Worksheet on parallel structure grammar practice with examples and exercises.

Explanation:
We are working on parallel structure, which means listing items in the same grammatical form (e.g., all verbs ending in -ing, all nouns, all infinitives, etc.).

Let’s go step by step.

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Part 1: Finish each list using parallel structure

Example: *to talk, to run, and to sing* → all are infinitives (to + verb). So we need to add another infinitive.

1. *to listen, to speak, and ________*
→ We need another infinitive. Good choices: *to read*, *to write*, *to dance*. Let’s pick to read.

2. *sleeping, rocking, and ________*
→ These are -ing verbs (present participles/gerunds). So add another -ing word: *singing*, *dancing*, *laughing*. Let’s use singing.

3. *teachers, parents, and ________*
→ These are nouns (plural). Add another plural noun: *students*, *friends*, *neighbors*. Let’s use students.

4. *dog, cat, and ________*
→ These are singular nouns (animals). Add another animal: *bird*, *rabbit*, *hamster*. Let’s use bird.

✔ All items now match in form.

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Part 2: Rewrite each sentence to show parallel structure

The key is to make all the listed actions or descriptions follow the same pattern.

1. *Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and went out to play football.*
→ Verbs: *watched*, *ate*, *went* — all past tense → already parallel ✔
But wait — the example shows changing *Benny sings, dances, and likes to act* into *Benny sings, dances, and acts* (so all base verbs, no “to” in last item). Here, all are past tense verbs — fine as is. However, sometimes teachers prefer consistency in *form*, and since “watched”, “ate”, and “went” are all simple past, it’s correct. But let’s double-check: yes — this sentence is already parallel. Still, maybe they want all verbs in the same *type* (e.g., all -ed or all base), but here it's fine. However, many worksheets expect you to rewrite even if it looks okay — but actually, this one is parallel. Let’s confirm others.

2. *Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran down the street to catch the bus.*
→ *woke*, *got*, *ran* — all past tense → parallel ✔
But “ran down the street to catch the bus” adds extra info — still, the main verbs are parallel. However, to be strictly parallel in *verb phrase* form, we might simplify to just the core verbs. But standard practice accepts this as parallel. Still, the instruction says “rewrite each sentence to show parallel structure”, implying the original may not be fully parallel. Let’s look again:

Original: *woke up*, *got dressed*, *ran down the street to catch the bus*
→ First two are phrasal verbs (verb + particle), third is longer. To make truly parallel, we could shorten to just core actions:
*Amanda woke up, got dressed, and caught the bus.*
But “caught the bus” changes meaning slightly. Better: *Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch the bus.* — still not perfectly parallel.

Actually, the issue is that “ran down the street to catch the bus” is not a simple verb phrase like the others. The clean fix is to make all three items simple past verb phrases without extra clauses:

✔ *Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to the bus.*

But let’s see standard answers for such worksheets. Typically, they want the *verbs* to be same form — and here they are. Hmm.

Wait — look at #3:

3. *The old house’s windows were full of cracks, dirty, and broken.*
→ *full of cracks* (phrase), *dirty* (adjective), *broken* (adjective) — not parallel because first is a phrase, others are single words. To fix: make all adjectives or all phrases.

Better: *The old house’s windows were cracked, dirty, and broken.*
(All past-participle adjectives)

Yes! That’s the issue — #3 is NOT parallel as written.

Similarly:

4. *The bicycle has large wheels, a seat that is big, and tall handlebars.*
→ *large wheels* (adj + noun), *a seat that is big* (noun clause), *tall handlebars* (adj + noun) — not parallel. Fix: make all adj + noun:
*The bicycle has large wheels, a big seat, and tall handlebars.*

5. *Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and are careful in smoothing it out.*
→ *stir*, *pour*, *are careful* — first two are base verbs (imperative), third is “are careful” (not base verb). Fix: *Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out carefully.*
Or better: *...stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out.*

6. *The peacock’s feathers were bright, shiny, and longer than most bird feathers.*
→ *bright*, *shiny* (short adjectives), *longer* (comparative adjective) — not parallel. Fix: make all comparative or all base. Since “longer” is comparative, change others:
*The peacock’s feathers were brighter, shinier, and longer than most bird feathers.*
✔ Now all are comparative adjectives.

So let’s finalize each rewrite properly:

1. Already parallel — but to be safe, we can leave as is, or some teachers prefer all verbs to be *-ed* form — they are. So:
Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
(Changed “went out to play football” → “played football” to keep verb simple past and match length.)

2. *Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch the bus.*
But still not perfect. Better: Amanda woke up, got dressed, and caught the bus.
(Simpler and parallel: all past tense verbs)

3. The old house’s windows were cracked, dirty, and broken.

4. The bicycle has large wheels, a big seat, and tall handlebars.

5. Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out.

6. The peacock’s feathers were brighter, shinier, and longer than most bird feathers.

Now, for the first part (fill-in-the-blank), we choose standard answers commonly used in such worksheets:

1. to listen, to speak, and to read
2. sleeping, rocking, and singing
3. teachers, parents, and students
4. dog, cat, and bird

Final answers below.

Final Answer:
1. to read
2. singing
3. students
4. bird
1. Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
2. Amanda woke up, got dressed, and caught the bus.
3. The old house’s windows were cracked, dirty, and broken.
4. The bicycle has large wheels, a big seat, and tall handlebars.
5. Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out.
6. The peacock’s feathers were brighter, shinier, and longer than most bird feathers.