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You are probably already familiar with fragments and run-ons, so let's begin with a discussion of parallel structure.
In writing, parallel structure refers to the repetition of the same grammatical pattern in a sentence or a series of sentences. This repetition creates a sense of balance and coherence in the writing, and makes the sentence or passage easier to understand and remember.
First, watch this Khan Academy lesson on parallel structure, then we'll practice using it.
Example: "I like to run, swim, and to play soccer."
Problem: In this sentence, the first two verbs ("run" and "swim") are in the infinitive form, but the third verb ("play") is in the base form.
Why it Matters: This lack of parallelism makes the sentence awkward and difficult to understand.
How to Fix It: To correct this sentence and create parallel structure, we could change the third verb to the infinitive form: "I like to run, swim, and play soccer." This revision creates parallelism between the verbs and makes the sentence more balanced and coherent.
Fragments and run-ons are two types of errors that can occur in written sentences. A fragment is a group of words that lacks a subject or a verb, and is therefore not a complete sentence.
For example: "Walking to the store."
A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction or punctuation, and is therefore difficult to understand.
For example: "I went to the store I bought some bread."
While it is generally not advisable to use fragments or run-ons in formal writing, some writers have used them intentionally for artistic effect. For example, the modernist poet T.S. Eliot often used fragmented and incomplete sentences in his poems to create a sense of disjointedness and to challenge the reader's expectations of traditional sentence structure. Similarly, the beat poet Allen Ginsberg used long, run-on sentences in his poetry to convey a sense of frantic, stream-of-consciousness thoughts. However, these uses of fragments and run-ons are usually considered artistic choices and may not be suitable for most forms of writing.
2.03 Assessment
Complete the Parallel Structure practice. **Write your seven sentences in the STUDENT COMMENTS box, DO NOT submit this worksheet as an attachment.**
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