L.9-10.1: Parallel Structure and Using Phrases and Clauses
In plain English: L.9-10.1 is the Common Core ELA standard that asks students to show command of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Students use parallel structure, and they choose among noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional and absolute phrases and independent, dependent, noun, relative and adverbial clauses to make meaning precise and sentences varied, usually in English 9 and 10.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a.Use parallel structure.
b.Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Language Standards · Cluster: Conventions of Standard English · Official standard
Students learn to build sentences on purpose. First they practice parallel structure: items joined by and, or or but, items in a series, and the halves of pairs such as not only ... but also take the same grammatical form. They see the principle at work in the opening of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities (1859), which builds a long run of paired clauses on one pattern.
Then students study the phrase and clause types the standard names. A phrase is a group of related words without a subject and verb; a clause has a subject and a verb. Students identify noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional and absolute phrases, and independent, dependent, noun, relative and adverbial clauses, in the opening of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage (1895). The emphasis is on use, as the standard asks: students combine and expand sentences in writing and in a short spoken presentation, and explain what meaning each phrase or clause adds.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Revise sentences so that items in a series, compared items and paired items have parallel grammatical form
Identify noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional and absolute phrases and explain what each adds to a sentence
Identify independent and dependent clauses and classify dependent clauses as noun, relative or adverbial
Combine and expand sentences with chosen phrases and clauses to make meaning precise and add variety in writing and in speech
Explain how a published author uses parallel structure, phrases and clauses for effect
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
The function of phrases and clauses in general and in specific sentences L.7.1
Verbals: gerunds, participles and infinitives L.8.1
Parts of speech, and subjects and verbs in simple sentences
"Read the two sentences aloud. Which one is easier to follow, and why? (1) The new club wants members who are curious, with patience, and to show up on time. (2) The new club wants members who are curious, patient and punctual."
Take a quick vote, then ask students to explain what makes sentence 2 easier to follow. Guide them to notice that sentence 2 lists three adjectives, while sentence 1 mixes an adjective, a prepositional phrase and an infinitive phrase. Name the idea: parallel structure. Tell students that today they will also learn the names of the building blocks in sentence 1 (phrases and clauses) so they can choose them on purpose.
Direct Instruction20 minutes
Part 1: Parallel structure (standard a). The rule: elements joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or), elements in a series, elements compared with than or as, and the two halves of a correlative pair (either ... or, neither ... nor, not only ... but also, both ... and) take the same grammatical form: noun with noun, verb phrase with verb phrase, clause with clause. With a correlative pair, the words after each half must match.
Part 2: Phrases and clauses (standard b). A clause has a subject and a verb; an independent clause can stand alone, and a dependent clause cannot. A phrase is a group of related words that lacks a subject-verb pair. Use Diagram 1 for the seven phrase types and Diagram 2 for the clause types. Point out that some names describe a phrase's form (prepositional, participial) and others its job (adjectival, adverbial), so one phrase can carry two names: "under the bleachers" is a prepositional phrase that works as an adverb in "The cat hid under the bleachers." Grammar books also differ slightly on the term verb phrase; this lesson uses the school definition, the main verb with its helping verbs.
Parallel structure in a series
The lab report must be typed, include a data table, and it should be turned in by Friday.
Result: Revised: The lab report must be typed, include a data table and be turned in by Friday. All three items are now verb phrases that follow must. The rule: items in a series take the same grammatical form.
Parallel structure with a correlative pair
Marisol not only finished the mural but also she painted the sign.
Result: Revised: Marisol not only finished the mural but also painted the sign. The words after not only and after but also are now both verb phrases (finished the mural, painted the sign).
Combining with participial and absolute phrases
The runner crossed the finish line. Her arms were raised. She was grinning at the crowd.
Result: Combined: Her arms raised, the runner crossed the finish line, grinning at the crowd. "Her arms raised" is an absolute phrase (a noun plus a modifier) that adds a detail to the whole scene; "grinning at the crowd" is a participial phrase that describes the runner.
Combining with relative and adverbial clauses
The bridge was closed. It had been built in 1932. Inspectors found cracks.
Result: Combined: Because inspectors found cracks, the bridge, which had been built in 1932, was closed. The adverbial clause gives the reason, the relative clause adds a fact about the bridge, and the independent clause carries the main news.
