ACT English: Conventions of Standard English

The eastbound bus idles at the shelter on Pine Avenue. [After the doors open riders] step up with bags and transfers. The driver checks the mirror before pulling away.

The bakery kitchen smells like butter before dawn. [Lena the head baker] starts the rye loaves before the ovens heat. Trays cool on the rack beside the sink.

The bicycle workshop keeps a radio on the bench. [The mechanic tightens the chain and she] oils the brake cables before the test ride. A customer waits beside the front wheel.

Plot 4 is the bed closest to the community garden shed. [The plots hose] lies coiled beside the tomato cages. Volunteers uncoil it before they water the beans.

The clinic keeps a tray by the intake desk. The nurse needs three items before the first [visit; a clipboard,] a pen, and a thermometer. She lines them up before the door opens.

The town board meets in the small room beside the library. [The clerk calls the roll, the chair] opens the folder of bids. Residents fill the chairs along the wall.

The repair shop posts a sign above the counter. [Did the watch stop on Tuesday.] The clerk writes the answer on the ticket. Customers initial the bottom line.

The crosstown bus climbs the hill past the mill. [The box of transfers sit] under the driver's seat. Riders hand them forward at each stop.

Yesterday the diner kitchen prepared soup for the lunch rush. The cook [chops] carrots while the stock simmered. Servers ladled bowls as soon as the pot was ready.

The wood workshop shares a loading dock with the frame studio. Sam waited there while the delivery was left for [Nora and he]. The two of them carried the boards inside before the saws started.

Alex had already filled the watering can in the community garden. Jordan told Alex that [he] should water the peas in the last row. The soil there was dry by noon.

The clinic stores blankets in a low cabinet. [Covered in lint, the nurse shook the top blanket] before the exam. The patient waited on the paper-covered table.

The town board posted the hearing date on the chamber door. [Because residents asked for a later start.] The clerk moved the meeting to seven.

The tailor shop pins hems before lunch. [The bell rings, customers] step inside with garments. The owner marks each cuff with chalk.

The night bus runs once an hour after nine. [The aisle is narrow riders] hold the rail when the bus turns. A posted sign asks them to stay behind the yellow line.

The bakery kitchen leaves the mixer on the steel table. [It's] beaters still have flour on them from the morning batch. Someone will wash the bowl after the loaves go in.

The cabinet workshop hired a sander last month. The worker [who the supervisor trained] now checks the saw guard every morning. Scrap wood goes into the bin by the door.

The garden bed holds a row of [ripe juicy] tomatoes under the net. Volunteers pick them before the afternoon heat. Baskets sit in the shade of the shed.

The clinic hallway stays quiet before the first appointment. Patients [wait, for] the nurse beside the scale. A radio plays softly at the desk.

The town board opened the bid folder at the end of the night. The folder held everything the members still [needed; maps, prices,] and signatures. The clerk locked the folder in the cabinet.

The tailor shop was nearly out of gray thread. [The clerk found a spool, however, she] saved it for the suit due at four. A new order would arrive on Friday.

The bus depot keeps a crate for lost gloves. [Neither of the gloves belong] to the driver who checked the aisle. A rider claimed the striped pair at noon.

By the time the carpenter arrived at the workshop, the apprentice [sharpens] the dull chisel. The shavings were already piled under the bench. They started the cabinet door next.

The garden path is too narrow for a wide load. Nia stood by the shed while the supervisor divided the compost between [Sam and she]. The two of them pushed the smaller barrow in two trips.

The clinic desk holds a clipboard and a chart. Patients often move [it] to the side counter before sitting down. The nurse returns both items before each visit.

[Walking into the chamber, the agenda was already folded on the table.] The clerk had set a copy at every seat. Members of the town board sat down as the clock struck six.

The tailor shop keeps a dish of buttons by the machine. [Several of them matching the gray coat.] A customer chose two and waited at the counter.

The bus driver tapped the sign above the windshield. [The light flashed, then riders] stood up for the next stop. Bags bumped along the aisle.

The baker stood beside the oven in the diner kitchen. She asked [whether the timer had rung?] The loaves were already a deep brown.

Two apprentices share the bench in the frame workshop. [The apprentices tools] hang on hooks above the vise. Each person wipes a tool before leaving.

The garden gate was unlocked at eight. The volunteer [whom arrived first] turned on the spigot. Rows of lettuce needed water before the sun climbed.

The clinic file room is behind the intake desk. The [chart which was missing a signature] sat on top of the pile. A nurse returned it to the doctor before noon.

The town board listed the hearing dates in the notice. Members could attend [Monday June 2, Tuesday June 9 or Friday June 16]. The clerk underlined the chosen date.

The repair shop lined two clocks on the shelf. [The clock's] both needed new springs. The owner ordered the parts before closing.

Riders shook water onto the bus floor. [Despite the wet aisle the driver] still asked them to move back. The heater fogged the front windows.

