Identifying Parallel Structure Errors - PSAT Writing
Card 1 of 192
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
In his training course, Marvin learned how to address customer concerns, fill out budget requests, and setting up a company account. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
In his training course, Marvin learned how to address customer concerns, fill out budget requests, and setting up a company account. No error
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This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The items in its list aren't all formatted in the same way: the first two things that we're told Marvin learns to do in his training course are "address customer concerns" and "fill out budget requests," each of these phrases beginning with an infinitive verb. The third thing that Marvin learns to do is "setting up a company account"; in contrast to the previous two infinitive phrases, "setting up a company account" is unnecessarily conjugated to be in the present progressive tense. Since changing the first two items to be in the present progressive tense (as well as the rest of the sentence to make this work grammatically) isn't an option, the answer "and setting up" contains the sentence's error. You could correct the sentence by changing "and setting up" to "and set up," making the corrected sentence, "In his training course, Marvin learned how to address customer concerns, fill out budget requests, and set up a company account."
This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The items in its list aren't all formatted in the same way: the first two things that we're told Marvin learns to do in his training course are "address customer concerns" and "fill out budget requests," each of these phrases beginning with an infinitive verb. The third thing that Marvin learns to do is "setting up a company account"; in contrast to the previous two infinitive phrases, "setting up a company account" is unnecessarily conjugated to be in the present progressive tense. Since changing the first two items to be in the present progressive tense (as well as the rest of the sentence to make this work grammatically) isn't an option, the answer "and setting up" contains the sentence's error. You could correct the sentence by changing "and setting up" to "and set up," making the corrected sentence, "In his training course, Marvin learned how to address customer concerns, fill out budget requests, and set up a company account."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Lisa insisted that her favorite activities included camping, reading, drinking tea, and hikes. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Lisa insisted that her favorite activities included camping, reading, drinking tea, and hikes. No error
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This sentence does not have parallel structure between the items in the list. The first three are gerund verbs, but the fourth is a noun. The corrected sentence reads: Lisa insisted that her favorite activities included camping, reading, drinking tea, and hiking.
This sentence does not have parallel structure between the items in the list. The first three are gerund verbs, but the fourth is a noun. The corrected sentence reads: Lisa insisted that her favorite activities included camping, reading, drinking tea, and hiking.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Until he started his first food service job, Hank had never mopped a floor, scrubbed a wall, or wash dishes. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Until he started his first food service job, Hank had never mopped a floor, scrubbed a wall, or wash dishes. No error
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This sentence has a problem with parallel structure. All of the items in the list should be in the same verb tense, but the third item here is in a different tense. The corrected sentence reads: Until he started his first food service job, Hank had never mopped a floor, scrubbed a wall, or washed dishes.
This sentence has a problem with parallel structure. All of the items in the list should be in the same verb tense, but the third item here is in a different tense. The corrected sentence reads: Until he started his first food service job, Hank had never mopped a floor, scrubbed a wall, or washed dishes.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It’s a long drive, but I would much rather drive home than bus. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It’s a long drive, but I would much rather drive home than bus. No error
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In this sentence, the format of the two items being compared does not stay parallel. “Drive” is a verb, and “bus” is a noun. The corrected sentence reads: It’s a long drive, but I would much rather drive home than take the bus.
In this sentence, the format of the two items being compared does not stay parallel. “Drive” is a verb, and “bus” is a noun. The corrected sentence reads: It’s a long drive, but I would much rather drive home than take the bus.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Although it was easy for Mary to identify the problem, she found it more difficult to communicate with the technical crew and solving it. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Although it was easy for Mary to identify the problem, she found it more difficult to communicate with the technical crew and solving it. No error
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This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The verbs “communicate” and “solving” should be formatted in the same way, since they are the two things it was "more difficult" for Mary to do. Since only "solving it," and not "communicate," is underlined, "solving it" contains the sentence's error and is the correct answer. The corrected sentence reads, "Although it was easy for Mary to identify the problem, she found it more difficult to communicate with the technical crew and solve it."
This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The verbs “communicate” and “solving” should be formatted in the same way, since they are the two things it was "more difficult" for Mary to do. Since only "solving it," and not "communicate," is underlined, "solving it" contains the sentence's error and is the correct answer. The corrected sentence reads, "Although it was easy for Mary to identify the problem, she found it more difficult to communicate with the technical crew and solve it."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It is a more difficult task to learn to type than mastering a simple word processing program. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It is a more difficult task to learn to type than mastering a simple word processing program. No error
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A sentence should be consistent in its use of verb tense, comparisons, and tone. In the sentence above, "to learn," an infinitive, is being compared to "mastering," a present progressive verb. Things being compared should take on the same grammatical form; that means that "mastering" should be changed to "to master" in order for proper parallel construction to be used. The sentence should read, "It is more difficult to learn to type than it is to master a simple word processing program." "To type" is being compared to "to master"; both are in the infinitive form in this revised case.