Choosing a noun clause for emphasis
Something worried the park rangers. The river was rising faster than usual.
Result: Combined: What worried the park rangers was that the river was rising faster than usual. Both what worried the park rangers and that the river was rising faster than usual are noun clauses; the structure delays the key fact to the end of the sentence, where it gets the most weight.
Part 3: Parallel structure in a published text. Read the Dickens paragraphs aloud. Ask students to mark the pattern that repeats in paragraph 1 and to count how many times it appears before the pattern breaks. In paragraph 2, have them compare the two halves joined by the semicolon, word by word, and circle the one word that changes. Discuss: what does the repeated form make the reader notice, and what would be lost if each unit were worded differently? Note that Dickens's punctuation in paragraph 1 is a choice for rhythm; students punctuate their own sentences by current conventions (a semicolon, or a comma with a coordinating conjunction, between closely related sentences).
1It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
2There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Book the First, chapter I, "The Period" (first two paragraphs) (1859). Public domain (published 1859). Source text.
Guided Practice15-20 minutes
Read the Crane excerpt (paragraphs 1-3; a bracketed mark shows where several paragraphs are left out). In pairs, students highlight independent clauses in one color, dependent clauses in a second and phrases in a third. Model the first sentence together, then pairs complete the organizer below for paragraph 1 and discuss what each phrase or clause adds. Save paragraphs 2 and 3 for the quiz.
1The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting. As the landscape changed from brown to green, the army awakened, and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors. It cast its eyes upon the roads, which were growing from long troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares. A river, amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army’s feet; and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of distant hills.
2Once a certain tall soldier developed virtues and went resolutely to wash a shirt. He came flying back from a brook waving his garment bannerlike. He was swelled with a tale he had heard from a reliable friend, who had heard it from a truthful cavalryman, who had heard it from his trustworthy brother, one of the orderlies at division headquarters. He adopted the important air of a herald in red and gold.
[...]
3Many of the men engaged in a spirited debate. One outlined in a peculiarly lucid manner all the plans of the commanding general. He was opposed by men who advocated that there were other plans of campaign. They clamored at each other, numbers making futile bids for the popular attention. Meanwhile, the soldier who had fetched the rumor bustled about with much importance. He was continually assailed by questions.
Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, chapter I (excerpts: the opening paragraphs and the camp debate) (1895). Public domain (published 1895). Source text.
Phrase and clause organizer for paragraph 1 (teacher key in the second column)
Words from paragraph 1
Type (teacher key)
What it adds (students fill in)
The cold passed reluctantly from the earth
Independent clause
stretched out on the hills
Participial phrase describing the army
which were growing from long troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares
Relative clause modifying the roads
amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks
Adjectival phrase describing the river
from long troughs of liquid mud
Prepositional phrase (inside the relative clause)
Close with a revision move: ask pairs to rewrite Crane's first sentence as two short simple sentences, read both versions aloud, and say what is lost. (The participial phrase and the single word resting let Crane show the army and its stillness in one view.)
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students revise the Night Market draft below. They fix the two sentences with faulty parallel structure, then combine at least three pairs of short sentences, using at least one participial or absolute phrase, one relative clause and one adverbial clause. They label each choice in the margin and write one sentence explaining the meaning it adds. Students who finish early read the revision aloud to a partner, who listens for any sentence that has become too long to follow.
Every Friday in summer, our town closes Maple Street for a night market. The market has food stalls. It has live music. Vendors sell tamales, handmade soap, and you can also buy fresh peaches. The lights come on at seven. The street fills with people. My favorite stall is run by Mrs. Okafor. She sells mango ice pops. They melt fast in the heat. Kids like the market because it is fun, the prices are low, and for staying up late. The market closes at ten. The street is quiet again.
Written for this page (an invented student draft), Draft paragraph for revision: The Night Market. Original passage written for this page.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Write one sentence about today's class that uses a parallel series of three verb phrases. (2) Add an absolute phrase or a relative clause to the sentence The bell rang. and name the structure you added.
