Parallelism

1. Parallelism Means balance in a sentence

2. Similar Points should get a similar structure

3. When you connect ideas by coordination, you must use parallel, or matching forms. This means that you must join nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, prepositional phrases with prepositional phrases, and so on.

4. Yeilen is beautiful, young, and a talented violinist.Yeilen isbeautiful, young, and talented.Yeilen isa beautiful young woman and a talented violinist.

5. Noun phraseThe students like Mrs. Borgers’ class because of her friendly manner, she explains clearly, and her funny jokes.

6. Noun phraseThe students like Mrs. Borgers’ class because of her friendly manner, her clear explanations and her funny jokes

7. The students like Mrs. Borgers’ class because of her friendly manner, clear explanations, and funny jokes.

8. Prepositional phraseMy brother earned his living by building and he sold houses to the government.

9. My brother earned his living by building and by selling houses to the government.

10. InfinitivesThe students like to listen and to speak but not writing in English.

11. The students like to listen and to speak but not to write in English.

12. GerundsThe students like listening and speaking but not to write in English.

13. The students like listening and speaking but not writing in English.

14. Are these correct?VerbsWill you fly, travel by train, or renting a car?AdjectivesMy grandfather was uneducated, yet a wise person.

15. Use parallel forms after both parts of the paired conjunctionsboth… andeither …orneither… nornot only … but alsowhether … orrather … thannot … butmore … than

16. Correlative conjunctions add clarity and coherence to writing by signaling the relationship between the two ideas in the sentence.

17. When reading the first one of the pair, the reader immediately knows the second one is to follow and what the relationship between the two ideas is.

18. My grandmother can speak bothFrenchandVietnamese fluently.

19. Please correct the following:1. College students use computers not only for schoolwork but they also play games on them.

20. 2. That professor is not a good lecturer. He is not a fair grader.3.The first type of student is quiet. The second type of student is quiet.4.Botany and zoology are normally considered biological sciences. They are generally requirements for a B.S. degree.

21. 3. He failed physics either because of too many missed labs or because he never opened the textbook.

22. He failed physics either because he missed too many labs or because he never opened the textbook.

23. 4. E-mail allows you to communicate both quickly and without paying a lot of money.

24. 5. When I first arrived at college, I was so homesick that I could neither sleep nor I didn’t eat.

25. 6. I couldn’t decide whether to stay at school or maybe I should return home.

26. When you make comparisons, make sure that the items you are comparing are parallel in form, that they are the same kind of word or phrase.

27. GerundsTaking a class on a pass/fail basis is sometimes better than to get a grade of C

28. PossessivesMy friend’s TOEFL score was higher than the score I got.

29. Noun PhrasesThe grammar section of the TOEFL isn’t as easy for me as listening and reading.

30. I would rather go to the movies than study.

31. The end!