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Self-Test:
Parallel structure

Think you understand parallelism?

1. Which of the following paired sentences are parallel?
She likes to listen to music and reading the latest novels.
 She likes listening to music and reading the latest novels.


He spent his time studying Spanish, working at the convenience store, and jogging every afternoon.
 He spent his time studying Spanish. working at the convenience store, and he jogged every afternoon.


The dog was excited: running, barking, and he chased after the boys.
 The dog was excited: running, barking, and chasing after the boys.


The apartment was filled with old newspapers, broken bottles, and the ashtrays were overflowing.
 The apartment was filled with old newspapers, broken bottles, and overflowing ashtrays.

2. Make the following sentences parallel. Enter the correct version of the item in the series which does not match the others. (Don't worry about closing punctuation.)

Mary wanted to paint her office, to add some new draperies, and the carpet need cleaning.

When Friday rolls around, do you go to the mall, head for a bar, or are you going to work?

Last year, my brother dropped out of school, was looking for work, and needed a place to stay.

He watched the latest version of King Lear, studied for his math test, and was talking on the phone.

So how was it? Use your incorrect responses to guide you through another review.

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