Parallel Structure 2

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Parallel Structure 2

When you put similar ideas in similar forms, readers can process the information more easily. Correct the shifts in structure.

  1. He is strong, skillful, and not afraid of anything.
  2. She wants a man who is handsome, rich, and who has a fun-loving personality.
  3. My kitten is frisky, energetic, and she destroys things.
  4. My duties are to sweep the floor, wipe the counters, and to clean the meat slicer.
  5. My parents are always telling me to do my homework, obey their rules, and then there’s the endless chores I have to do around the house.
  6. I love to swim, lift weights, reading, tennis and golf.
  7. Carrie is looking to marry a man that is kind, but a guy who has a lot of money is the kind of husband Jennifer wants to find.
  8. Smokers are risking health risks, such as heart trouble, emphysema, or you could get cancer of the lungs.
  9. The waiter that we had serving us was ignorant, rude, and he took forever to bring us our orders.
  10. I prefer to find seashells instead of buying them.
  11. To complete the set-up procedures a server must
    • make gallons of tea
    • pots of coffee
    • Cut up lots of lemons for tea.
    • she must put silverware on the tables
    • glasses for water
    • condiments, such as sweeteners, catsup have to be filled.
    • Then there is the specials they must memorize

Identify the shift in structure:

  1. He is strong, skillful, and not afraid of anything.
  2. She wants a man who is handsome, rich, and who has a fun-loving personality.
  3. My kitten is frisky, energetic, and she destroys things.
  4. My duties are to sweep the floor, wipe the counters, and to clean the meat slicer.
  5. My parents are always telling me to do my homework, obey their rules, and then there’s the endless chores I have to do around the house.
  6. I love to swim, lift weights, reading, tennis and golf.
  7. Carrie is looking to marry a man that is kind, but a guy who has a lot of money is the kind of husband Jennifer wants to find.
  8. Smokers are risking health risks, such as heart trouble, emphysema, or you could get cancer of the lungs.
  9. The waiter that we had serving us was ignorant, rude, and he took forever to bring us our orders.
  10. I prefer to find seashells instead of buying them.
  11. To complete the set-up procedures a server must
    • Must make gallons of tea
    • pots of coffee
    • Cut up lots of lemons for tea.
    • she must put silverware on the tables
    • glasses for water
    • condiments, such as sweeteners, catsup have to be filled.
    • Then there is the specials they must memorize

To correct the shift in structure, change the end to match the beginning or change the beginning to match the end.

Answers

  1. He is strong, skillful, and brave. (Or unafraid, fearless)
  2. She wants a man who is handsome, rich, and fun-loving. (Or fun)
  3. My kitten is energetic and destructive. (Frisky means energetic)
  4. My duties are to sweep the floor, wipe the counters, and clean the meat slicer. Or My duties are to sweep the floor, to wipe the counters, and to clean the meat slicer. Or My duties are sweeping the floor, wiping the counters, and cleaning the meat slicer.
  5. My parents are always telling me to do my homework, obey their rules, and finish my chores.
  6. I love swimming, weightlifting, reading, tennis and golf. Or I love to swim, to lift weights, to read, and to play tennis and golf.
  7. Carrie is looking to marry a man who is kind, but Jennifer is looking for a man who is rich. Or: Carrie wants a kind husband while Jennifer wants a rich one.
  8. Smokers are risking heart trouble, emphysema, or lung cancer.
  9. Our waiter was ignorant, rude, and slow.
  10. I prefer finding seashells instead of buying them. Or I prefer to find seashells instead of to buy them.
  11. To complete the set-up procedures a server must
    • make gallons of tea
    • brew pots of coffee
    • cut up lots of lemons for tea
    • put silverware on the tables
    • put out glasses for water
    • fill up condiments, such as sweeteners, catsup, etc.
    • memorize the specials


(All the verbs in blue grammatically follow the helping verb must.)

Last updated 9/18/06