Bellringer… Directions. Select the answer choice which most correctly and effectively rephrases the underlined the part of the following sentence:  Consumers are beginning to take notice of electric cars because they are quiet, cause no air pollution, and gasoline is not used. (A) cause no sir pollution, and gasoline is not used. (B) air pollution is not caused, and gasoline is not used. (C) cause no air pollution, and use no gasoline. (D) causing no air pollution and using no gasoline. (E) air pollution is not caused, and no gasoline is used.

Parallelism

Using Parallelism  You can improve your writing enormously by using parallelism, which is simply using similar structures in a series.  Because parallelism puts the content of a sentence into a recognizable pattern, it’s easier to understand a parallel sentence.  For example, note the parallelism in these sentences:  Hawaii is famous for its beautiful beaches, and Montana is well known for its majestic mountains.  Sharon wanted to have the party at her house on Saturday night rather than in a restaurant on a Sunday afternoon.

Using Parallelism  In general, try to balance a word with a word, a phrase with a phrase, and a clause with a clause.  Within those patterns, if you want to be a careful writer, try to balance similar types of words – for example, adjectives with adjectives, prepositional phrases with prepositional phrases, or noun clauses with noun clauses.  For example, notice the clumsiness of this sentence:  On a hot day, I like swimming or to sit in the shade.  On a hot day, I like to swim or to sit in the shade.  The telephone message was short, quiet, and what I couldn’t understand.  The telephone message was short, quiet, and difficult to understand.

Practice Using Parallelism Directions. Rewrite each of the following sentences using parallelism. 1. Our vacation plans include exploring the city, visiting old friends, and to spend a few days doing nothing at all. 2. Sean had to choose between his brother’s baseball game and going to his girlfriend’s recital. 3. A teacher needs patience and to be fair. 4. I decided to buy the gift whether the store took credit cars or even making me pay cash. 5. The movie was not entertaining or an experience that was pleasant. 6. She is hoping for a career in medicine, law, or to be an engineer. 7. I try to be honest, hardworking, and to pay attention to my friends. 8. The produce in that store is fresh, well displayed, and costs too much.

Bellringer… Directions. Select the answer choice which most correctly and effectively rephrases the underlined the part of the following sentence:  Although several groups were absolutely opposed to the outside support given to the revolutionary government, other groups were in adamant approval of that support. (A) were equal in their adamant approval of (B) held equally adamant approval of (C) were equally adamant in approving (D) had approved equally adamantly (E) help approval equally adamant of

Participles  Participles are verb forms that function as adjectives. In the present tense, participles always end in “ing” (e.g. laughing, falling, gusting).  In the sentence “The laughing child played with the falling leaves that the gusting breeze shook loose from the quivering branches,” the italicized words are all present participles, and they describe nouns, which are underlined. These are the present participles of the verbs laugh, fall, gust, and quiver.  In the present tense, participles often end in –ed, –en, or –t (e.g. cooked, washed, broken, written, spent, lost) and some are irregular (e.g. bought, wrung). In the following sentences, the past participles are again italicized, and they describe nouns, which are again underlined:  Raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked ones.  The newly washed car glistened in the afternoon sunshine.  The jury had written proof of the defendant’s alibi.

Participial Phrase  A group of words that begins with a participle is known as a participial phrase.  Because a participle acts like an adjective, participial phrases are used to modify nouns. Because a participle comes from a verb, participial phrases are used to modify nouns.  Because a participle comes from a verb, participial phrases need subjects.  Read this sentence and see if you detect a problem in its clarity.  Tourists see statues of many famous patriots walking along Boston’s Freedom Trail.  It appears that the statues are walking, not the tourists. In English, modifiers are usually placed as close as possible to the words they describe, so this sentence should read:  Tourists walking along Boston’s Freedom Trail see statues of many famous patriots.

Practice with Participial Phrase’s Directions. Revise each of the following sentences so that the participle's phrase location does not cause confusion. The first four are present participles; the last four are past participles. 1. I thought I heard a strange rattle driving my car. 2. Strumming on his guitar, we suddenly remembered where we had seen this folk singer before. 3. I turned the corner and bumped into an elderly gentleman paying no attention to where I was going. 4. Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, research astronomers discovered a new group of asteroids. 5. Raised in an open field without any pesticides, I prefer vegetables and fruits. 6. Cooked too long, she thought the pasta did not taste good any more. 7. Spiced with Italian herbs, I never tasted anything quite like Imelda’s salad. 8. Wrapped in brightly colored paper, Mickey tore open the birthday present.