Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 209

LESSON 35
ERRORS WITH PARALLEL STRUCTURES

Written Expression items involving errors with parallel structures are similar to those in the Structure
part of the test (Lesson 24). These sentences most often contain a series of three expressions: X, Y,
and Z. One of these expressions is not grammatically parallel to the other two items in the series.
Structures that are often involved in parallelism are nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositional
phr--ases, gerunds, and infmitives.
Some problems with parallelism are actually word-form problems similar to those in Lesson 32.

T Sample Item

As a young man, George Washington liked boating, to hunt,

---,:- B C
and fishing.
--0-

Option (C) is not parallel with the other items in the series: to hunt is an
infinitive, while the other items are gerunds. You may have considered the
other options that are part of the series, (B) and (D), but if you rewrote only
one of these, the three expressions would still not be parallel.

In general, errors involving parallelism are easy to identify.

Exercise 35.1

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors involving parallelism.

Directions: If the underlined form is parallel to other forms in the sentence, mark the sentence C. If
the underlined form is not parallel, mark the sentence X and write a correction for the underlined
form in the blank at the end of the sentence. The first one is done as an example.
~ 1. Because of their hardness, industrial diamonds can be used for cutting, grind, and
drilling. @rindin@

2. Sacramento is the commercial, industry, and financial center of California's Central

Valley, as well as being the state capital. ______
3. Philosophers are concerned with questions about nature, human behavior, society, and
reality. _ _ _ _ __
4. When taking part in winter sports, one should wear clothing that is lightweight,
warmth, and suitable for the activity. ______
5. Folklore consists of the beliefs, customs, traditions, and telling stories that people pass
from generation to generation. ______
6. Major sources of noise pollution include automobiles and other vehicles, industrial
plants, and heavy construction equipment. ______
7. Steel is alloyed with manganese to increase its strength, hardness, and resistance to
wear. _ _ _ _ __
8. Scholar John Fiske wrote on history, religious, and social issues. ____- -
210 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

9. Electricity is used to light, hot, and cool buildings. _ _ _ _ __

10. T. S. Eliott was equally distinguished as a poet, he wrote criticism, and a dramatist.

11. Jute is a glossy fiber that is strong, does not easily stretch, and inexpensive.

12. Wetlands were once considered useless areas, but they have been found to purify water,
nurture wildlife, and flood control. _ _ _ _ __

Exercise 35.2

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors with parallel structures. (Note: One or two items in this
exercise do not focus on errors involving parallel structures. These are marked in the answer key
with an asterisk.)
Directions: Decide which of the four underlined words or phrases-(A), (B), (C), or (D)-would
not be considered correct, and write the letter of that expression in the blank. Then, in the line at
the end of the sentence, write a correction for the underlined phrase. The first one is done as an
example.

~ 1. Computers are often used to control, adjustment, and correct complex industrial
A B C 0

operations. _----"a:ucy.y.iu;I!f2:2.Jt"----_

2. The bellflower ~ a wildflower that grows in shady fields, in marshes, and mountain
A B C 0
slopes. _ _ _ _ __

3. Eggs may be boiled in the shell, scrambled, fried, and cooked in countless another
A B C D
ways. _ _ _ _ __

4. Many places of history, scientific, cultural, or scenic importance have been designated
A B --c-
national monuments. _ _ _ _ __
o

5. R. Buckminster Fuller was a design, an architect, an inventor, and an engineer.

A B C 0

6. Modern motorcycles are lighter, faster, and specialized than motorcycles of 25 years
A --B- C 0

ago. _ _ _ _ __

7. Many people who live near the ocean depend on it as a source of food, recreation, and
A B C
to have economic opportunities. _ _ _ _ __
o
 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 211

8. Large commercial fIshing vessels are equipped to clean, packaging, and freeze the fish
A B C
that they catch at sea. _ _ _ _ __
D

9. As a breed, golden retrievers are intelligent, loyally, and friendly dogs. _ _ _ _ __

A B C D

10. Mathematics can be considered a language, an art, a science, a tool, or playing a game.
ABC [)

11. Paper may contain vegetable, minerals, or man-made fIbers. _____

A B C [)

12. According to Susan Sontag, our concepts of art, beauty, and nature has been changed
A B --C-O
by photography.

___ 13. The economist Kenneth Boulding proposed a single social science that would unify
A B
economic, sociology, and political science. _ _ _ _ __
C D

14. The teeth front are llsed to bite food, the canines to tear it, and the molars to grind it.
ABC [)

___ 15. An ant's antennae provide it with a sense of hear, smell, touch, and taste.
A B -c: D