Lesson 3: Parallel Structure & Fixing Modifiers

B2 Advanced Writing Focus: To write at a professional B2 level, your sentences must be balanced and clear. Today, we are learning to polish your writing by mastering Parallel Structure and fixing Modifiers.

Parallel structure ensures that items in a list use the same grammatical form (keeping lists grammatically identical). Fixing modifiers ensures that your descriptive phrases point exactly to the right noun, avoiding confusing or humorous misunderstandings.

warning The "Funny" Mistake

If you misplace a modifier, you can accidentally create a very funny sentence!

Example: "Covered in spicy pepper sauce, the tourist loved the crab."
Wait... was the tourist covered in sauce? No! Modifiers must go right next to the noun they describe: "The tourist loved the crab covered in spicy pepper sauce."

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Structure & Style Rules

Stylistic Balance

Parallel Gerunds (-ing)

When listing activities, keep all verbs in the exact same format. If you start with an '-ing' verb, all verbs in the list must be '-ing'.

close Bad: The eco-tour involves hiking the trails, kayaking the river, and to sleep in a tent.

check Good: The eco-tour involves hiking the trails, kayaking the river, and sleeping in a tent.

Stylistic Balance

Parallel Infinitives (to do)

The same rule applies to the infinitive form. Balance is key in professional writing.

close Bad: The manager asked the staff to clean the lobby, prepare the rooms, and greeting the guests.

check Good: The manager asked the staff to clean the lobby, to prepare the rooms, and to greet the guests.

Fixing Errors

Misplaced Modifiers

A descriptive phrase that is placed too far away from the word it is supposed to describe, causing confusion.

close Bad: I bought a traditional scarf for my mother woven from red silk. (Is your mother made of silk?)

check Good: I bought a traditional scarf woven from red silk for my mother.

Fixing Errors

Dangling Modifiers

This happens when you start a sentence with a descriptive phrase, but the subject doing the action is missing or wrong in the second half of the sentence.

close Bad: Walking around the temple, the sun was incredibly hot. (The sun was not walking!)

check Good: While we were walking around the temple, the sun was incredibly hot.

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B2 Editing Check

edit_document Tour Brochure Editing

Fill in the blank to create perfect parallel structure: "Our luxury resort offers relaxing spas, amazing swimming pools, and ______."

(Hint: We need a noun or a gerund to match 'spas' and 'pools'.)

mail Professional Email Review

Which sentence fixes the misplaced modifier correctly? (Original: "I served the coffee to the client in the white cup.")

(Hint: The client is not inside the cup!)

school Academic Essay Check

Identify the dangling modifier that needs to be fixed.

(Hint: Which sentence makes it sound like the luggage walked into the hotel?)

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B2 Lesson Complete!

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Study Resources

Lesson Summary & Review

Let's review the key concepts covered in the interactive module above to ensure you are ready to write advanced, professional sentences.

Parallel Structure

When you connect two or more ideas, make sure they share the same grammatical structure.

• Parallel Gerunds: "I enjoy hiking, swimming, and exploring."
• Parallel Infinitives: "I want to hike, to swim, and to explore."

Placing Modifiers

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes another word. You must place it as close as possible to the word it describes to avoid confusion.

• Misplaced Modifiers: Modifiers placed too far away. (e.g., "I served the coffee to the client in the white cup." → "I served the coffee in the white cup to the client.")
• Dangling Modifiers: Modifiers that don't logically attach to any word in the sentence. (e.g., "Arriving at the hotel, the luggage was taken to the room." → "When we arrived at the hotel, the luggage was taken to the room.")