Faulty parallelism happens in writing when the structure or form in a pair or in a series gets confused. It is a truism that to give is more rewarding than getting. Correct the faulty parallelism in the following sentences to make them clear, concise, and easy to read. In fact, parallelism helps create memorable phrases and in some cases novelty bumper stickers. Your writing will be clearer if the ideas within each sentence are written in a similar way. Parallelism problem parallelism, or parallel construction, means the use of the same pattern of words for two or more ideas that have the same level of importance. Grammatical parallelism sounds complicated, but its easier to understand than it might seem. Faulty parallelism exercises with answers owlcation.
Usually, though, you can avoid faulty parallelism with a little effort and a willingness to read your sentneces out loud to yourself. Choose the option that maintains parallel structure in the sentence. Wen gets her daily exercise by walking her dog, going for a bike ride, and cleaning. Parallelism unit 73200 information about parallel structure can be found in 3200frames 15881647.
Correlative conjunctions should be followed by grammatical structures of the same kind. Acces pdf parallelism exercises with answers middle school parallelism exercises with answers middle school parallelism exercises with answers middle c. Because faulty parallelism is the lack of parallel structure, it creates sentences without balance. A police officer must uphold the law by patrolling the streets, controlling traffic, catch criminals, and arresting lawbreakers. This sentence contains a list objective, to think, testing, and judging. Eric foreman decorates the christmas tree, picks up his grandma from the nursing home, and friends are invited over for dinner. Many people exercise because they want to look healthy, to increase stamina, and because they hope to live longer. Writing clear sentences worksheet 1 parallel structure.
Two or more ideas that are logically related should be expressed in grammatically similar constructions. By expressing both of them with ing words, the sentence emphasizes this parallelism. If youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website. Faulty parallelism occurs when elements of a sentence are not balanced, causing the sentence to sound clunky and awkward. In the spring, summer, or in the winter, we will go to germany. In the spring, in the summer, or in the winter, we will go to germany. Multiple choice this activity contains 12 questions. To repair the faulty pronoun reference this rephrase the sentence to eliminate the pronoun. This assessment was made to test your understanding of what faulty parallelism is and what you can do to avoid it in your writing. Parallel structure is a stylistic choice to make verbs in a sentence maintain a pattern. For example, jane likes to eat well, exercises vigorously, and sleep soundly. Examples of aerobic exercises are distance running, swimming, cycling, and walking.
Identify the word or group of words that the conjunction and, or, etc. Dont forget that leaving feedback earns you points toward free tpt purchases. Parallelism refers to using similar words, clauses, phrases, sentence structure, or other grammatical elements to emphasize similar ideas in a sentence. Answers will vary, of course, but youll find sample responses listed below. Parallel structure is important especially in items in a series, paired items, and items. Faulty parallelism occurs when writers do not use a parallel structure to communicate a series of ideas. Without good pitching, the marlins can be expected to lose more than. The examples below show how to repair faulty parallelism.
For example, all verbs should be in the same tense and form. It makes the sentence concise, clear, and easy to read. Mike likes to listen to rock music and reading mystery novels. Parallelism, is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure, like things in a list. My firstyear philosophy professor was informative a, lively b, and a source of inspiration c.
The previous sentence is an example of correct parallelism, but more on that below. As always, feedback, suggestions and comments always welcomed. Parallelism, including correlative conjunctions and. By contrast, proper parallelism is the placement of equal ideas in words, phrases, or clauses of similar types, notes prentice hall, an education materials and textbook publisher. Look out for faulty parallelism whenever you use one of the following constructions. The crowd that had gathered outside the court was loud and angry. Video explains parallel structure in writing and where to look to avoid faulty parallelism. Ppt faulty parallelism powerpoint presentation free to. Check your answers with the interactive version of the exercise. Use parallel structure with elements in lists or in a series. Faulty parallelism is a construction in which two or more parts of a sentence are equivalent in meaning but not grammatically similar in form. And knowing how parallelism works can help you avoid errors in your writing. Parallel structure in a sentence should be used when you connect clauses with a coordinating conjunction such as. To achieve the aim why most students confront faulty parallelism, a test is the tool used for.
Faulty parallelism is one of the major grammatical sins in the english language. Words, phrases, and clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet need to have parallel grammatical construction. Samantha likes running and jumping around in her backyard. If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. Faulty parallelism can wreck the syntax and the sense of your sentences. Readers expect parallel word structures especially when there is some underlying parallelism of meaning.
Practice in correcting errors in parallel structure thoughtco. Wen gets her daily exercise by walking her dog, going for. Computers cannot assess whether ideas are parallel in meaning, so they will not catch faulty parallelism. The front page explains parallelism and explains how to correct errors in parallelism. Lets take a look at an example of parallelism done incorrectly, then break down what needs to happen for it to be fixed. My grandfathers favorite pastime is to eat in trendy restaurants and visiting art.
While the concept may sound tricky, its actually quite easy to execute and makes your writing easy to read when done correctly. Parallelism practice rewrite these incorrect sentences in parallel form. Using parallel words or phrases, complete each of the following sentences. When it comes to forming a sentence there are some things that one should put in mind to get the desired response. Rewrite the following sentences so that each has a list using the same verb or noun form. The clauses or phrases joined by the conjunctions should have similar grammatical structures to ensure that your reader can follow the logic of your sentence and to avoid awkwardness. Faulty parallelism many sentences contain parallel thoughts, for example, lee had a great time scubadiving and waterskiing on her vacation. Examine each of the words, phrases, or clauses to see if they are parallel by labeling each word with adjective, noun, verb, phrase, etc. Parallelism is the expression of two or more equivalent sentence elements in the same grammatical form. Sometimes a paragraph may include a list that is either clunky to read or just doesnt make sense. A good parallel structure can add a certain elan to a sentence that has equivalent or evenlybalanced parts. Parallelism practice rewrite these incorrect sentences in.
The use of parallel structure is essential for good writing, helping to add clarity and strength to your writing. There were three red cars, two blue trucks, and four bicycles that were green. It can also happen with lists if the format becomes mixed up. This example shows parallel structure but the passage could use attention for a few other reasons, such as the split infinitive and lack of genderneutral language. When a sentence or passage lacks parallel construction, it is likely to seem disorganized. Check the rules for parallel structure and check your sentences as you write and when you proofread your. For additional practice, try an editing exercise on faulty parallelism. In this post, then, well look at the basics of creating a parallel sentence and how to avoid faulty parallelism.
Julia is in charge of stocking the shelves, writing orders, and to sell computers. Writers use parallelism to help readers see connections between ideas and to emphasize particular points. In the grand scheme of things everyones emotions get in the way of objective, to think, testing, and judging. Parallelism niu effective writing practices tutorial. In the spring, summer, or winter, we will go to germany. To avoid faulty parallelism, the sentence above should be corrected to. Samantha likes to run, jumping around in the backyard and played with her friend jorge yesterday correct. For a more detailed explanation and exercises, download the free worksheets. Notes and exercises on the subject of parallelism and faulty parallelism in writing. In addition, similar constructions should follow each of a pair.
How does this sentences display faulty parallelism. Faulty parallelism grammarly academic guides at walden. Examples of weightbearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, and. Parallelism may be created by connecting two clauses or making a list using coordinating conjunctions. Often they are used incorrectly and create faulty or vague pronoun reference problems.