Parallel Structure | Education World - Free Printable
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Step-by-step solution for: Parallel Structure | Education World
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Parallel Structure | Education World
Practice Section: Fill in the blanks
To finish these lists with parallel structure, we need to match the grammatical form of the words already there.
1. to listen, to speak, and...
The first two items start with "to" (infinitives). The missing word should also be an infinitive.
*Answer:* to sing
2. sleeping, rocking, and...
The first two words end in "-ing" (gerunds). The missing word should also end in "-ing".
*Answer:* crying (or any other -ing word like *laughing*, *jumping*)
3. teachers, parents, and...
The first two words are plural nouns for people. The missing word should be a similar plural noun.
*Answer:* students (or *friends*, *children*)
4. dog, cat, and...
The first two words are singular nouns for animals. The missing word should be another singular animal noun.
*Answer:* bird (or *fish*, *hamster*)
***
Rewrite Section: Fix the sentences
We need to make sure every item in the list follows the same pattern.
1. Original: Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and went out to play football.
*Analysis:* "Watched," "ate," and "went" are all past tense verbs. This sentence is actually already parallel!
*Answer:* Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football. (Or keep original as it is correct). Let's simplify the last part to match the single-word verb pattern better if needed, but the original is grammatically parallel. A cleaner version might be: Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
2. Original: Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran down the street to catch the bus.
*Analysis:* "Woke," "got," and "ran" are all past tense verbs. This is also parallel.
*Answer:* Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch the bus. (The original is correct).
3. Original: The old house’s windows were full of cracks, dirty, and broken.
*Analysis:* "Full of cracks" is a phrase, while "dirty" and "broken" are adjectives. We need to make them all adjectives.
*Fix:* Change "full of cracks" to an adjective like "cracked."
*Answer:* The old house’s windows were cracked, dirty, and broken.
4. Original: The bicycle has large wheels, a seat that is big, and tall handlebars.
*Analysis:* "Large wheels" (adjective + noun), "a seat that is big" (noun + clause), "tall handlebars" (adjective + noun). The middle one breaks the pattern.
*Fix:* Change "a seat that is big" to "a big seat."
*Answer:* The bicycle has large wheels, a big seat, and tall handlebars.
5. Original: Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and are careful in smoothing it out.
*Analysis:* "Stir" (verb), "pour" (verb), "are careful" (verb + adjective). The last one doesn't match the action verbs.
*Fix:* Change "are careful in smoothing it out" to an action verb like "smooth."
*Answer:* Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out.
6. Original: The peacock’s feathers were bright, shiny, and longer than most bird feathers.
*Analysis:* "Bright" (adjective), "shiny" (adjective), "longer than most bird feathers" (comparative phrase). The last one is too long and different.
*Fix:* Change the last part to a simple adjective like "long."
*Answer:* The peacock’s feathers were bright, shiny, and long.
Final Answer:
Practice:
1. to sing
2. crying
3. students
4. bird
Rewrite:
1. Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
2. Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch 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 bright, shiny, and long.
To finish these lists with parallel structure, we need to match the grammatical form of the words already there.
1. to listen, to speak, and...
The first two items start with "to" (infinitives). The missing word should also be an infinitive.
*Answer:* to sing
2. sleeping, rocking, and...
The first two words end in "-ing" (gerunds). The missing word should also end in "-ing".
*Answer:* crying (or any other -ing word like *laughing*, *jumping*)
3. teachers, parents, and...
The first two words are plural nouns for people. The missing word should be a similar plural noun.
*Answer:* students (or *friends*, *children*)
4. dog, cat, and...
The first two words are singular nouns for animals. The missing word should be another singular animal noun.
*Answer:* bird (or *fish*, *hamster*)
***
Rewrite Section: Fix the sentences
We need to make sure every item in the list follows the same pattern.
1. Original: Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and went out to play football.
*Analysis:* "Watched," "ate," and "went" are all past tense verbs. This sentence is actually already parallel!
*Answer:* Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football. (Or keep original as it is correct). Let's simplify the last part to match the single-word verb pattern better if needed, but the original is grammatically parallel. A cleaner version might be: Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
2. Original: Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran down the street to catch the bus.
*Analysis:* "Woke," "got," and "ran" are all past tense verbs. This is also parallel.
*Answer:* Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch the bus. (The original is correct).
3. Original: The old house’s windows were full of cracks, dirty, and broken.
*Analysis:* "Full of cracks" is a phrase, while "dirty" and "broken" are adjectives. We need to make them all adjectives.
*Fix:* Change "full of cracks" to an adjective like "cracked."
*Answer:* The old house’s windows were cracked, dirty, and broken.
4. Original: The bicycle has large wheels, a seat that is big, and tall handlebars.
*Analysis:* "Large wheels" (adjective + noun), "a seat that is big" (noun + clause), "tall handlebars" (adjective + noun). The middle one breaks the pattern.
*Fix:* Change "a seat that is big" to "a big seat."
*Answer:* The bicycle has large wheels, a big seat, and tall handlebars.
5. Original: Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and are careful in smoothing it out.
*Analysis:* "Stir" (verb), "pour" (verb), "are careful" (verb + adjective). The last one doesn't match the action verbs.
*Fix:* Change "are careful in smoothing it out" to an action verb like "smooth."
*Answer:* Make sure you stir the mixture, pour it into the pan, and smooth it out.
6. Original: The peacock’s feathers were bright, shiny, and longer than most bird feathers.
*Analysis:* "Bright" (adjective), "shiny" (adjective), "longer than most bird feathers" (comparative phrase). The last one is too long and different.
*Fix:* Change the last part to a simple adjective like "long."
*Answer:* The peacock’s feathers were bright, shiny, and long.
Final Answer:
Practice:
1. to sing
2. crying
3. students
4. bird
Rewrite:
1. Greg and Joe watched television, ate pizza, and played football.
2. Amanda woke up, got dressed, and ran to catch 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 bright, shiny, and long.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of using parallel structure worksheet.
