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Parallel Structure 4: Real Examples

1. She was strong, always caring for others, and only had one love in her life.
2. Without him I would have never had the love for basketball, would probably not have known about the wilder parties, and without him I just might have ended up in a gang.
3. We were hanging out together, going to the mall, and the arcade.
4. His advice, ability to handle problems, and his willingness to help people make me say that I wish he were still around.
5. The girl whom I had so much in common with, who taught me how to enjoy my work, and was there to listen to all my problems was leaving.
6. I’ve learned how a real friend can be, I learned how to control my feelings in a positive way, and to think more about my responsibilities than having fun.
7. She taught me how to be a better person, controlling myself, and understanding my priorities in life.
8. I miss the things we would do, how he would make school more entertaining, and the inspiring conversations.
9. Duke was loyal, gave unconditional love, and provided me with companionship.
10. Don fell in love with her because she was intelligent, a free spirit and when it came to acting, Kathy could more than hold her own.

Identify the part that shifts the structure:

1. She was strong, always caring for others, and only had one love in her life.
2. Without him I would have never had the love for basketball, would probably not have known about the wilder parties, and without him I just might have ended up in a gang.
3. We were hanging out together, going to the mall, and the arcade.
4. His advice, ability to handle problems, and his willingness to help people make me say that I wish he were still around.
5. The girl whom I had so much in common with, who taught me how to enjoy my work, and was there to listen to all my problems was leaving.
6. I’ve learned how a real friend can be, I learned how to control my feelings in a positive way, and to think more about my responsibilities than having fun.
7. She taught me how to be a better person, controlling myself, and understanding my priorities in life.
8. I miss the things we would do, how he would make school more entertaining, and the inspiring conversations.
9. Duke was loyal, gave unconditional love, and provided me with companionship.
10. Don fell in love with her because she was intelligent, a free spirit and when it came to acting, Kathy could more than hold her own.

Answers

1. She was strong, caring, and steadfast.
2. Without him I might have never had the love for basketball, might have been tempted by the wilder parties, and might have ended up in a gang.
3. We were hanging out together, going to the mall and the arcade.
4. I miss his advice, his ability to handle problems, and his willingness to help.
5. The girl whom I had so much in common with, who taught me how to enjoy my work, and who was there to listen to all my problems was leaving.
6. I’ve learned how to be a friend, I learned how to control my feelings, and I learned how to think more about my responsibilities than about having fun.
7. Or
8. I’ve learned how to be a friend, how to control my feelings, and how to think more about my responsibilities than about having fun.
9. She taught me how to be a better person by controlling myself and understanding my priorities.
10. I miss our fun activities, his entertaining antics in school, and our inspiring conversations.
11. Duke was a loyal and loving companion.
12. Don loved Kathy for her intelligent mind, her independent spirit, and her talented acting. Or: Don loved Kathy for her intelligence, her free spirit, and her acting talent.

Last updated 09/18/2006