Parallel Structure

Direction: Choose the sentence that has no

error in structure.
A. Eileen bought new shoes for the party, a gold charm for her mother, and to treat
her best friend Maria to lunch.

B. Eileen decided to buy new shoes for the party, purchasing a gold charm for her
mother, and treating her best friend Maria to lunch.

C. Eileen purchased new shoes for the party, a gold charm for her mother, and
lunch for Maria, her best friend.
Direction: Choose the sentence that has no
error in structure.
A. Barking dogs, kittens that were meowing, and squawking parakeets
greet the pet shop visitors.

B. Barking dogs, meowing kittens, and squawking parakeets greet the

pet shop visitors.

C. Dogs that bark, kittens that meow, and parakeets squawking greet
the pet shop visitors.
Direction: Choose the sentence that has no
error in structure.
A. During class, Samuel spent his time talking with Brittney, eating
candy, and doodling on the assignment sheet.

B. During class, Samuel spent his time talking with Brittney, he ate
candy, and doodling on the assignment sheet.

C. During class, Samuel spent his time to talk with Brittney, to eat
candy, and doodling on the assignment sheet.
Definition
• Parallel Structure is the same pattern of words to show that
two or more ideas have the same level of importance.

• It is the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a

sentence.
Importance of Parallelism
• Improve the fluidity of sentences.
• Process meaning more easily.
• Emphasizes the likeness between two or more ideas.
• Create symmetry in writing.
• Add force to writing.
Rule #1
• Parallel Structure must be joined with
conjunctions.
With Coordinating Conjunctions
• When you connect two or more clauses or phrases with a
coordinating conjunction, use parallel structure.

Verbs:
Singing, reading, to hike

Adverbs:
Gracefully, clearly, really loud
They are not parallel!
They have different grammatical structure.
Correct form:
Verbs:
Singing, reading, hiking

Adverbs:
Gracefully, clearly, loudly
Use it in a sentence
• Katy really likes singing, reading, or hiking.

• She sings gracefully, clearly, and loudly.

Using Correlative Conjunctions
When you connect two clauses or phrases with a correlative
conjunction, use parallel structure.
Using Correlative Conjunctions
• When you connect two clauses or phrases with a correlative
conjunction, use parallel structure.
Ex.
• either/or - I want either the cheesecake or the chocolate cake.

• both/and - We'll have both the cheesecake and the chocolate cake.

• whether/or - I didn't know whether you'd want the cheesecake or the

chocolate cake, so I got both.
Ex.
• neither/nor - Oh, you want neither the cheesecake nor the chocolate
cake? No problem.

• not only/but also - I'll eat them both - not only the cheesecake but
also the chocolate cake.

• not/but - I see you're in the mood not for desserts but appetizers. I'll

help you with those, too.
More examples:
• as/as - Bowling isn't as fun as skeet shooting.

• such/that - Such was the nature of their volatile relationship that they

never would have made it even if they'd wanted to.

• scarcely/when - I had scarcely walked in the door when I got an

urgent call and had to run right back out again.
More Examples
• as many/as - There are as many curtains as there are windows.

• no sooner/than - I'd no sooner lie to you than strangle a puppy.

• rather/than - She'd rather play the drums than sing.

Ex.
• Not Parallel: My dog not only likes to play fetch, but also chase cars.

• Parallel: My dog not only likes to play fetch, but he also likes to chase
cars.
OR
• My dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase cars.
Rule # 2 Using infinitives
• With infinitive phrases:

• Parallel:
• Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
Note:
• (Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only
before the first one.)
Direction: Using the different approaches to creating parallel structure
fix the faulty parallelism in the following sentences.
1. At the store my duties are to keep the shelves stocked, I work the registers, and
assisting customers.

2. She is both happy about the raise and she is feeling nervous about the extra
responsibility.

3. Wizards tend to have the same personality traits: craftiness, being resourceful,
they are rebellious, and they have a lot of determination.

4. Hearing her sing in person was ten times better than if you heard her on the radio.

5. The passengers were preparing for departure while the flight attendants are going
to try to get all the drinks served.
Answer:
1. At the store my duties are to keep the shelves stocked, to work I work the registers, and to
assist assisting customers.

2. She is both happy about the raise and she is feeling nervous about the extra responsibility.

3. Wizards tend to have the same personality traits: craftiness, resourcefulness being
resourceful, rebelliousness they are rebellious, and they have a lot of determination.

4. Hearing her sing in person was ten times better than hearing if you heard her on the radio.

5. The passengers were preparing for departure while the flight attendants were trying are
going to try to get all the drinks served.