Parallel Structure

1. Parallel Structure Recognize It When You See It!

2. Parallel Structure • Whenever you include a list of actions or items in a sentence, you must use equal grammatical units. • If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns. • If the first action is a simple past tense verb, then make the other items simple past tense verbs as well.

3. Parallel Structure • Nonparallel structure looks like this: • Students , , and . • Students capped their pens, were closing their notebooks, and zipped their backpacks to let Sean know class had ended.

4. Parallel Structure • Cappedand zipped are both simple past tense verbs, but were closing is past progressive. The verbs are not parallel. • The correct way to write, looks like this: • Students , , and .

5. Parallel Structure • Students , , and . • Students capped their pens, closed their notebooks, and zipped their backpacks to let Sean know class had ended.

6. Let’s Try Some! • Determine whether the following sentences contain errors in parallel structure. • Don’t shout out your answer! Give everyone a chance to read the sentence. • Raise your hand before responding!

7. Pancakes dripping with syrup, coffee steaming in big mugs, and bacon frying on the stove make breakfast at Grandma’s house a real treat. • Parallel!

8. Jennifer scowled at the teacher, was muttering under her breath, and sighed heavily, but in truth she loved taking algebra exams. • Not parallel!

9. At the family reunion, we ate Grandma’s barbecued ribs, Aunt Sally’s potato salad, and heaping plates of jiggling banana Jell-O prepared by Cousin Sue. • Not parallel! . . ., and heaping plates of Cousin Sue’s banana Jell-O.

10. When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. • Here, barbecued ribs and potato salad are both modified by possessive nouns, Grandma's and Aunt Sally's. • But heaping plates of jiggling banana Jell-O prepared by Cousin Sue ruins the parallelism.

11. Vacuuming under the furniture, dusting the ceiling fans, and scrubbing the tile grout with a toothbrush, Jerry prepared the house for his ultra-picky mother-in-law. • Parallel!

12. During the exam, Mary pulled the ends of her hair, chewed the top of her pencil, and all the while she was picking at a scab on her elbow, but she could not remember the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. • Not Parallel!

13. Elsa has packed an orange soda not only for herself but also Eduardo.

14. When you use not only ... but also, you must have two equal grammatical items. • After not only, notice that you have a prepositional phrase, for herself. After but also, you have a noun, Eduardo. • The structure is not parallel.

15. To correct the sentence, write: • not only for herself, but also for Eduardo • or • for not only herself, but also Eduardo.