8

English
Quarter 3 – Module 6:
Using Parallel Structure

NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
English – Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 6: Using Parallel Structure

Second Edition, 2021

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any
work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government
agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such
work for profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition
the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright
holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these
materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not
represent nor claim ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Everon Joy P. Catanus
Editors: Vi Leslie B. Rubio
Reviewers: Judelyn N. Bicoy, Florife S. Gentiles & Vi Leslie B. Rubio
Illustrator: None
Layout Artist/Typesetter: Josephine V. Austero
Management Team: Senen Priscillo P. Paulin, CESO V
Joelyza M. Arcilla, EdD. Rosela R. Abiera
Marcelo K. Palispis, EdD Maricel S. Rasid
Nilita L. Ragay, EdD Elmar L. Cabrera
Anna Lee A. Amores, Ed.D.

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education –Region VII Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Office Address: Kagawasan, Ave., Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tele #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117
E-mail Address: [email protected]
Introductory Message

This Self- Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while you are at home. Activities,
questions, directions, exercises and discussions are carefully stated for you
to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing the module or if
you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better
understanding of the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer
the post-test to self-check your learning. Answers keys are provided for each
activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how
they can best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and
tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering
the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGES

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE --------------------------------- ii

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW --------------------------------- 1

Learning Competency --------------------------------- 1
Learning Objectives --------------------------------- 1

WHAT I KNOW ------------------------------------------------ 2

WHAT’S IN ----------------------------------------------- 3

WHAT’S NEW ------------------------------------------------ 4

WHAT IS IT ------------------------------------------------ 5

WHAT’S MORE ------------------------------------------------ 7

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED --------------------------------- 9

WHAT I CAN DO ---------------------------------------- 9

ASSESSMENT ------------------------------------------------ 10

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY ---------------------------------------- 10

ANSWER KEYS ------------------------------------------------ 11

REFERENCE LIST -------------------------------------------- 12

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Congratulations on completing the tasks and activities in the previous

modules. I hope you have gained tons of learning and learning experiences
that you can use in your future endeavors.

This module introduces you to using parallel structure in sentence

constructions. The balance between two or more similar words, phrases, or
clauses is called parallelism in grammar. Parallelism is also called parallel
structure or parallel construction. Parallel construction prevents
awkwardness, promotes clarity, and improves writing style and readability
(https://www.myenglishpages.com/).

Before going any further, be sure to accomplish the tasks in the best of
your ability not because your teacher tells you to do so but because you
actually want to learn something on your own. Remember, independent
learning is our goal for you, so the motivation to learn something from this
material should come from yourself. Start by reading the learning competency
and objectives that are expected of you to accomplish or perform at the end
of this module.

Have fun exploring and learning!

Learning Competency:

• Use parallel structures. (ENG8-Ia-7)

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Identify parallel structure in sentences;

2. Correct sentences with faulty parallelism; and
3. Recognize how parallelism helps in the overall understandability of a
sentence by accomplishing the tasks and activities provided.

Please take note that all answers shall be written in your activity
notebooks, and that there should never be any markings placed in this
module.

1
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT I KNOW

Pre-assessment Activity
Directions:
Analyze the following sentences. Some of them have faulty parallelism while
others are correct. Then, in your activity notebook, write YES if the sentence
is parallel and NO if it is not. Item 1 is done for you.

1. Martha enjoys hiking and to camp with friends on the weekends.

Answer: NO

Reason: Hiking and to camp with friends are not parallel. To make the sentence
parallel, the infinitive to camp should be changed to camping since the first
verb (hiking) is a gerund. Therefore, the new sentence becomes, “Martha
enjoys hiking and camping with friends on the weekends.”

NOTE: You need not provide a reason for your answer in items 2–6.
Simply answer YES or NO.

2. Travis was so helpful last Saturday. He swept the floor, cleaned the
windows, and watered the plants.

3. Sleeping, reading a good book, and to watch a feel-good movie are the
best things to do on a rainy holiday.

4. Your attitude, skills set, and competence matter in the position you
have applied for.

5. To see is to believe.

6. The group emphasized teamwork, discipline, and being responsible for

one another.

How did you find the activity? Try answering a few more activities and
see how well you know about parallel sentences.

NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT’S IN

Task 1.
Directions:
Study the set of words below. Then, draw a smiley face (😊) if they are grouped
accordingly and a sad face (☹) if not. Do this on your activity notebook.

1. To sing, to dance, to act, to perform

2. Traveling, baking, sleeping, painting, running

3. Printed, decorated, to watch, stranded

4. To fly, to see, to dream, believing

5. To eat, to laugh, to be merry, to enjoy

Task 2.
Directions:
The underlined word in each sentence below is erroneous. Make them correct
by choosing the appropriate verbal (gerund, infinitive, or participle) for each
statement. Write the letter of the correct answer on your activity notebook.

