Parallel structure

Parallel structure



Parallel structure is the principle that items in a series appear in parallel grammatical form: a noun is listed with other nouns, an -ing form with other -ing forms, and so on. Parallel structures help produce cohesion and coherence in a text.

Examples

Easy come, easy go.

No pain, no gain.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.

“A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars… and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.” - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Task

0. Form small groups, ~3.  

1. The following text samples are awkward and don't follow the rule of parallel structure, correct them.

a) Igor likes laughing, singing, and to write.

b) Sonia is known for her independence, her honesty, and being intelligent.

c) The AP FRQ section challenges students and frustration is found in them.

d) Sally's grade point average is much higher than her brother.

e) The house sitter lost the keys, neglected the dogs, and she also trashed the kitchen.

2.  Chose the correct response to complete the sentence.

a) When Delores realized that her father had made lima beans and rice for dinner, she __________, claimed to feel nauseous, and excused herself from the table. The bag of stale popcorn in her room would tide her over until breakfast.

X. clutched her stomach
Y. was clutching her stomach
Z. did clutch her stomach

b) When Diane takes her beagle for a walk, Santana enjoys sniffing for edible garbage,__________, and lunging at squirrels.

X. howls at bicyclists
Y. howling at bicyclists
Z. she howls at bicyclists

c) To protect her delicate hands, Fran will not rake the yard, do the dishes, or __________.

X. refuses to scrub the bathtub
Y. won't scrub the bathtub
Z. scrub the bathtub

d) In preparation for her run, Alicia __________, applied sunscreen, and increased the volume on her iPod.

X. tightened her shoelaces
Y. was tightening her shoelaces
Z. did tighten her shoelaces

e) Belinda saw very little of the horror movie, for she shut her eyes __________, when she heard the monster's footsteps in the dead leaves, and when characters started screaming.

X. when the violins began to play
Y. while listening to the violins play
Z. during the violin music

3. Indicate whether the following sentence uses correct parallel structure or is incorrect.

a) The store is good for fruit, meat, and to buy cheese.  correct / incorrect

b) The following activities can be done at the mall: buying groceries, eating lunch and bill payment.  correct / incorrect

c) Either she likes to see him or doesn't like seeing him.  correct / incorrect

d) We spent the hour in the waiting room reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and wiggling on the hard plastic chairs.  correct / incorrect

e) I will not sing a song, nor dance.  correct / incorrect

f) Although everyone knows that teens have too much “freedom,” teens in America are actually subjected to ten times as many restrictions as mainstream adults and to twice as many restrictions as incarcerated felons and active-duty U.S. Marines.  correct / incorrect

4. Read the following blurb, respond by explaining why you agree or disagree.  Use parallel structure at least twice in your response.  Underline your uses of parallel structure. 50-100 words.  Upload the entire task to the phpBB.

"What happy teenagers do differently
- Marilyn Price-Mitchell

Call me an optimist, but I believe happiness can emerge through discomfort and risk. In fact, research suggests risk-taking in the teenage years contributes to self-growth, learning, and long-term happiness.

Truly happy people understand happiness is not just about doing things that you like. It also requires growth and adventuring beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone.

But what about teenagers? Do happy teens approach risk differently than their peers?

It seems like one of the first things we associate with the teen years is risk-taking behavior. And most of the time, those associations are negative. Right? That’s because we are deluged with stories of troubled youth whose risk-taking actions got out of hand —sometimes with tragic results.

But what if there was a flip-side to youth risk-taking — a side that would encourage us to gently push teens out of their comfort zones?   Risk-taking can seed happiness, life purpose, and well-being.  When young people learn to overcome challenges and meet risk head on, they learn to be resilient. They learn that exploration beyond their comfort zones often leads to unexpected rewards and psychological peaks. They develop courage, curiosity, self-confidence, and persistence."