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Mastering Parallel Structure in Writing

1. Parallel structure involves expressing related ideas in similar grammatical forms to keep writing clear and orderly. It is like railroad tracks that run parallel. 2. Examples show how revising sentences to use parallel structure makes ideas clearer, as when fixing "listening to music, and TV watching TV" to express the pastimes in the same grammatical form. 3. A quote from JFK's inaugural address is given that uses parallel grammatical forms joined by "and" to add a sense of order to the passage. The document concludes with an exercise asking the reader to revise sentences to create parallel structures.

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77 views6 pages

Mastering Parallel Structure in Writing

1. Parallel structure involves expressing related ideas in similar grammatical forms to keep writing clear and orderly. It is like railroad tracks that run parallel. 2. Examples show how revising sentences to use parallel structure makes ideas clearer, as when fixing "listening to music, and TV watching TV" to express the pastimes in the same grammatical form. 3. A quote from JFK's inaugural address is given that uses parallel grammatical forms joined by "and" to add a sense of order to the passage. The document concludes with an exercise asking the reader to revise sentences to create parallel structures.

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Parallel Structure

Parallel Structure
Review A
Parallel structure
Expressing related ideas in similar forms keeps
writing on track.

Like railroad tracks, these similar


forms are said to be parallel.

Parallel structure is the


arrangement of similar parts of a
sentence, or group of sentences, in
similar grammatical forms.
Parallel Structure
What would you think if your friend said this to
you?

My favorite pastimes are playing soccer, listening to


music, and TV.
watching TV.

Would you wonder if he really liked


listening to TV?
Look how we make the sentence
clearer by expressing the pastimes in
the same way.
Parallel Structure
Let’s look at some key sentences from President John F. Kennedy’s
1961 Inaugural Address. Here President Kennedy explains both the
promise and the threat of modern technology.

For man holds in his mortal hands the power


to abolish all forms of human poverty and
all forms of human life.

Note the parallel grammatical forms joined by and:


adjective + noun + prepositional phrase

The repetition of key words adds to the sense of order in the passage.
Parallel Structure
On Your Own

Revise each sentence to create parallel structures. You may need to add or delete
some words.

1. The play ended tragically but predictable.


2. We could see every star and the planets clearly.
3. Wisdom and being cautious are what we need most.
4. Carrie is a true friend, a teacher who is patient, and an artist with talent.
5. The forest has suffered unintentional harm, but it will now benefit from our kindness
that we intend to give.
The End

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