Parallelism test

Part 1: Re-write the following sentences using parallel structure so that the ideas are expressed in similar
form.
1. Summers in Jackson are usually very hot and high humdity.

2. John is so talented -- a math instructor, writes poetry, and he plays a violin in the
symphony.

3. Salty, who moves constantly but overweight, is a great dog.

4. In that particular job, one must tutor math, create learning packets, and he is
responsible for scheduling student help.

5. Did you notice that ice had formed on the trees? It was on the porch and the
sidewalk as well.

6. Pam is a loving mother, an affectionate wife, and has a real dedication towards
teaching.

7. I would rather work in the yard than cooking.

8. He is man of great talent and who is most intelligent.

9. Every morning of our vacation, it either rained or there was snow.

10. The content of his papers was not only phrased well, but also they had great
punctuation.

11. At one point in his life Dr. Dean tried teaching but later in his life turning to the
practice of medicine.

Parallelism test

12. The cars which are produced today may be expensive to purchase, but the cost
to operate them is cheap.

13. The poor students neither understood the professors instructions, nor what his
purpose.

14. He finally made the decision to go to college and what he would major in.

15. The entire class made the decision that his expectations were legitimate, that
his lectures were interesting, and he had a very fair grading system.

16. The college can increase its revenue by either reducing the number of assistants
or to reduce supply orders.

17. The material was written by a student, but an instructor delivered the speech.

18. Would you prefer to be remembered as exciting and enthusiastic or one who is
usually filled with dullness?

19. David is regarded as reckless, handsome, and not to be trusted.

20. Now you should recognize parallel structure and writing well-constructed
sentences.

Part 2 : Choose the option that makes the sentence parallel

21. When Delores realized her father cooked lima beans for dinner, she ____ and claimed to be
sick.
A. was clutching her stomach
B. clutched her stomach

Parallelism test

C. did clutch her stomach

22. Hank disliked the way June chewed with her mouth open and _____. (think tense)
A. left her clothes laying around
B. was leaving her clothes laying around
C. leaves her clothes laying around
23. To protect her delicate hands, Fran will not rake the yard, do the dishes, or _____.
A. refuses to scrub the bathtub
B. scrub the bathtub
C. won't scrub the bathtub
24. On trips to the park, Diane's dog enjoys sniffing for edible garbage, ____, and running
around.
A. howls at bicyclists
B. howling at bicyclists
C. she howls at bicyclists
25. After Amanda cashes her paycheck, the money goes to her savings account, coffee fund, and
___.
A. paying her credit card bills
B. toward her credit card balance
C. credit card balance
26. In preparation for her run, Mary ____, applied sunscreen, and increased the volume on her
iPod.
A. tightened her shoelaces
B. was tightening her shoelaces
C. did tighten her shoelaces
27. We searched the car trunk, ____, and the cabinets, but we could not find the candy.
A. looked on the pantry shelves
B. on the pantry shelves
C. the pantry shelves
28. Our dog chews on furniture, ____, and snots up the car windows when he goes for a ride.
A. would drag us around during walks
B. he drags us around during walks
C. drags us around during walks
29. During the horror movie, Belinda shut her eyes _____ and when she heard the monsters
footsteps.
A. when she heard the scary violin music began to play
B. during the scary violin music
C. while listening to the scary violin music
30. When sick, Ruben hoped to be excused from class, get an extension on his essay, and ____.
A. spend the afternoon playing video games with friends
B. to spend the afternoon playing video games with friends
C. then to spend the afternoon playing video games with friends
31. Carlos not only missed his one-year anniversary with Adrianna, ___.
A. but he also forgets his mother's birthday
B. but also forgot his mother's birthday
C. but also forgetting his mother's birthday

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32. Teresa began cleaning the shelves, scrubbing the bathroom tile, and _____.
A. she removed dog hair from the sofa cushions
B. removing dog hair from the sofa cushions
C. removed dog hair from the sofa cushions
33. The dog avoided taking a bath. He growled, snarled, and ____ in order to escape.
A. was leaping toward the back door.
B. he was leaping toward the back door
C. leaped toward the back door
34. Neither ____ nor the ineffective air conditioner will reduce the enjoyment of her first home.
A. the inconsiderate neighbors playing loud music
B. when the inconsiderate neighbors play loud music
C. playing loud music by the inconsiderate neighbors
35. Bathing our dog requires four arms to hold him in the tub, towels to mop up the water, and
___.
A. raincoats to keep us dry
B. raincoats which will keep us dry
C. raincoats keep us dry