Sentence Completion Exercise: Parallelism

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This exercise will give you practice in using parallel structures effectively and correctly. For additional practice, try an editing exercise on faulty parallelism.

Instructions and Exercise

Using parallel words or phrases, complete each of the following sentences. Answers will vary, of course, but you'll find sample responses listed below.

  1. When I was a child, I loved to play in the leaves, skip down the driveway, and _____ against the wind.
  2. I still enjoy playing in the leaves, skipping down the driveway, and _____ against the wind.
  3. Merdine danced a jig and then _____ a song that took my heart away.
  4. Merdine said that she wanted to dance a jig and then _____ a song that would take my heart away.
  5. The children spent the afternoon playing video games, watching TV, and _____ donuts.
  6. If you want to learn how to play video games, watch TV, or _____ donuts, spend an afternoon with my children.
  7. All that you need to make a great tomato sandwich is whole-wheat bread, a sliced sweet onion, two lettuce leaves, mustard or mayonnaise, and a juicy ______.
  8. To make a great tomato sandwich, begin by toasting two pieces of whole-wheat bread and _____ a sweet onion.
  9. Whatever you have, you must either use it or _____ it.
  10. It is easier to build strong children than to _____ broken adults.
  11. I divided my time between my music and my _____.
  12. Giving is better than _____.
  13. It is better to give than _____ _____.
  14. People can hurt others not only by their actions but also by their _____.
  15. Children cannot learn well if they lack adequate health care, nutrition, and _____.
  16. Cheating can result in failing the assignment, failing the entire course, getting suspended, or _____ _____ from college entirely.
  17. Plagiarism or any other form of cheating can result in a failing grade for the paper or a _____ _____ for the course.
  18. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, and _____.
  19. I look forward to graduating from high school in May and _____ college in the fall.
  20. My favorite pastimes include napping, snacking, and _____ _____.

Sample Answers

Here are sample responses to the sentence-completion exercise.

  1. When I was a child, I loved to play in the leaves, skip down the driveway, and run against the wind.
  2. I still enjoy playing in the leaves, skipping down the driveway, and running against the wind.
  3. Merdine danced a jig and then sang a song that took my heart away.
  4. Merdine said that she wanted to dance a jig and then sing a song that would take my heart away.
  5. The children spent the afternoon playing video games, watching TV, and eating donuts.
  6. If you want to learn how to play video games, watch TV, or eat donuts, spend an afternoon with my children.
  7. All that you need to make a great tomato sandwich is whole-wheat bread, a sliced sweet onion, two lettuce leaves, mustard or mayonnaise, and a juicy tomato.
  8. To make a great tomato sandwich, begin by toasting two pieces of whole-wheat bread and slicing a sweet onion.
  9. Whatever you have, you must either use it or lose it.
  10. It is easier to build strong children than to fix broken adults.
  11. I divided my time between my music and my books.
  12. Giving is better than receiving.
  13. It is better to give than to receive.
  14. People can hurt others not only by their actions but also by their words.
  15. Children cannot learn well if they lack adequate health care, nutrition, and housing.
  16. Cheating can result in failing the assignment, failing the entire course, getting suspended, or getting expelled from college entirely.
  17. Plagiarism or any other form of cheating can result in a failing grade for the paper or a failing grade for the course,
  18. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, and dancing.
  19. I look forward to graduating from high school in May and attending college in the fall.
  20. My favorite pastimes include napping, snacking, and watching TV.
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Your Citation
Nordquist, Richard. "Sentence Completion Exercise: Parallelism." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/sentence-completion-exercise-parallelism-1690998. Nordquist, Richard. (2020, August 27). Sentence Completion Exercise: Parallelism. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sentence-completion-exercise-parallelism-1690998 Nordquist, Richard. "Sentence Completion Exercise: Parallelism." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/sentence-completion-exercise-parallelism-1690998 (accessed March 28, 2024).