1. This hall used to be adorned and embellishing with colorful curtains

and expensive chandeliers. Now, it has become outdated and
unattractive.
a. to embellish c. is embellishing
b. embellished d. to embellished

2. Last week, Jessie and I went to see nana Jojo in the province. We also
went hiking, boating, and camp.
a. are camping c. camped
b. we camp d. camping

Well done! You have completed the tasks assigned for you to answer.
Now carefully study the discussion about parallel structure in the succeeding
pages and take note of key concepts and rules to help you write parallel
sentences in your future writing.

3
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT’S NEW

Parallel structure (also called parallelism) means using the same

pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of
importance (https://owl.purdue.edu/). This means that there should be balance
in the elements used in the sentence, otherwise it may sound unnatural or
confusing to the listener or reader.

Before moving on, let us first get to know about verbals since most of
the elements contained in the succeeding discussions will have something to
do with them.

In traditional grammar, a verbal is a word derived from a verb that

functions in a sentence as a noun or modifier rather than as a verb.

The three verbals—gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed

from verbs, but are never used alone as action words in sentences. Instead,
verbals function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important
in phrases.

• The gerund ends in -ing and functions as a noun.

Jumping is fun. (subject)
He liked skiing. (direct object of the verb liked)
He had a unique way of whistling. (object of the preposition)

• The infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. Usually it functions as
a noun, although it can also function as an adjective or adverb.
To jump is fun. (noun; subject of the verb is)
I like to ski. (noun; direct object of the verb like)
She had a suggestion to offer. (adjective modifying suggestion)
He called to warn her. (adverb modifying the verb called)

• A participle is a verb that ends in -ing (present participle) or -ed, -d, -t,
-en, -n (past participle). Participles may function as adjectives,
describing or modifying nouns.
The talking parrots entertained the crowd.
(present participle; adjective describing parrots)
The wrecked sailboat washed up on shore.
(past participle; adjective describing sailboat)

Adapted from: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/

NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT IS IT

To ensure parallelism in your sentences, make sure you are not mixing
gerunds, infinitives, and participles in one sentence.

Take a look at this example.

I love drawing, to sing, and watched movies.

From simply looking at it, you can already tell that the sentence is
awfully constructed and needs to be changed. To fix this error, you can have
three possible revisions:

Revision #1: Change all verb forms to gerund.

Revised sentence:
I love drawing, singing, and watching movies.

(I is the subject, love is the verb, and the gerunds drawing, singing, and
watching movies act as the direct object of the verb love.)

Revision #2: Change all verb forms to infinitive.

Revised sentence:
I love to draw, to sing, and to watch movies.

(I is the subject, love is the verb, and the infinitives to draw, to sing, and to
watch movies act as the direct object of the verb love.)

Revision #3: Omit the verb love and make the other verb forms your main
verbs in the simple past form.

Revised sentence:
I drew, sang, and watched movies.

Note that the sentences or clauses with mixed verb forms will sound
unnatural and unbalanced. You want to make sure you use the same format
in your sentences for clarity.

Take a look at these examples.

5
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
Incorrect: He likes playing basketball and to watch television.

Correct: He likes playing basketball and watching television.

or He likes to play basketball and to watch television.

Incorrect: She likes reading, playing board games, and to sing.

Correct: She likes reading, playing board games, and singing.

or She likes to read, to play board games, and to sing.

When correcting unparallel sentences such as the ones given above,

you may opt to change it however you like as long as the elements are
balanced and the same. However, most commonly, you would want to look at
the first verb form and make that your basis in changing the other verb forms
to make the sentence parallel.

Let us use the example above.

He likes playing basketball and to watch television.

Notice that the first verb form ends in -ing (gerund). Therefore, it is more
preferable to change the next verb form to watch (infinitive) into a gerund. The
new sentence now becomes:

He likes playing basketball and watching television. (parallel)

NOTE:
Parallelism leads to sentences that flow in a more natural way. Practice
using sentences with parallel elements in your daily conversations to improve
your communication skills.

6
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT'S MORE

Lack of parallelism can happen in a lot of ways, but the mistake is

usually clear enough to make you cringe when you hear it (grammarly.com).

Here are six basic rules in parallelism:

1. Parallelism is used to balance nouns with nouns, prepositional phrases

with prepositional phrases, gerunds with gerunds, infinitives with
infinitives, clauses with clauses.

Examples:
➢ He wanted three things: money, power, and security.
(series of nouns)

➢ Anthony found cleaning supplies in the closet, under the sink

but not in the garage.
(series of prepositional phrase)

➢ Swimming, biking , and running are excellent forms of exercise.

(series of gerunds)

➢ There was no opportunity to do my taxes, to request an

extension, or to explain my situation.
(series of infinitives)

➢ The company doesn’t care about who you are, how you got here,
or why you have come.
(series of clauses)

2. Parallelism is used with elements joined by coordinating conjunctions.

Examples:
Incorrect: My mother likes cooking and to read.
(A gerund cannot be paired with an infinitive)
Correct: My mother likes cooking and reading. or
My mother likes to cook and to read.

NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
3. Parallelism is used with elements in lists or in a series.

Examples:
Incorrect: This task can be done individually, in pairs, or can be done
in groups of four.
Correct: This task can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups of
four.

4. Parallelism is used with elements being compared.

Examples:
Incorrect: She is mad about watching TV more than to read a book.
Correct: She is mad about watching TV more than reading a book.

5. Parallelism is used with elements joined by a linking verb or a form of

be.

Examples:
Incorrect: To learn is understanding the world.
Correct: To learn is to understand the world.

6. Parallelism is used with elements joined by correlative conjunctions.

Examples:
Incorrect: The teacher not only wants his students to keep quiet but
also to do the task.
Correct: The teacher wants his students not only to keep quiet but
also to do the task.
(Notice that the infinitives to keep quiet and to do the task follow the
correlative conjunctions not only and but also.)

Adapted from: https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-

parallelism.php

NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

Directions: Review the lesson on Using Parallel Structure. Then write your
reflection on your notebook by completing the statements below.

I have learned that ________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

I have realized that _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

I will apply _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

WHAT I CAN DO

Directions:
Analyze the sentences below. Then on your activity notebook, write P if the
sentence is well constructed. If the sentence has faulty parallelism, write NP
and change it to make the sentence correct.

1. Tina listed three of her special skills on the resume: singing, dancing,
and acting.

2. Cathy needs to read, write, and speaking English at her job.

3. The leaping lizard and the singing parrot entertained visitors at the
park.

4. All that’s left are abandoned houses and destroyed properties after the
month-long war at Marawi.

5. Listening, speaking, reading, and be able to write—these are the four

macro skills.

9
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
ASSESSMENT

Directions:
Correct the errors in parallel structure in the following sentences. Do this in
your activity notebook.

1. Eggs contain not only protein but are also are full of vitamins.

2. Eggs, however, are high in cholesterol and rather fat-filled.

3. We all need good nutrition and to exercise on a regular basis.

4. George likes both to read books and watching movies.

5. He is smart, honest, and has a great sense of responsibility.

6. In college we learn good writing skills and how to think critically.

7. At the party, my sister helped us make the cake, gathering the kids for
games, clean up, and to drive some kids home.

8. To my horror, my uniform looked stained, torn, and it had wrinkles.

9. My favorite activities are badminton, riding my bike, and playing the

piano.

10. Her chores were to polish the furniture, swept the floor, and to water
the garden.

Additional Activity

Write a short paragraph about your pastime or hobby. Apply parallelism in

structure in constructing your ideas. Be guided with the criteria that follow:

• Form/Convention: 10 pts.
• Clarity of Idea/Content: 10 pts.
• Neatness: 5 pts.

10
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
11
What I Know
Pre-assessment
1. No (provided)
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. No
What’s In
Task 1 Task 2
1. 😊 1. B
2. 😊 2. D
3. ☹
4. ☹
5. 😊
What I Can Do
1. P
2. NP – Cathy needs to read, write, and speak English at her job.
3. P
4. P
5. NP – Listening, speaking, reading, and writing—these are the four macro skills.
Assessment
1. Eggs contain not only protein but also vitamins.
2. Eggs, however, are high in cholesterol and in fat.
3. We all need good nutrition and regular exercise.
4. George likes both to read books and to watch movies.
5. He is smart, honest, and responsible.
6. In college, we learn good writing and critical thinking skills.
7. At the party, my sister helped us make the cake, gathered the kids for games,
cleaned up the mess, and drove some kids home.
8. To my horror, my uniform looked stained, torn, and wrinkled.
9. My favorite activities are playing badminton, riding my bike, and playing the
piano.
10. Her chores were to polish the furniture, to sweep the floor, and to water the
garden.
ANSWER KEYS
REFERENCES

“English”. (n.d). Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles.

https://www.clipnotes.com/study-guides/english/verb/verbals-gerunds-
infinitives-and-participles

“English Grammar_Prallelism Rules and Definition”. (n. d)

https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-
parallelism.php

“Faulty Parallelism Exercises with Answers-Owlcation-Education”.

(2017, May 20). Owlcation.
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Easy-Faculty-Parallelism-Examples-
and-Exercises

“Parallelism-NIU-Effective Writing Practices Tutorials”. (n. d).

https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/grammar/parallelism.shtml

“Parallel Structure/Purdue Writing Lab”. (n. d). Purdue Writing Lab.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/parallel_
structure.html

12
NegOr_Q3_English8_Module6_v2
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:
Department of Education – Schools Division of Negros Oriental
Kagawasan, Avenue, Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tel #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117

Email Address: [email protected]
Website: lrmds.depednodis.net