The diner kitchen stores cartons on the low shelf. [There is four eggs] left in the open carton. The cook will use them in the breakfast batter.

Every afternoon the frame workshop follows the same routine. The carpenter [spread] glue and then clamps the joints. The doors stay closed until the glue dries.

The garden contest ended at dusk. [The beans were weighed, therefore the] ribbon went to the heavier basket. The two growers split the last tomatoes.

The clinic scale sits beside the hallway. [It's] platform sticks when the room is cold. The nurse taps it once before a patient steps on.

The town board argued past the scheduled hour. [The budget passed but the park] lights were cut from the plan. The clerk recorded the tally in the minutes.

The tailor shop owner looked through the drawer for marking chalk. [None on the front tray.] A spare stick was in the tin by the iron. The hem was pinned a few minutes later.

The bus stopped at the library corner. [The rear door stuck passengers] pushed the yellow strip again. The driver walked back and released it.

Most of the bowls from the diner kitchen tasted sweet, but the last ladle was still plain broth. [The cook almost seasoned all] of the soup with sugar from the wrong jar. That last ladle was the only part without sugar.

The workshop shelf bends a little in the middle. [The stack of manuals beside the lathes are] ready for the safety talk. New workers read them before using the saw.

The garden shed holds one box for the spring planting. The crew needs four [tins; basil, dill,] thyme, and parsley. Labels face outward so no one grabs the wrong seed.

Last winter the clinic treated a string of wrist injuries. The doctor [wraps] each cast while the assistant held the gauze. Patients left with written care notes.

The chair read the lighting motion and the sidewalk motion to the town board. [This] passed after a short debate. The clerk circled the lighting item in the minutes.

The hardware shop counter was crowded at noon. [The tape jammed, the clerk] wrote receipts by hand. Customers still got a copy before they left.

One driver keeps the late route on the south side of town. [The drivers log] shows every stop after dusk. A supervisor reads it at the end of the shift on the bus.

Orders pile up on the wheel in the diner kitchen. [When the bell rings twice cooks] start the next ticket. Plates leave the pass in the order they were called.

The workshop chose a safety lead in March. The person [who the crew trusted] posts the checklist by the saw. Everyone initials it before the first cut.

Volunteers meet at the tool shed in the community garden. [Alvarez the plot captain] unlocks the door on Saturdays. He hangs the key on a nail inside.

The clinic opens the side door at seven. [The first nurse sorts charts the second] nurse stocks the exam rooms. They meet at the desk before patients arrive.

The town board waited in the hearing room. [Not enough members for a quorum.] The clerk called one absent member. The vote was delayed until Thursday.

A ladder leaned against the hardware shop wall. [Freshly painted, a clerk moved the ladder] away from the door. The paint had to dry before anyone climbed it.

A folder rides on the bus dashboard. [The pair of schedules stay] inside that folder all evening. Riders ask for a copy at the terminal.

The soup pot in the diner kitchen is heavy when it is full. Two cooks [lift, it] onto the front burner together. They stir with a long wooden spoon.

Today the cabinet workshop is closed to customers. The finisher [applied] varnish while the windows stay open. The smell should fade by morning.

Luis asked a neighbor to photograph [he and Imani] beside the bean trellis in the garden. They taped a copy to the shed door. The print showed both of them clearly.

The clinic keeps a cuff in the middle drawer. [It's] needle sticks on even numbers. The nurse taps the glass before each reading.

The microphone in the town board hearing room cut out once. [The chair repeated the motion residents] in the back could hear it. The clerk noted the pause in the minutes.

The hardware shop opened on [June 2 2019] in a converted barn. Customers still mention that first Saturday. The barn beams remain above the nail aisle.

A rider stood at the fare box on the city bus. [Does this bus reach the mill.] The driver nodded and pointed to a seat. The rider sat down before the light changed.

The diner kitchen serves pie on Saturdays. [Rosa the baker] arrives before the fruit is cut. She rolls the crusts on the marble slab.

This morning a clamp snapped in the frame workshop. The apprentice [fixes] it before the next glue-up started. The joint still dried straight.

The garden crew posted a note on the gate. The note listed the [following; cloths, stakes,] and clips. Someone had already stacked them by the tomato row.

The clinic called Parker and Quinn from the waiting room. [He] had the earlier appointment. The nurse checked the chart labeled Parker before opening the door.

The packet reached the town board after the deadline. [The clerk accepted it, however, the] chair asked for a vote on the exception. The exception failed by one vote.

The hardware shop keeps spare keys on a pegboard. [The brass one for the side door.] A clerk labeled it after the lock was changed. Customers ask for copies in the afternoon.

The express bus was full by the second stop. [The group of riders standing in the aisle were] told to move back. A few people got off at the museum.

