PARALLEL STRUCTURE WORKSHEET

When you list items, use only gerund phrases or infinitive phrases. Remaining consistent
ensures that you achieve parallel construction, which is another way of saying that you
represent your words and phrases in the same grammatical form.
Here is an inconsistent list:
1. Maintenance of client list.
2. Expense accounts calculated.
3. Travel arrangements.
In the above list, notice how each item is listed in a different form. To make the list
consistent, use either gerund or infinitive phrases.
Using Gerund Phrases:
1. Maintaining client lists.
2. Calculating expense accounts.
3. Making travel arrangements.

Using Infinitive Phrases:

1. (To) Maintain client lists.
2. (To) Calculate expense accounts.
3. (To) Make travel arrangements.

As shown in the examples above, make the following lists parallel using either gerund or
infinitive phrases.
List 1:
1. Ordered office supplies
2. Appointment scheduling
3. Certificate renewal
List 2:
1. Coordination of schedules
2. Supplies distributed
3. Phone follow-up with clients

There are five parallelism mistakes in each of the following passages. Identify the faulty sentences and
rewrite them correctly.

Passage A
For the 10 percent of the American population that is left-handed, life is not easy. Using a pair
of scissors or to write in a spiral notebook can be very difficult. The scissors and the notebook are two
items designed for right-handers. Also, have you ever seen a southpaw take notes or writing an
exam at one of those right-handed half-desks? The poor lefty has to twist like a yoga devotee or in
the style of a circus acrobat in order to reach the paper. But a recent study proves that being lefthanded can be psychologically damaging as well as tax a person physically. A survey of 2,300 people
showed that 20 percent more left-handers than right-handers smoked. Could lefties smoke to relieve
the tension or forgetting the problems of living in a right-handed world?

Passage B
Some people today are survivalists. These people, because they fear some great disaster in
the near future (like economic collapse or nuclear war), are preparing for a catastrophe. Hoarding
food, stockpiling weapons, and the achievement of self-sufficiency are some of the activities of
survivalists. In Arkansas, for example, one group has built a mountain fortress to defend its supplies
and staying safe. Arkansas, the group feels, is the best place to be for several reasons: it is an unlikely
target for nuclear attack; it offers plentiful supplies of food and water; a good climate. Some
Americans feel that the attitude of survivalists is selfish and greed. These people say that such a
philosophy turns society into a dog-eat-dog race for life. Other people believe that after a nuclear
war, the world, with radiation and where there would be disease, wouldnt be worth living in.
1. We were dirty, hungry, and without a penny.
2. My roommate liked to repair things around the house and his own cooking.

3. During the day, we went on long hikes, rowed around the lake, or just leisure time.
4. She returned to pay the rent and because she had left some of her things.
5. Two things that I found hard to learn as a freshman were to get enough sleep and trimming
expenses.
6. He asked me about my courses and where I was planning to be next year.
7. The doctor said that I should rest and not to get excited or upset.
8. Hitlers followers considered other nations to be racially inferior and were fit only for slave
labor.
9. The best way to combat juvenile delinquency is not to set up more social agencies but by
restoring old-fashioned discipline in the home.
10. The book told how to build a gun cabinet, how to build a bookcase, and all types of furniture
that you can make.
11. When I was a member of the basketball team, everyone met me with a happy smile, made
lively conversation, and I was invited to many parties.
12. Fires, caused by unheeding persons, have destroyed valuable forests and thereby decreasing
our lumber resources.
13. In basketball, there is never a dull moment, any team can win, and a fine display of teamwork.
14. My parents liked peace and quiet and to relax in the evening at home.
15. Esther is a helpful person and who makes friends easily.
16. Yosemite is a park with spectacular scenery and which has half-tame bears.
17. My friends were always going off to jog in the park or a game of tennis.
18. The manager asked me to file an application and would I leave my number.
19. We went to rallies to protest against pesticides, oppose nuclear power, or other current causes.
20. My roommate was a smart dresser, a good student, and really knew how to talk.