Parallelism

Parallelism to Clarify Meaning: NP: Janet researches cell membranes and walls. P: Janet researches cell membranes and cell walls.

INTRODUCTORY WORD AND KEY WORDS The following chart identifies the most commonly tested parallel structures:
Parts of Parallel Constructions speech/structur es Nouns Adjectives Trevor collects stamps, coins and cards. The wait staff was prompt, friendly, and competent.

Modified Nouns A positive attitude can lead to both practical success and spiritual fulfillment. Verbs Verb Infinitives Participial Phrases Adverbs Adverbial Phrases We worked all day, ate all evening, and slept all night. I decided to swim across the river rather than sail around the world. (The second to is optional. The rain continued to fall, providing water for the thirsty plants but flooding the streets as well. Ive noticed that you often howl angrily after you cower fearfully. Ive noticed that you often howl in anger after you cower in fear.

Anchors in Parallel construction:

A. (i)Not Parallel: I prefer to hire employees WHO work hard to those THAT dont. (ii) Not Parallel: Ralph likes a variety of people, including THOSE WHO are popular and WHO are not. B. Not Parallel: During his trip to Europe, the president will discuss ways to stimulate trade, offer economic aid and trying to forge a new coalition with moderate forces in China. C. Not Parallel: Your battle field debriefing should include enemy troop strength and why you believe the objective is necessary. D. (i)Not Parallel: The topology course was both rigorous and a challenge. (ii) Not Parallel: The interim Prime Minister is strong, compassionate and wants to defeat the insurgency with a minimum of civilian casualties.

E. (i)Not Parallel: Agreeing to modest cuts in health benefits is a tacit admission by the union leadership both of its decreased influence and the increased influence of workers. (ii)Not Parallel: In criticizing the team, the coach was not only referring to the poor shooting but also to the numerous turnovers. (iii)Not Parallel: Nineteenth-century nihilists were concerned with neither the origins of philosophical thought nor how societal laws developed. F. Not Parallel: To acknowledge that one is an alcoholic is taking the first step and hardest step to recovery. G. (i)Not parallel: The flower bouquet WAS the husband's giving of love to his wife. (ii)Not parallel: The attitudes of that politician always SEEM TO BE attacking the poor. H. (i)Not Parallel: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game. (ii)Not Parallel: The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers. (Passive)

MOST IMPORTANT:
VIII. Superficial parallelism vs. Actual parallelism To preserve parallel structure, it is important to pay attention to which grammatical structures- verb phrases, prepositional phrases, adverbial phrases, etc. are logically parallel before assuming that they must be structurally parallel. OK: Ken travelled around the world, visiting historic sites, eating native foods, and learning about new culture.

Do not become a victim of superficial parallelism by assuming that ALL Verbs in a sentence must be parallel. Only the structures that are logically parallel must be parallel. Problem Set: Parallelism SAT Questions on Parallelism:
Sentence Correction:
1. The Start- up company found it much easier to underbid on a job than completing the job on time, a b that caused financial problems when their clients withheld payment. No Error c d e

2. During the election campaign, the major political parties agreed that minorities must be given opportunity to advance, to seek justice, and to the kinds of special treatment that might a b c compensate in part of for historical inequities. No Error d e

Sentence Improvement:
1. The meaning of his words was even more elusive in his own country than either Europe or Latin America. 2. Animal behaviourists are researching how bats respond to abnormalities in their environments, detect light and sound, and communicate with each other. 3. Oscar Wilde was almost as brilliant a novelist as he was at writing plays. 4. A spokesman for the car company boasted that the new model was light weight, effective, and virtually indistinguishable from the expensive model commonly used in movies. (Correct) 5. For many an inspirational writer, being free to create is more important than having a lot of money. 6. Women are not rejecting the idea of raising children, but many taking jobs as well. 7. Changing over from a military to a peace time economy means producing tractors rather than tanks, radios rather than rifles, and to produce running shoes rather than combat boots. 8. Common Knowledge tells us that sensible exercise and eating properly will result in better health. 9. This Century began with war brewing in Europe, the industrial revolution well established,

and a nascent communication age.

10. It is often better to try repairing an old car than to junk it. 11. Jurassic Park, written by Michael Crichton, and which was first printed in 1988, is a novel

about a theme park of the future in which dinosaurs roam free.

12. Artists during World War I created performances and paintings that reflected the chaos of

war, the anxiety of the people, and they showed the irrational behaviour that was escalating in the cities of Europe.
13. The Protest movements impact will depend on both how many people it touches and its

durability.
14. Jasons article was pulled from the weekly paper because it claimed not only that he was

not being compensated fairly but the papers editors were holding a grudge against him.
15. The main points Senator Gutierrez made during his speech to the conventioneers was that

he had supported measures to improve health care for the working class and would introduce a bill to fund a new bus route.

Exercise I: Correct the following sentences: (Level: Easy)

1. Mr. Thomas likes cooking, jogging, and to read.

2. The employees were upset by their low pay, poor working conditions, and that they did not have many outlets for their creativity. 3. Affy ran across the yard, jumped over the fence, and down the alley he sprinted. 4. The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner. 5. The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low. 6. Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method, while now the laboratory method is employed. 7. The French, the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese 8. In spring, summer, or in winter 9. It was both a long ceremony and very tedious.

10. Either you must grant his request or incur his ill will. 11.My objections are, first, the injustice of the measure; second, that it is unconstitutional. 12. The Writing Center needs tutors who are ambitious, motivate themselves, and exhibit dedication. 13. Not parallel: My income is smaller than my wife. Exercise II: In each of the following 15 sentences, underline each individual sentence part. Then, rewrite each sentence ensuring structural and logical parallelism among the sentence parts.(Level: Hard) 1. The connection between regular exercise and performing well in school continues to elude us. 2. Although we were sitting in the bleachers, the baseball game was as exciting to us as the people sitting behind home plate. 3. Many teachers have chosen to seek employment in the suburbs rather than facing low salaries in the city. 4. If he is not given ample recovery time after the operation, he is liable to be disoriented and may not perform routine tasks well. 5. Many agree that how you dress for a job interview and even the way you position yourself in your seat leave a lasting impression on your interviewer. 6. A good nights sleep not only gives your body a chance to rest, but energizing you for the following day. 7. The joint business venture will increase employee satisfaction and starts improving the relations between upper management and staff. 8. The works displayed in the photography exhibits were contributed by numerous artists, both those who already had mass appeal and who never had much exposure. 9. We were dismayed to learn that most of our neighbors were unfriendly, disagreeable, and were uninteresting to make new friends. 10. The students didnt do well on the test more because they didnt study not understanding the material.

11. The snow covered the train tracks by more than a foot, prompted the transit authority to shut down service temporarily, and causing discontent among commuters who were left stranded for hours. 12. The experience we have when children still influence our behavior in adulthood. 13.The band chosen for the annual spring concert appealed to the student body and administration as well. (BOTH -------- AND) 14.The new toy was the young mothers trying to appease her sobbing children. (ATTEMPT) 15. We decided to walk to the cinema rather than taking the bus.