AccelePrep for the ACT Test 2nd Edition Student Text

C HAPTER 2 | H YPER P REP E NGLISH • 41

FAULTY PARALLELISM

Whenever elements of a sentence perform similar functions, they should have the same form. If they do not, the sentence is considered to have faulty parallelism. 2. To abandon their homes, leave behind their families, and traveling across the ocean required great courage on the part of the immigrants who moved to America. F. NO CHANGE G. travel across the ocean H. to travel across the ocean J. while traveling across the ocean Example: 1. Make sure sentences are not fragmented or missing elements. 2. Elements of a sentence that have similar functions must take the same form or be parallel. SUM IT UP - FAULTY PARALLELISM A comma splice results from the incorrect use of a comma to separate two independent clauses. Comma splices can be corrected in one of three ways: replace the comma with end-stop punctuation, with a semicolon, or with an appropriate connector. 3. The weather forecast predicted heavy rain, the baseball game was postponed until the following day. A. NO CHANGE B. rain while the C. rain, so the D. rain the

POWER TIP Check that all elements of a sentence are parallel— including verb forms, noun forms, and word pairs such as “this . . . that,” “either . . . or,” and “neither . . . nor.”

COMMA SPLICES

Example: