PSAT Writing : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
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Example Question #31 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Having my uncle over for dinner is never much fun; he talks loudly, makes rude comments, and, although the food is always delicious, complaining is constant about the quality of what we eat. No error
No error
what we eat
complaining is constant
talks loudly
Having
complaining is constant
The clause "although the food is always delicious" might distract some people into missing the paralellism used, because it is set apart by commas. Considering "talks" and "makes," we see the present form of some verbs used in succession. For the best sentence structure, the final action should also follow the normal present verb form, like "talks" and "makes." "Complaining is constant" does not follow this, and so (C) contains the error. It would be best to say "complains constantly" or something similar.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It will rain tomorrow, so I will jog in the park, practice soccer, and playing baseball in my backyard today. No error
I
No error
will rain tomorrow
will
playing
playing
This is a parallelism error. The verbs "jog" and "practice" begin the parallel elements in the sentence, and they are each in present tense. The verb "playing" should also be in present tense so that it matches "jog" and "practice." So, "playing" should be "play."
Example Question #43 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
There are two things Jean knows how to do well: how to cook and mountain-climbing. No error
mountain-climbing
No error
knows
how to
are
mountain-climbing
The sentence needs to remain parallel. If it had said "cooking," "mountain-climbing" would be ok.
Example Question #41 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
At the deli, the sandwiches are very similar to the cafeteria, except they are slightly larger and contain less fat. No error
slightly larger
No error
less fat
except
similar to the cafeteria
similar to the cafeteria
This is a faulty comparison. "Sandwiches" cannot be compared to a cafeteria. Use "similar to those at the cafeteria" or something like that instead to correct the sentence's error.
Example Question #63 : Identifying Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I must admit that your mom's chocolate chip cookies are quite tasty, but they are not as good as my grandmother—hers are the best! No error
must admit
as my grandmother
No error
at the mall
as good
as my grandmother
When making comparisons you must be careful to compare like things. In this case, the sentence as written makes a comparison between "cookies" and "my grandmother." You want to compare cookies to cookies. You can fix this error by making "grandmother" into a possessive, singular noun, "grandmother's." This way, it is inferred that the subject being spoken about is the speaker's grandmother's cookies, not the speaker's grandmother herself.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The woman slowly became fascinated by the aliens’ strange culture, their intelligence, and their telling of hilarious jokes. No error
telling of hilarious jokes
strange
No error
became fascinated by
slowly
telling of hilarious jokes
This sentence lacks parallel structure between the elements in the list. Items in a list should be formatted in the same way grammatically. The corrected sentence reads, "The woman slowly became fascinated by the aliens’ strange culture, their intelligence, and their hilarious jokes."
Example Question #33 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
My apartment is on a higher floor than my boss. No error
is
my
No error
higher
boss
boss
Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to "that of my boss" or my "boss'."
Example Question #42 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Napa Valley is known for having amazing food, high quality wine, and attracts a wealthy clientele. No error
No error
is
for
attracts
having
attracts
It is important for a sentence to use correct parallelism, which means that listed items should take on the same grammatical form. Here, the first two listed items are nouns ("amazing food" and "high quality wine"). Therefore, the third item should also be a noun; however, “attracts” is a verb, and therefore is incorrect. To fix the sentence, one might omit the word "attracts," leaving simply "amazing food, high quality wine, and a wealthy clientele," three nouns.
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