Lunch service in the diner kitchen slowed after one o'clock. The cook tasted the [thin salty] soup and reached for the herbs. A handful of parsley went in last.

Each carpenter keeps a visor on a personal hook in the workshop. [The carpenters visor] by the door belongs to the new hire. The strap was replaced last week.

The east bed of the garden gets the morning sun. [The west bed stays shaded it] needs a different watering plan. The crew wrote both plans on the shed wall.

The clinic receptionist repeated the time to the patient. [The patient asked what time the lab closed?] A sign on the door already gave the answer. The receptionist pointed to it.

A resident named Ruth sent a letter to the town board. The clerk read it to [the chair and she] during the break. They agreed to place it on next month's agenda.

[Stuffed with receipts, the clerk dropped the spike behind the hardware shop counter.] Papers slid across the mat. The owner gathered them before the next sale.

The cord runs above the bus windows. [A rider pulled it, the bell] chimed once. The driver slowed for the next corner.

The oven light flickered during the dinner rush in the diner kitchen. [Its] time to replace the bulb before the next roast. The spare bulbs are in the drawer by the mixer.

Beds in the community garden were already watered by sunrise. The volunteer [whom brought the hose] coiled it before leaving. The gate latch clicked shut behind her.

The clinic waiting room filled up before nine. [The number of patients were] higher than it was on Monday. Extra chairs were pulled from the storage closet.

The town board finished the reading of the ordinance. [A line about streetlights amended before the vote.] The chair called for the ayes. The motion carried.

The hardware shop clerk described the special order. The customer had requested three [sizes; quarter-inch, half-inch,] and three-quarter-inch. The bins for those sizes are on the left.

Last week the north bus followed a detour. At the bridge the driver [turns] left instead of crossing. Riders saw the river from the side street.

Sawdust coated the workshop floor. [After the sanding ended the apprentice] swept from the back wall forward. The dustpan filled in one pass.

Jules set the sauce beside the roast in the diner kitchen. Jules told Cameron to baste [it] every ten minutes. The sauce was for the plates, not for basting.

Two neighbors share the shady end of the community garden. [The neighbors plots] both grow mint along the fence. They split the cuttings in July.

The clinic waiting list grew during flu season. [The phone rang staff] wrote names on the next open line. A second nurse came out to help at the desk.

A map hangs in the town board chamber. The [map which shows the creek] was updated after the flood. Pins mark the streets that still need repair.

The hardware shop stocks bulbs above the counter. [Each of the bulbs were] tested before going into the display. Burned-out ones go into a bin.

The evening bus idles under the terminal canopy. [Before leaving the lot the driver] counts the standees. The count is written on the trip sheet.

By noon the dough had doubled in the bowl in the bakery kitchen. The baker [punches] it down and shaped two loaves. Both loaves went into the oven at one o'clock.

The workshop manual is kept by the drill press. The technician [who the owner hired] rewrote the page about bit sizes. New pages are taped over the old ones.

[Using a dull trowel, the weeds came up in clumps from the garden bed.] A sharper blade was in the shed. The crew finished the row before dusk.

Exam room 1 at the clinic is beside the scale. [Exam room 2 is down the hall it] is used for casts. A curtain divides that room in half.

The ordinance passed on the third reading at the town board. [The members votes] were recorded in the minute book. Two members had asked that their names be listed.

The paint shaker rattled the hardware shop counter. [The lid held through the whole shake and the can] did not leak onto the tray. The clerk still wiped the rim before handing it over.

The driver held out a hand at the bus terminal. [A transfer slip for the west route.] The rider took it and boarded. The doors closed at the scheduled minute.

The diner owner judged the new stew in the kitchen. She said it tasted better to [the cook than she]. The cook had added pepper at the end.

A drawer under the workshop bench sticks in humid weather. [The set of chisels inside it were] oiled on Friday. The woodworker checked the edges before the next job.

The hose reel stands beside the garden spigot. The [reel however] still turns when the weather is cold. A drop of oil quiets the squeak for a week.

The nurse held the chart at the clinic exam room door. [Has the patient listed every allergy.] She waited for a nod before giving the dose. The answer was written on the top line.

Copies of the agenda sat on the side table at the town board meeting. [The stack tipped pages] scattered under the chairs. The clerk gathered them before the pledge.

The hardware shop sells sandpaper in three grades. The clerk or the owner [check] the stock each morning. Empty grades are reordered before noon.

Rain hit the windshield before the bus left the lot. The driver [turns] on the wipers and checked the mirror. The route started two minutes late.

A ladle and a spoon lay beside the soup pot in the diner kitchen. The cook grabbed [it] and stirred the pot twice. The spoon stayed on the counter, unused.

One owner locks the workshop at night. [The owners bench] is the one under the north window. Everyone else uses the benches along the east wall.

[Covered in mud, the gate was hard for the gardeners to close.] They scraped their boots on the scraper at the community garden. The latch then shut with one push.