UNIT 1: SOCIAL ISSUES

In this session, you’ll learn:

 Adjectives related to social issues
 Homonyms
 Parallel structures

ADJECTIVES RELATED TO SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Replace the underlined word(s) with the most appropriate word from the box.

barred / abolished / restricted / illegal / permitted /

compulsory / required / voluntary

restricted
compulsory
barred

abolished

binding
required
permitted
voluntary
illegal

HOMONYMS
2. Homonyms are words with multiple meanings. How many meanings do you know
from the homonyms below?

 Bark: of a dog, "l'escorça" of a tree

 Nail: a small metal spike / the upper surface of the tip of the finger
 Jam: the food / to put something big in a reduced space
 Novel: the literary genre / interestingly new or unusual.
 Squash: reject something / juice / sport
 Harbor: a sheltered port / provide shelter / keep a feeling in one's mind
 Racket: tennis racket / loud noise
 Rock: type of music / nature / to move forward and backwards

3. Complete the following pair of sentences with the correct homonym.

1. She likes to eat a _______ after dinner.

The car is in ______ condition.

A. good B. mint C. excellent D. candy

UNIT 1: SOCIAL ISSUES
2. My belt _______ is made of metal.

His knees ______ when he is scared.

A. hinge B. shake C. buckle D. pants

3. My sister has her own _______ for softball.

A ______ lives in the roof of the garage.

A. ball B. bird C. glove D. bat

4. What is your _______?

The president is going to ______ the country tonight.

A. speak B. address C. memory D. name

5. The family enjoys eating dinner on the ______.

We need a ______ of cards to play this game.

A. stack B. patio C. deck D. box

6. Can you _______this long jog?

The door ______ is not working.

A. deal B. run C. handle D. knob

7. There is fresh lemonade in the _______.

The ______ threw the ball for a strike.

A. player B. glass C. pitcher D. refrigerator

8. A bee stung me on the _______.

The soldiers have to ______ themselves before going into battle.

A. arm B. wrist C. toe D. ankle

9. The bear hibernates in the _______ during winter.

We saw the building ______ in after the explosion.

A. forest B. blow C. fall D. cave

10. We watched Carl ______ on the ice.

The family is going on a ______ this summer.

UNIT 1: SOCIAL ISSUES
A. vacation B. fall C. trip D. stumble

PARALLEL STRUCTURES

A list of items must maintain a parallel structure. To do this, use consistent

grammatical units. If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be
nouns; if the first item is a verb, then make the other items verbs as well.

 Non-parallel structure:
In the waiting room, we spent an hour reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and we wiggled on the hard
plastic chairs.

 Reading old magazines and eating stale cookies are participle phrases; we
wiggled on hard plastic chairs, however, is a main clause.

 Parallel structure:
In the waiting room, we spent an hour reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and wiggling on the hard plastic
chairs.

OR
In the waiting room, we read old magazines, ate stale cookies from the vending machine, and wiggled on the hard plastic chairs.

Recognize these special cases: not only ... but also, either ... or, and neither ... nor. All
require special attention when you are proofreading for parallelism. These
correlative conjunctions require equal grammatical units after both parts of the
conjunction.

4. Complete the sentences with a possible parallel structure.

hope
1. With no job, money or ____________, the student had to drop out of school.

2. Because I used a computer to write my research paper, I could easily correct spelling
errors, move paragraphs and ____________.
insert pictures

3. While I was in college, I worked as a waitress, as a typist, and ____________.

a tutor

turned on the computer

4. The professor walked through the door, looked at the students, and ____________.

5. I was surprised to learn that, in person, the lead singer of 2PM was warm, friendly and
funny
____________.

5. Edit these sentences to make a parallel structure.

1. Mike likes to listen to rock music and reading mystery novels.

UNIT 1: SOCIAL ISSUES
Mike likes to listen to rock music and TO READ mystery novels.
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. Julia is in charge of stocking the shelves, writing orders, and to sell computers.
Julia is in charge of stocking the shelves, writing orders, and SELLING computers.
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. My grandfather’s favourite pastime is to eat in trendy restaurants and visiting art

galleries.
My grandfather’s favourite pastime is EATING in trendy restaurants and visiting art galleries.
_____________________________________________________________________________

4. While in France, my nephew spent his time studying French, working in a restaurant,
and he jogged along the Seine River every morning.
While in France, my nephew spent his time studying French, working in a restaurant,
and JOGGING along the Seine River every morning.
_____________________________________________________________________________

5. Joan decided to paint her office, to add some new curtains, and that the rug needs dry
cleaning.
Joan decided to paint his office, to add some new curtains, and TO DRY CLEAN THE RUG.
_____________________________________________________________________________

6. Rewrite the sentences and fix the non-parallel elements. Join sentences, if
necessary.

1. He was handsome, brave, and the sort of person who would do anything for you.
He was handsome, brave, and GENEROUS.
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. I was afraid of the river. It had a fast current, big waves and it was cold.
I was afraid of the river. It had a fast current, big waves and COLD WATER.
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. That high school has many rules. Students need to wear uniforms, arrive before 8 am
and they cannot bring their phone to school.
That high school has many rules. Students need to wear uniforms, arrive before 8 am and
LEAVE THEIR SMART PHONES AT HOME.
_____________________________________________________________________________

4. The room was beautiful, the service was impeccable, and I've never tasted better food in
my entire life.
The room was beautiful, the service was impeccable, and THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS.
_____________________________________________________________________________

5. Being a nurse is a good career because of the high salary, holidays and schedules.
Being a nurse is a good career because of the high salary, LONG holidays and FLEXIBLE schedules.
_____________________________________________________________________________

6. It is dangerous to be living in this world today because of war, unemployment and not
enough money.
It is dangerous to be living in this world today because of war, unemployment and POVERTY.
_____________________________________________________________________________
UNIT 1: SOCIAL ISSUES
7. Cooking and eating at home is a good idea for students because it saves time, money and
it is easy to do.
Cooking and eating at home is a good idea for students because it saves time, money and ENERGY.
_____________________________________________________________________________