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(When You List Actions, You Must Use Parallel Structure. Here, Freshened and Took Are Both

This document discusses the importance of parallel structure when listing items in a sentence. It provides 10 examples of sentences and identifies whether each one maintains parallel structure or not. For the sentences that are incorrect, it explains why and provides suggestions on how to fix the issue. The key aspects covered are maintaining the same grammatical form when listing verbs, gerunds, prepositional phrases, and other parts of a sentence.

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207 views2 pages

(When You List Actions, You Must Use Parallel Structure. Here, Freshened and Took Are Both

This document discusses the importance of parallel structure when listing items in a sentence. It provides 10 examples of sentences and identifies whether each one maintains parallel structure or not. For the sentences that are incorrect, it explains why and provides suggestions on how to fix the issue. The key aspects covered are maintaining the same grammatical form when listing verbs, gerunds, prepositional phrases, and other parts of a sentence.

Uploaded by

riski ananda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name : Rizky Ipan Padillah

No.BP: 2011512012

Parallel Structure
Identify the part of each sentence. Then decide whether the sentence CORRECT or
INCORRECT.

1. Monica brewed espresso, steamed milk, and told jokes as she prepared Mike's latte. (correct)
When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, brewed, steamed, and told are all
simple past tense verbs, so the list is parallel.

2. Natasha tried holding her breath, chewing a piece of gum, and poking her bell. (correct)
When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, holding, chewing,
and poking all begin gerund phrases, so the list is parallel. Good job!

3. In the restroom, Tishena was brushing her hair, freshened her lip-gloss, and took deep breaths,
trying to work up the courage to walk to her first speech class. (incorrect)
(When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, freshened and took are both
simple past tense verbs, but was brushing is past progressive, wrecking the parallelism.
To fix the sentence, change was brushing to brushed.)

4. Celine looked behind the toilet, in the laundry basket, and checked under the bed, but she
could not find Squeeze, her nine-foot albino python. (incorrect) (When you list grammatical
items, you must use parallel structure. Here, behind the toilet and in the laundry basket are
both prepositional phrases, but checked under the bed begins with a simple past tense verb,
wrecking the parallelism.
To fix the sentence, change checked under the bed to under the bed.)

5. Not only did Dennis apply an extra layer of deodorant to his armpits, but he also polished each
tooth with special care. He did not want to offend Malinda with any unpleasant odors. (correct)
When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel structure. Since Dennis did
apply ..., a main clause, follows not only, a main clause must also follow but also. He
polished ... qualifies, so the sentence is parallel.

6. For his first date with Malinda, Dennis bought not only a dozen roses but he also purchased a
box of chocolates. (incorrect)( When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel
structure. A dozen roses follows not only, so a box of chocolates is all that should come
after but also.
He purchased a box of chocolates is a main clause and thus wrecks the parallelism).

7. Not only did Malinda squeal at the sight of the beautiful bouquet, but she also was tearing
open the box and eating chocolates all the way to the restaurant. (incorrect)
When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel structure. Malinda did
squeal ..., a main clause, follows not only. She was tearing ..., another main clause, comes
after but also.
Notice, however, that the second main clause has was tearing and [was] eating as its verbs. This
past progressive tense does not match the tense of the first main clause, thus wrecking the
parallelism.
To fix the sentence, change was tearing and eating to tore and ate.

8. Dennis tried to be thoughtful and generous, yet Malinda refused to give him not only a kiss
good night but also a single chocolate from the nut and caramel sampler. (correct)
When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel structure. A kiss good night,
a noun phrase, follows not only, so a single chocolate, another noun phrase, is all that must
come after but also.

9. Chelsea had to paddle past a school of jellyfish, kick a small sand shark in the nose, and
untangle seaweed from her surfboard before she reached her favorite point break. (correct)
When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, to paddle, kick,
and untangle are all infinitives, so the list is parallel.
When you list two or more infinitives, you can drop the to after the first one.

10. Spiders that bite, hissing snakes, and squealing rodents fill the aquariums in Desmond's
basement. (incorrect)
When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, hissing
snakes and squealing rodents are two nouns modified with participles, but spiders that bite is a
noun modified with a relative clause, which wrecks the parallelism. Nice choice!
To fix the sentence, change spiders that bite to biting spiders.

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