- Historians have discovered that fighting was a popular sport for ancient cultures, ______.
- as that of modern civilizations
- like that for modern civilizations
- exactly like modern civilizations do
- as it still is for modern civilizations
The sentence contrasts past (“was”) with present, so the structure should logically shift to present tense (“is”). Choice D maintains both grammatical and logical parallelism across time.
- Create a parallel structured sentence.
- an individual of considerable influence, created a personal fortune and gave it back
- an individual of considerable influence, he created a personal fortune and gave back
- an individual of considerable influence created a personal fortune and gave back
- No change needed.
The original sentence correctly uses parallel structure by pairing the verbs “created” and “gave back” in a balanced, consistent form. The other choices either introduce grammatical errors or disrupt the sentence structure, while the original sentence remains clear and grammatically correct.
- Which sentence demonstrates the best parallel structure?
- She bought apples, oranges, and was buying bananas.
- She bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
- She bought apples, oranges, and is buying bananas.
- She bought apples, oranges, and to buy bananas.
All items in the series should match grammatically. Choice B uses three nouns, while the others mix verb forms, breaking parallelism.
- Which sentence demonstrates the best parallel structure?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and biking.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.
- She likes to hike, swimming, and biking.
- She likes hiking, to swim, and to bike.
The list should maintain consistent verb forms. Choice B uses all gerunds, while the other options mix gerunds and infinitives.
- Create a parallel structured sentence.
- raced to the reservoir, climbed the ladder, and dove into
- first raced to the reservoir, climbed the ladder, and then they dove into
- raced to the reservoir, they climbed the ladder, and then they dove into
- No change needed.
Parallel verbs should maintain the same structure throughout the sentence. Removing “they” keeps all actions in consistent past-tense verb form.
- In musical recording, one advantage of simultaneous multi-track recording over recording one musician at a time is that the harmonies are blended as the music is played rather than a digital simulation requiring extra processing and remixing.
- and not
- rather than in
- as opposed to
- No changed needed.
The sentence contrasts two conditions: “as the music is played” and “in a digital simulation.” Choice B maintains this structural and logical parallelism.
- Create a parallel structured sentence.
- so the absence of public transportation further restricts the ability of young people to enjoy an active and varied social life
- just the same, public transportation being absent further restricts the ability
- so the absence of public transportation further restricting the ability
- in identical manner, potentials are restricted by the absence
Explanation: The “just as… so…” construction requires parallel clause structure. Choice A correctly mirrors the grammatical form and maintains clarity.
- Which part of the sentence contains an error in parallel structure?
- efficiency
- accuracy
- to complete tasks quickly
- No error
The list mixes nouns with an infinitive phrase, which breaks parallel structure. It should use a noun form like “quick task completion” to match the others.
- Choose the best revision:
- filing reports, organizing meetings, and client communication
- filing reports, to organize meetings, and communicating with clients
- filing reports, organizing meetings, and to communicate with clients
- to file reports, organizing meetings, and client communication
The sentence should use consistent grammatical forms. Choice A aligns all items as gerunds or noun phrases, maintaining parallelism.
- Learning a new language is more about practicing consistently than ______.
- memorizing vocabulary lists
- to memorize vocabulary lists
- you memorize vocabulary lists
- vocabulary lists are memorized
The comparison uses “practicing,” a gerund, so the second element must match. Choice A maintains parallel structure with another gerund phrase.
- Which sentence uses correct parallel structure?
- She is not only intelligent but also works hard.
- She is not only intelligent but also hardworking.
- She not only is intelligent but also hardworking.
- She is not only intelligent but also she works hard.
“Not only… but also” should connect matching grammatical forms. Choice B pairs two adjectives, creating clear and balanced parallelism.
- Choose the best version:
- that players should be committed
- commitment
- players should be committed
- to be committed
The list begins with nouns, so the final element should also be a noun. “Commitment” maintains consistency with “discipline” and “teamwork.”
- Which sentence shows parallel structure?
- He enjoys reading, writing, and to paint.
- He enjoys to read, writing, and painting.
- He enjoys reading, writing, and painting.
- He enjoys reading, to write, and painting.
All verbs should match in form. Choice C uses consistent gerunds, while the others mix infinitives and gerunds.
- Choose the best revision:
- to expand internationally, increasing profits, and improving customer satisfaction
- to expand internationally, to increase profits, and improving customer satisfaction
- to expand internationally, increase profits, and improve customer satisfaction
- No changed needed.
The structure should consistently use infinitives. Choice C maintains parallel verb phrases, even with the implied repetition of “to.”
- Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?
- The proposal was rejected because it lacked clarity, was too expensive, and people did not support it.
- The proposal was rejected because it lacked clarity, was too expensive, and lacked support.
- The proposal was rejected because of lacking clarity, being too expensive, and it lacked support.
- The proposal was rejected because it lacked clarity, being too expensive, and lacking support.
Each clause should follow the same grammatical pattern. Choice B repeats “lacked,” creating consistent and effective parallelism.