Correcting Parallel Structure Errors
Help Questions
GMAT Verbal › Correcting Parallel Structure Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Scientists have determined that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
Explanation
The answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" is correct because it contains appropriate parallelism—in this case, a list of three noun phrases.
The original text "include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress" and the answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress" contain faulty parallelism—the last item in the list includes the verb "having" whereas the first two items in the list do not employ verbs. These answers are therefore incorrect.
Answer choices "includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" and "tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" are incorrect because they both use singular predicates for the plural subject, "risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and to stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and he could also stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and also staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey traveling all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
Explanation
This sentence contains an error in parallelism. The verbs "travel" and "stay" must be in the same form. In the sentence as it is presented, "to travel" and "staying" do not match. The correct answer makes both of these terms infinitives: "to travel" and "to stay."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The woman was an active girl who liked playing with toys and to run in parks.
to play with toys and to run in parks.
playing with toys and to run in parks.
to play with toys and running in parks.
to playing with toys and to running in parks.
playing with toys, running in parks.
Explanation
The pairing of the two phrases indicate that they need to have a parrallel tense for each verb. Only two answer choices, "to play with toys and to run in parks," and "playing with toys, running in parks," are parrallel, and "playing with toys, running in parks," should be separated by a conjunction.
Many drug consumers feel that generic medicine can be as effective as, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective as, if not more effective than, some of the brand names.
as effective, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective, if not more effective, than some brand names.
as effective medicine, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective medicine, if not more effective, than some of the brand names.
Explanation
The term, if not more effective, is an interrupter; therefore, the sentence should read correctly if those words are removed.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The first progress in combating infection was made in 1847 by the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis, who, despite ridicule and opposition, introduced compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards, and he was rewarded with a plunge in maternal and fetal deaths, however the Royal Society dismissed his advice.
who reduced maternal and fetal deaths by introducing compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards despite ridicule, opposition, and dismissal by the Royal Society
who, despite ridicule and opposition, introduced compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards, and he was rewarded with a plunge in maternal and fetal deaths, however the Royal Society dismissed his advice.
who introduced compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards and was rewarded with a plunge in maternal and fetal deaths, despite ridicule, opposition, and dismissal by the Royal Society
who reduced maternal and fetal deaths by introducing compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards and was ridiculed, opposed, and dismissed by the Royal Society
who was ridiculed, opposed, and dismissed by the Royal Society, even though he introduced compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards and was rewarded with a plunge in maternal and fetal deaths
Explanation
The correct answer is the most concise and the only one that maintains the correct parallel structure in the list of items.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
By the end of college, three of my roommates had found jobs, but I was the only one not.
had found jobs, but I was the only one who had not.
had found jobs, but I was the only one who did not.
had found jobs, but I was the only one not.
had found jobs, but I was the only one not to have.
had found jobs, but I was the only one who did not have.
Explanation
This sentence involves parallel structure. Because the roommates "had" found jobs, the second part must also employ the word "have" (singular). "Did" is not correct because it is not in the same tense. For parallel structure, the wording and the tense must match with the rest of the sentence.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Poor performance among laborers has not resulted from shortcomings in management but a lack of motivation.
resulted not from shortcomings in management but from
not resulted from shortcomings in management but
resulted from shortcomings not in management but
resulted from shortcomings not in management but have been stemming from
resulted not from shortcomings in management but have stemmed from
Explanation
This question deals primarily with parallel structure. You can say something has resulted not from 
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Poor academic performance among students of rural schools has not resulted from shortcomings in classroom instruction but insufficiently supportive home environments.
resulted not from shortcomings in classroom instruction but from
not resulted from shortcomings in classroom instruction but
resulted from shortcomings not in classroom instruction but
resulted from shortcomings not in classroom instruction but have been stemming from
resulted not from shortcomings in classroom instruction but have stemmed from
Explanation
This question deals primarily with parallel structure. You can say something has resulted not from X but from Y. The correct answer choice is the only one that maintains parallel structure in this way. If the "poor academic performance" "resulted from shortcoming in classroom instruction" they must also result FROM "insufficiently supportive home environments."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Public education, health care, and the constructing of new roadways are all areas that we desperately need to fund.
Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas
Public education, health care, and new roadway construction is all areas
All areas are public education, health care, and new roadway construction
Public education, health care, and constructing new roadways are all areas
Public education, health care, and the constructing of new roadways are all areas
Explanation
This sentence's error is one of parallel structure. The first two items in its list, "Public education" and "health care," are nouns, but the third item, "the constructing of new roadways," begins with a gerund. All of the items in a list should be formatted in the same way. There are numerous ways in which we could change the sentence so that each of its items take on the same grammatical form, and several answer choices correctly fix this issue; only "Public education, health care, and constructing new roadways are all areas," which changes the gerund "constructing" to a present progressive verb by omitting the definite article "the," does not do this.
All but one of the answer choices that fix the parallel structure of the list introduce new errors. "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction is all areas" incorrectly uses the singular verb "is" to refer to the plural compound subject, so it is incorrect. "All areas are public education, health care, and new roadway construction" convolutes the sentence's word order and makes it confusing by making it seem as if "all areas"—all of the areas in total, not just the ones "that we desperately need to fund"—are the three listed. Only "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas" fixes the sentence's error without introducing new mistakes, making it the correct answer and the corrected sentence "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas that we desperately need to fund."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The new division of the company oversaw a wide range of activities inside the corporate structures, including production of machine parts, refinement of crude oil, and delivering supplies to factories.
including production of machine parts, refinement of crude oil, and delivery of supplies to factories.
including production of machine parts, refinement of crude oil, and delivering supplies to factories.
including production of machine parts, refining crude oil, and delivering supplies to factories.
including the production of machine parts, the refinement of crude oil, and the delivering supplies to factories.
including producing of machine parts, refinement of crude oil, and delivering supplies to factories.
Explanation
The underlined portion of the sentence suffers from not having proper parallel structure, combing the nouns "production" and "refinement" with the gerund "delivering." When three things are put together into a list, as in this sentence, all three elements need to be the same part of speech. The only answer choice which features appropriate parallel structure is "including production of machine parts, refinement of crude oil, and delivery of supplies to factories."