SHOWING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS

PARALLEL STRUCTURES

Get to know parallel structure
1. These apples are fresh and ______.
2. These apples and _____ are fresh.
3. I washed and _____ the apples
4. We ate the fruit happily and _____
5. I enjoy biting into a fresh apple and _____ the juice sweetness.
6. Those imported apples are delicious but ______.
7. Apples, _____, and bananas are kinds of fruit rich in vitamins.
8. Those apples are red, ripe, and ____.
9. The professor says that the lesson tomorrow is important and ____
all students must come.
10. I am interested ____ in languages but also in discussion.
11. My family doesn’t care what I am but _____ a person I am.
12. It’s not important how much we can learn but ______ we can
put it into use.
13. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything but can
____ the best of everything they have.
14. He is ____ proud of himself and fond of what he is doing.


Say whether the structure is ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ and correct it.
1. I admire him for his intelligence, cheerful disposition, and because he
is honest.
2. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and worked in politics.
3. When Anne moved, she had to rent an apartment, make new friends,
and a job.
4. Barb studies each problem carefully and works out toward a solution.
5. Aluminum is plentiful and doesn’t cost much money.
6. Many visitors to Los Angeles enjoy visiting Disneyland and to tour
movie studios.
7. Children are usually interested in but a little frightened by snakes.
8. Either fainting can result from a lack of oxygen or losing blood.
Fainting can result from either lacking oxygen or losing blood
Fainting can result from either a lack of oxygen or loss of blood
9. So far this term, the students in the writing class have learned how to
write thesis statement, organize their material, and summary of their
conclusions.
10. The boat sailed across the lake smoothly and in quietness.
11. When I looked more closely, I saw that it was not coffee but that
chocolate on my necktie.
12. Not only universities support medical research but also many
government agencies.
Not only universities but also many government agencies/ support medical
research
13. Physics explains why water freezes and the production of heat
by the sun.
Physics explains why water freezes and how the sun produces heat.
14. All plants need light, a suitable climate, and an ample supply of
water and minerals from the soil.
15. With their keen sight, fine hearing, and refined sense of smell,
wolves hunt day or night in quest of elk, deer, moose, or caribou.

Parallel conjunctions
1. Many people don’t drink coffee. Many people don’t drink alcohol.
(neither…nor)
2. Barbara is fluent in Chinese. She is fluent in Japanese, too. (not
only…but also)
3. I’m sorry to say that Paul has no patience. He has no sensitivity to
others. (neither…nor...)
4. She can sing. She can dance. (both…and)
5. If you want to change your class schedule, you should talk to your
teacher, or you should talk to your academic counselor. (either…or…)
6. Diana is intelligent. She is very creative. (both…and…)
7. My sister is fond of doing art works. She is fond of playing violin. (not
only…but also..)
8. You may begin working tomorrow or you may begin next week.
(either…or)
9. The professor emphasizes that the major orientation is very
important. She insists that every student should not be excused from
that. (and)
10. Michael didn’t tell his mother about the trouble he had gotten
into. He didn’t tell his father about the trouble he had gotten into.
(neither…nor…)
11. Success in karate requires balance and skill. Success in karate
requires concentration and mental alertness.
(not only….but also…)

Critical thinking – complete the sentences.
1. Dennis has proven himself to be a sincere, hardworking, and
_____supervisor.
2. The professor walked through the door and ________.
3. I was listening to the professor and ______ when I heard a loud noise
at the door.
4. I’m planning to stay here during the summer but ________.
5. When you visit other countries, it is important to be able to speak at
least a few words of the language, ________the local customs, and
_________.
 6. I usually get up at five every morning, ______, and ________
7. Our whole family enjoys camping. We especially enjoy fishing in
mountain streams and ________.
8. My parents want me to either call or _____ every week, but I’m so
busy and _______ at the end of each day that all I want to do is go to
bed and ________.
9. ‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s finest and _______ plays.
10. On my vacation I lost a suitcase, broke my glasses, and
_______.
11. Walking for 30 minutes or ______ for 15 minutes will burn an
approximately equal number of calories.
12. Slowly and ______, the firefighter ascended the charred
staircase.
13. The comedian made people laugh by telling jokes and
________.
14. Tina is always understanding, patient, and ______when helping
her friends with their problem.
15. When tourists visit a new city, they often have trouble deciding
where______, and _________.
16. If you want to make spaghetti sauce, you will need several
ingredients. First, you will need some ground beef. Probably about
one pound of ground beef will be sufficient. You should also have an
onion. If the onions are small, you should use two. Also, find a green
pepper and put it in the sauce. Of course, you will also need some
tomato sauce or tomatoes.

More challenging
A. affordable health care
B. by leaders who are committed to public service and hard work
C. efficiently
D. excellence in
E. in agriculture
F. integrity
G. provide quality education
H. to reduce health care costs
I. responsible
J. seeking practical solutions
K. tolerant of those who are weak
L. who finds a way to get the important jobs done

1. Mr. Turner has had wide experience. He has worked in business, in
the news media, and ________.
2. Judge Holmes served the people of this country with impartiality,
ability, and ______.
3. The people want safe homes, good schools, and ________.
 4. As a taxpayer, I want my money used wisely and _______.
5. Mr. Adams is respected for researching issues and ________.
6. Ms. Hunter has established a record of effective and _____leadership
in government.
7. The challenges that face us today will not be met by politicians who
focus on partisan bickering and political expediency but _____.
8. Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,
understanding of those who are wrong, and ______. Sometime in life,
you will have been all of these.
9. Carol is a hard-working personnel manager who welcomes
challenges and _______.
10. I will continue to fight for adequate funding of and
_____education.
11. She has worked hard to control excess government spending,
protect our environment, and _________.
12. I see the need to eliminate unfair taxes, to improve the
business climate, and _____.

Make the sentences effectively parallel.

a. Labels should include the information that allows shoppers to
compare the ingredients and weighing of the food they are buying.
b. The questionnaire indicated that many students wanted to study in
the library rather than home
c. From this experience, I learned not only to read the instructions more
carefully, but also pay attention to safety features.
d. My mathematics teacher required us to work on a set of problems
individually, compare our answers with a classmate, and then
working together on those answers that did not agree.
e. Bryce Canyon is 56 square miles of towering pinnacles, and with
eroded forms that are grotesque.
f. Today sheepdogs are seen both in their traditional role as working
animals and they are pets.
g. Julius Caesar did not conquer Britain but instead stayed a few weeks,
took some hostages, and he returned to Gaul.