Academic Year : 2013-2014 Department :English Language and Literature

Filire :English Studies Semester : 2, MODULE 6 Course : Writing 2 Facult des Lettres

EFFECTIVE WRITING

IV. ON SENTENCE Parallelism

Parallel Struactures

Information may be presented in any of several

ways,

One way to present information is through a list

or series;

The list or series is labeled a parallel structure

when it contains two or more words / phrases with

the same grammatical function;

Your parallel structures should always satisfy four

general conditions at least.

Pr Afkinich 2 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

Condition 1: All the words in the parallel structure must have

the same grammatical function

Noun The children played on the swings, slides, and seasaw.

gerunds Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are important skills to

learn

infinitives After accident, she had to learn how to speak, to write, and to walk again..

verbs We will speak, listen, read and write in the Spoken English class.

adjectives Ahmed is interesting, intelligent, and entertaining.

adverbs This grammatical point should be understood quickly, easily, and well.

subjects Students trying to pick some acorns from the acorn tree, faculty parking their cars, and builders unloading building material from trucks are common sights at the faculty of letters this

autumn.

clauses After The designing of a university course is a compromise of what should be taught, what can be taught given time constraints, and what the faculty would like to teach.,

she had to learn how to speak, to write, and to walk again..

phrases For all her years of triumph and tragedy, of glory and ruin, and

of hope and despair, the actress was still able to draw a crowd. Pr Afkinich

3

Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

Condition 2: Use the correct conjunction

sort

conjunctions

and but or nor

long

conjunctions

bothand not only. but also either or

neither nor whether or

faulty 1.a. She was not only pretty but also knew how to dress well.

2.b. We havent decided whether well go or stay home

revised 1.b. She was not only pretty but also well-dressed.

2.b. We havent decided whether well go or well stay home.

Pr Afkinich 4 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

Condition 3: Do not miss any necessary

word from the parallel structure.

incorrect Ahmed run, picked up the pen, and put in

his pocket.

correct Ahmed run, picked up the pen, and put it in his pocket.

Pr Afkinich 5 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

Condition 4: Use Comparison correctly.

incorrect 1.a. I like Ahmeds car better than Soufiane. 2.a. He runs as fast but not faster than his

brother.

correct 1.b. I like Ahmeds car better than Soufianes. 2.b. He runs as fast as but not faster than

his brother.

Pr Afkinich 6 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

Exercise 1: Some of the following sentences contain

faulty parallelism. Rephrase the faulty sentences so

that the parallelism will be correctly and logically

expressed.

1. Tourists in our city visit Chellah, spend some time in

Les Oudays, and walking around in the Rbat

Souika.

2. Even though that car is used, it is clean, economical,

and new paint.

3. If you wish to chage your level,you should talk either

to your teacher or your level supervisor.

4. His shoes are much newer than you.

5. That new student is friendly, talkative, and everyone

likes him. Pr Afkinich 7 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

6. That is the school where I used to

work and where my sister works now.

7. Many species of African wildlife are in

danger despite new laws and more

people know about the problem.

8. The city map list streets, parks, and

what the tourists like to see.

9. All employees must buy either a

parking sticker or leave their cars at

home.

10. The population of Asia is larger than

Europe. Pr Afkinich 8 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

11. If a tenant fails to pay their rent, the

landlord either can change the lock on

the door or enter the apartment and

seize luxury items.

12. The public broadcasting company is

asking people to donate good to the

auction or to give money.

13. Heat the soup for ten minutes and

then you should remove it from the

stove.

14. The contest winner not only receives

ten free records but also dinner in his

favourite restaurant. Pr Afkinich 9 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

15. The housing officer will provide

information on how to rent an

apartment and how to give notice

about leaving.

16. It is much easier to adopt a pet than

getting rid of one.

17. The foreman of the jury rose to his

feet, turned toward the judge, and

addresses him quietly.

18. The students asked to speak either to

the chairman or to his second.

Pr Afkinich 10 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism

19. This filling cabinet contains not only

the records of all former students but

also the minutes of all the staff

meetings.

20. That tree is as tall if not taller than the

tree in the park.

Pr Afkinich 11 Writing: On Sentence Parallelism