A sentence should be consistent in its use of verb tense, comparisons, and tone. In the sentence above, "to learn," an infinitive, is being compared to "mastering," a present progressive verb. Things being compared should take on the same grammatical form; that means that "mastering" should be changed to "to master" in order for proper parallel construction to be used. The sentence should read, "It is more difficult to learn to type than it is to master a simple word processing program." "To type" is being compared to "to master"; both are in the infinitive form in this revised case.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The spies started to empathize with the man they were watching, and suddenly they wondered if their actions were morally excusable or not being so. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The spies started to empathize with the man they were watching, and suddenly they wondered if their actions were morally excusable or not being so. No error
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This sentence lacks grammatical parallelism. The phrase “not being so” is clunky, and it doesn’t match with the earlier part “were morally excusable.” The corrected sentence reads: The spies started to empathize with the man they were watching, and suddenly they wondered if their actions were morally excusable or not.
This sentence lacks grammatical parallelism. The phrase “not being so” is clunky, and it doesn’t match with the earlier part “were morally excusable.” The corrected sentence reads: The spies started to empathize with the man they were watching, and suddenly they wondered if their actions were morally excusable or not.
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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
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
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The sentence needs to remain parallel. If it had said "cooking," "mountain-climbing" would be ok.
The sentence needs to remain parallel. If it had said "cooking," "mountain-climbing" would be ok.
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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
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
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Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to "that of my boss" or my "boss'."
Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to "that of my boss" or my "boss'."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
She aspired to someday live in Barcelona, learn Spanish, and traveling through the country. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
She aspired to someday live in Barcelona, learn Spanish, and traveling through the country. No error
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This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The items in the list should be formatted the same. The corrected sentence reads, "She aspired to someday live in Barcelona, learn Spanish, and travel through the country."
This sentence has a problem with parallelism. The items in the list should be formatted the same. The corrected sentence reads, "She aspired to someday live in Barcelona, learn Spanish, and travel through the country."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
When I was much younger I was very energetic, but now I nap often, watch a lot of television, tired, and rarely work out. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
When I was much younger I was very energetic, but now I nap often, watch a lot of television, tired, and rarely work out. No error
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All of the items in this poor tired fellow's list of activities need to be in the same form. Yet we find three verbs ("nap," "watch," and "work out") and one adjective ("tired"). Thus, the adjective is the odd one out and needs to be changed (to something like "am always tired").
All of the items in this poor tired fellow's list of activities need to be in the same form. Yet we find three verbs ("nap," "watch," and "work out") and one adjective ("tired"). Thus, the adjective is the odd one out and needs to be changed (to something like "am always tired").
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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
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
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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.
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.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After school, the children went to the park, to the store, and home. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After school, the children went to the park, to the store, and home. No error
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"Home" contains the error in this sentence because parallel sentence structure dictates that each part in a series must use the same type of word and employ the same tense, if the words are verbs. In this case, the first two parts in the series are prepositional phrases ("to the park" and "to the store"), but the third part is a noun "home." Because only part of one of the prepositional phrases is underlined, we can't change them, so we would need to change the noun, "home," to correct the sentence's error.
"Home" contains the error in this sentence because parallel sentence structure dictates that each part in a series must use the same type of word and employ the same tense, if the words are verbs. In this case, the first two parts in the series are prepositional phrases ("to the park" and "to the store"), but the third part is a noun "home." Because only part of one of the prepositional phrases is underlined, we can't change them, so we would need to change the noun, "home," to correct the sentence's error.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
That performance has been seen by more people than any musical made in the past decade. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
That performance has been seen by more people than any musical made in the past decade. No error
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The word "other" should be included in a comparison of one thing with a group, so the correct phrase is "any other musical" and "any musical" contains the sentence's error.
The word "other" should be included in a comparison of one thing with a group, so the correct phrase is "any other musical" and "any musical" contains the sentence's error.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The class project consisted of forming groups, discussing questions about the novel, and give a presentation in front of the class. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The class project consisted of forming groups, discussing questions about the novel, and give a presentation in front of the class. No error
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"Give" is the wrong verb tense. To achieve parallelism, it should be "giving."
"Give" is the wrong verb tense. To achieve parallelism, it should be "giving."
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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
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
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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.
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.
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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
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
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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."
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."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The townfell into chaos and confusion; people fled from their homes and running blindly into obstacles. No error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The townfell into chaos and confusion; people fled from their homes and running blindly into obstacles. No error
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This sentence has a problem with verb tense and parallelism. Since the “fled” and “running” are coordinated with a conjunction, they should be formatted in the same way. The corrected sentence reads, "The town fell into chaos and confusion; people fled from their homes and ran blindly into obstacles."
This sentence has a problem with verb tense and parallelism. Since the “fled” and “running” are coordinated with a conjunction, they should be formatted in the same way. The corrected sentence reads, "The town fell into chaos and confusion; people fled from their homes and ran blindly into obstacles."
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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
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
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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."
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."
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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
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
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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.
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.
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