Parallelism

a.b.c.d.

camping

boat rides

skiing

cycling

1.

knowledge

a.b.

c.d.

educatedpower

creativity

2.

renewed in the spring

a.b.c.d.

carefree in the summerin the fall, I’m activedepressed in the winter

3.

They raise corn and wheat.a.b.c. They are digging for gold.

They make their own wine.

4.

One Minute to Memorize the Sentence

My father is tall, kind and intelligent.

My father is tall, does kind things and his intelligence is high.

My father is tall, does kind things and his intelligence is high.

My father is tall, kind and intelligent.

Look at the following sentences. Can you identify the mistakes?

He welcomes us happily and joyful.

We wanted to cook and to go swimming.

What is parallelism in grammar?

(Not parallel)He welcomes us happily and joyful. (Parallel)He welcomes us happily and joyfully.

What is parallelism in grammar?

(Not parallel)We wanted to cook and to go swimming. (Parallel)We wanted to cook and to swim.

What is parallelism in grammar?

(Not parallel)He is talented, intelligent and has charm. (Parallel)He is talented, intelligent and charming.

1. Don would always open the mail, throw away the junk mail, and _____.

to organize the bills organizing the bills organize the bills organization of the bills

a.b.c.d.

2. Rebecca was not only my boss but also ______.

is my friend says she is my friend friendly my friend

a.b.c.d.

3. When I was in high school, I learned how to play the piano and _______.

playing guitarguitar

be a guitaristplayed guitar

a.b.c.

d.

4. His friend Markey is tall, intelligent and _______.

he looks good being good looking handsome look at handsome

a.b.c.d.

5. Kimberly won’t date Tom because he is too short, too noisy, and _______.

because he picks his teeth with his fingers too impolite is the most impolite man

she has ever met

picking his teeth with his fingers

a.

b.c.

d.

1. Choose the sentence that has parallel structure.

He came, he saw, and he received. He came, he wanted to see, but he didn’t. He came; he started to ask; he didn’t want to. He saw, didn’t come or receive.

a.

b.

c.

d.

2. Choose the sentence that has parallel structure.

The children laughed, jumped, and danced.

The children were laughing, jumped, and some were dancing.

The children were laughing and jumping; some danced.

The children laughed, dancing, and jumping.

a.

b.

c.

d.

3. Choose the sentence that has parallel structure.

You are not only a student but also very athletic. You are not only a student but also being very athletic. You are not only a student but also an athlete. You are not only a student but also have athletic ability.

a.

b.

c.

d.

David has three wishes: going to the Super Bowl, to graduate from college, and a good job.

A Problem Sentence

David has three wishes: going to the Super Bowl, to graduate from college, and a good job.

Revision #1

David has three wishes: going to the Super Bowl, graduating from college, and getting a good job.

David has three wishes: going to the Super Bowl, to graduate from college, and a good job.

Revision #3

David has three wishes: a trip to the Super Bowl, a graduation from college, and a good job.

David has three wishes: going to the Super Bowl, to graduate from college, and a good job.

Revision #2

David has three wishes: to go to the Super Bowl, to graduate from college, and to get a good job.

QuizQuizRewrite the following sentences to obtain effective parallelism.

1. In counseling, I think both talking and to listen are important.

2. We are not for war but peace.3. He walked slowly and confident to the witness stand.4. Shane ate the pizza, wipes his lips, and burped with contentment.

5. Barking dogs, kittens that were meowing, and tweeting birds greet the pet shop visitors.6. I like writing, reading, and to study grammar.7. Working in a library appealed to her more than to work in a laboratory.

8. Slowly, with ease, and soundlessly, the dancers moved offstage.9. The crowd began to wave handkerchiefs and shouting “Mabuhay!”.10. He is talented, intelligent and has charm.

AnswersAnswers1.In counseling, I think both talking and listening are important.2. We are not for war but for peace.3. He walked slowly and confidently to the witness stand.

4. Shane ate the pizza, wiped his lips, and burped with contentment.5. Barking dogs, meowing kittens, and tweeting birds greet the pet shop visitors.6. I like writing, reading, and studying grammar.

6. I like to write, to read, and to study grammar.7. Working in a library appealed to her more than working in a laboratory.8. Slowly, easily, and soundlessly, the dancers moved offstage.

9. The crowd began to wave handkerchiefs and to shout “Mabuhay!”.9. The crowd began waving handkerchiefs and shouting “Mabuhay!”.10. He is talented, intelligent and charming.

She is

They need to

Items in a series must have parallel structure.

, , and .

, , and .

She is

They need to

Don’t create problems by mixing grammatical elements.

, , and .

, , and .