There are five parallelism mistakes in each of the
following passages. Identify the
faulty sentences and rewrite them correctly.
Passage A
For the 10 percent of the American population that is left-handed, life
is not easy. Using a pair of
scissors or to write in a spiral notebook can be very difficult.
The scissors and the notebook are two items designed for right-handers.
Also, have you ever seen a “southpaw” take notes or writing an exam
at one of those right-handed half-desks? The
poor “lefty” has to twist like a yoga devotee or in the style of a circus
acrobat in order to reach the paper. But
a recent study proves that being left-handed can be psychologically damaging as
well as tax a person physically. A
survey of 2,300 people showed that 20 percent more left-handers than
right-handers smoked. Could lefties
smoke to relieve the tension or forgetting the problems of living in a
right-handed world?
Passage B
Some people today are “survivalists.”
These people, because they fear some great disaster in the near future
(like economic collapse or nuclear war), are preparing for a catastrophe.
Hoarding food, stockpiling weapons, and the achievement of
self-sufficiency are some of the activities of survivalists.
In Arkansas, for example, one group has built a mountain fortress to
defend its supplies and staying safe. Arkansas,
the group feels, is the best place to be for several reasons:
it is an unlikely target for nuclear attack; it offers plentiful supplies
of food and water; a good climate. Some
Americans feel that the attitude of survivalists is selfish and greed.
These people say that such a philosophy turns society into a
“dog-eat-dog” race for life. Other
people believe that after a nuclear war, the world, with radiation and where
there would be disease, wouldn’t be worth living in.
Home | Handouts and Worksheets
| Writing
Advice | Bibliography Formats |
Research Tools
Regents Exam | Videos
| Dept. of Writing and Linguistics
| GSU | Links
This page is maintained by the Georgia
Southern University Writing Center
Please send comments and corrections to the webmaster.
This page last updated on 2/18/03