taught educated, instructed taut stretched very tight than used to compare two things then at that time their belongs to them there at that place or location they’re they are through from one end to the other threw to have thrown thorough completely to preposition used to describe a definition or identify the object of something too as well as two comes after one track narrow path tract large area of land visual relating to seeing visible able to seen waist around the middle of your body waste a bad use of something waive give up or cede wave move hand from side to side weak not strong week 7 days weather conditions in the air above the earth (wind, rain etc) whether if, or not wether a castrated ram where to, at, or in what place were past tense of "to be" which determining pronoun witch woman with magical powers whose pronoun identifying what belongs to someone who’s who is your belonging to you you’re you are yore a long time ago What’s Next? Now that you know how to tackle one of the trickier subjects on the ACT English, try another: here is how to take on idioms on the ACT. Not sure what else you’ll be up against? Here is a full breakdown of what you will find on ACT English. Aiming high? Here are some top tips to get a 36 on ACT English. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: