1. Monica brewed espresso, steamed milk, and told jokes as she prepared Mike’s latte.

Correct

Monica brewed espresso, steamed milk,

and told jokes as she prepared Mike’s latte.

When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, brewed, steamed, and told are all simple past tense verbs, so the list is parallel.

2. Natasha tried holding her breath, chewing a piece of gum, and poking her belly, but she could not quiet her empty stomach, which rumbled during the chemistry exam.

Natasha tried holding her breath, chewing a

piece of gum, and poking her belly, but she

could not quiet her empty stomach, which

rumbled during the chemistry exam.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, holding, chewing, and poking all begin gerund phrases, so the list is parallel.

3. In the restroom, Tishena was brushing her hair, freshened her lip-gloss, and took deep breaths, trying to work up the courage to walk to her first speech class.

In the restroom, Tishena was brushing her

hair, freshened her lip-gloss, and took deep

breaths, trying to work up the courage to

walk to her first speech class.

When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, freshened and took are both simple past tense verbs, but was brushing is past progressive, wrecking the parallelism.

To fix the sentence, change was brushing to brushed

4. Celine looked behind the toilet, in the laundry basket, and checked under the bed, but she could not find Squeeze, her nine-foot albino python.

Celine looked behind the toilet, in the

laundry basket, and checked under the bed,

but she could not find Squeeze, her nine-

foot albino python.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, behind the toilet and in the laundry basket are both phrases, but checked under the bed begins with a verb, wrecking the parallelism.

To fix the sentence, change checked under the bed to under the bed.

5. For his first date with Malinda, Dennis bought not only a dozen roses but he also purchased a box of chocolates.

For his first date with Malinda, Dennis

bought not only a dozen roses but he also

purchased a box of chocolates.

When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel structure. A dozen roses follows not only, so a box of chocolates is all that should come after but also.

7. Dennis tried to be thoughtful and generous, yet Malinda refused to give him not only a kiss good night but also a single chocolate from the nut and caramel sampler.

Correct!!! Dennis tried to be thoughtful and generous,

yet Malinda refused to give him not only a

kiss good night but also a single chocolate

from the nut and caramel sampler.

When you use not only ... but also, you must maintain parallel structure. A kiss good night, a noun phrase, follows not only, so a single chocolate, another noun

phrase, is all that must come after but also. Nice choice!

8. Chelsea had to paddle past a school of jellyfish, kick a small sand shark in the nose, and untangle seaweed from her surfboard before she reached her favorite point break.

Correct!!! Chelsea had to paddle past a school of

jellyfish, kick a small sand shark in the

nose, and untangle seaweed from her

surfboard before she reached her favorite

point break.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, to paddle, kick, and untangle are all same tense verbs, so the list is parallel.

10. Spiders that bite, hissing snakes, and squealing rodents fill the aquariums in Desmond’s basement.

Spiders that bite, hissing snakes, and

squealing rodents fill the aquariums in

Desmond’s basement.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, hissing snakes and squealing rodents are the same, but spiders that bite places the verb at the end, which wrecks the parallelism. Nice choice!

To fix the sentence, change spiders that bite to biting spiders.

11. Class with Dr. Rogers was a nightmare: the clock seemed stuck in place, the air conditioner blew inadequate cool, and a fluorescent bulb buzzed overhead.

CORRECT!!!! Class with Dr. Rogers was a nightmare: the

clock seemed stuck in place, the air

conditioner blew inadequate cool, and a

fluorescent bulb buzzed overhead.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. In this sentence, you have three short main clauses: the clock seemed stuck in place, the air conditioner blew inadequate cool, and a fluorescent bulb buzzed overhead. The list is thus parallel. Super choice!

12. Ernie is too noisy as a seatmate. Crunching on apple slices, slurping hot coffee, and the rings of his notebook snapped open and shut all contribute to the cacophony.

Ernie is too noisy as a seatmate. Crunching

on apple slices, slurping hot coffee, and the

rings of his notebook snapped open and

shut all contribute to the cacophony.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, crunching on apple slices and slurping hot coffee are both phrases that begin with a verb, but the rings of his notebook snapped open and shut ruins the parallelism of the list. Good answer!

To fix the sentence, change the rings of his notebook snapped open and shut to snapping the rings of his notebook.

13. Neither the scowls from her neighbors nor the disapproval of her husband will deter Larissa from painting her house hot pink with orange and white trim.

Correct!!!!

14. Larissa will either add a flock of plastic pink flamingos, or she will purchase a family of ceramic gnomes for the front lawn.

Larissa will either add a flock of plastic pink

flamingos, or she will purchase a family of

ceramic gnomes for the front lawn.

When you use either ... or, you must maintain parallel structure. Add is part of the verb phrase will add, follows either, but she will purchase ..., comes after or, wrecking the parallelism.

To fix the sentence, remove the comma after flamingos and change she will purchase to purchase.

15. Until the Weavers arrived home at 5 p.m., the clock ticked, the refrigerator hummed, and the dog snoring in the otherwise quiet house.

Until the Weavers arrived home at 5 p.m.,

the clock ticked, the refrigerator hummed,

and the dog snoring in the otherwise quiet

house.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, the clock ticked and the refrigerator hummed are both short clauses, but the dog snoring ... has a different verb tense, thus wrecking the parallelism.

To fix the sentence, change the dog snoring to the dog snored.

16. Jessica has found that neither background music nor potato chips make writing her research essay any easier.

Correct!!!!!

17. Mark looked under the bed, in the hamper, and he even searched his brother’s closet, but he could not find his favorite University of Florida T-shirt.

Mark looked under the bed, in the hamper,

and he even searched his brother’s closet,

but he could not find his favorite University

of Florida T-shirt.

When you list grammatical items, you must use parallel structure. Here, under the bed and in the hamper are both prepositional phrases, but he even searched ... starts with a noun, wrecking the parallelism. Well done!

To fix the sentence, change he even searched his brother's closet to in his brother's closet.

18. After you eat tuna salad from the campus cafeteria, not only will your stomach rumble, but you will also sneeze for hours from the generous addition of MSG.

CORRECT!!!!

19. Natalia blinked her eyes, she wiped her glasses, and then squinted at the screen, but she could not decipher the small text crammed onto the presentation slide.

Natalia blinked her eyes, she wiped her

glasses, and then squinted at the screen,

but she could not decipher the small text

crammed onto the presentation slide.

When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, blinked and squinted are both simple past tense verbs, but she wiped her glasses is a main clause, wrecking the parallelism. Well done!

To fix the sentence, change she wiped to wiped.

20. Neither the unhappy man with the cold soup nor the irate woman with an empty glass of iced tea could get Gloria’s attention, for this waitress was too busy flirting with Jose.

CORRECT!!!!