Teacher note: the lesson uses short excerpts, so the Crane passage skips the paragraphs that follow the tall soldier's rumor. If students read the whole chapter, some of its words for people reflect the language of the 1890s; discuss them as part of the historical text and do not repeat them in student writing.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a one-page chart of the seven phrase types and five clause types with one short example each (Diagrams 1 and 2 on a single sheet)
Start with two-part parallel pairs before series of three, and let students check parallel items by stacking them in a column
Pre-mark the subjects and verbs in the Crane excerpt so students can find clauses before labeling phrases
For Advanced Students
Have students imitate the pattern of Dickens's first paragraph in a paragraph about their own time, keeping the parallel form
Ask students to find three absolute phrases in a novel they are reading and explain why the author chose an absolute rather than a new sentence
Have students revise a paragraph of their own writing twice, once for speed (more independent clauses) and once for detail (more phrases), and compare the effects
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Grade two skills separately. For parallel structure, look for matching forms in every series and pair, including the words after each half of a correlative pair. For phrases and clauses, look for correct labels and, more important, for choices that add a specific meaning: a relative clause that identifies, an adverbial clause that gives time or cause, an absolute phrase that adds a detail. Watch for a common confusion between participial and absolute phrases (an absolute has its own noun), and for students who combine sentences into one long string without adding meaning.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Parallel Structure Repair Shop
15 minGroups of 3-4
Each group receives 8 repair cards, each with a sentence whose parallel structure is broken. Groups repair every sentence and name the form they matched (standard a).
Repair Cards
1. The recipe calls for flour, sugar, and you need two eggs.
2. Jamal is talented, hardworking, and has a lot of kindness.
3. We spent the afternoon swimming, playing volleyball, and at the snack bar.
4. Neither the heat nor being tired stopped the runners.
5. It is better to ask a question than staying confused.
6. The new park has a skate ramp, two tennis courts, and it has a dog run.
7. She not only writes the lyrics but also is composing the music.
8. The job requires patience, being accurate, and a driver's license.
Procedure
Groups stack the parallel items of each card in a column to see which one does not match, then rewrite the sentence
For each card, the group names the matched form (nouns, adjectives, verb phrases, gerund phrases, infinitive phrases)
Groups trade cards with another group and check each other's repairs
Teacher key (one possible repair each): 1. flour, sugar and two eggs; 2. talented, hardworking and kind; 3. swimming, playing volleyball and eating at the snack bar; 4. Neither the heat nor fatigue; 5. to ask a question than to stay confused; 6. a skate ramp, two tennis courts and a dog run; 7. not only writes the lyrics but also composes the music; 8. patience, accuracy and a driver's license
Discussion Questions
Which cards could be repaired in more than one way? Does the choice change the meaning?
Why is card 7 easy to miss when you read it silently?
Where have you seen parallel structure used on purpose, in speeches, songs or ads?
2
Phrase Expansion Relay
20 minGroups of 4
Groups grow one plain sentence, phrase by phrase, and decide which additions make the meaning more specific and which only make the sentence longer (standard b, phrases).
Base Sentence and Phrase Cards
Base sentence: The ferry left the dock.
Phrase cards (one per turn): prepositional phrase working as an adverb; participial phrase; absolute phrase; noun phrase used as an appositive; adjectival phrase; verb phrase with two helping verbs
Procedure
The first student draws a card and adds that type of phrase to the base sentence; the next student draws a card and adds to the new version, and so on
After each turn, the group reads the sentence aloud and votes: keep the phrase, move it or cut it
Groups write their final sentence on chart paper and label every phrase
A sample final sentence for the teacher: At dawn, the ferry, a rusty boat with a red stripe, left the dock, its horn echoing across the bay, carrying forty commuters toward the city. (At dawn: prepositional phrase as adverb; a rusty boat with a red stripe: appositive noun phrase; its horn echoing across the bay: absolute phrase; carrying forty commuters toward the city: participial phrase)
Discussion Questions
Which phrase added the most specific meaning? Which added the least?
What happened to the sentence when every card was used? Where would you split it?
How does moving a phrase to the start of the sentence change the emphasis?
Modification for Distance Learning
Post the base sentence in a shared document and let students add phrases in turn in a comment thread, then vote with reactions.
3
Clause Choices
15 minPairs
Pairs combine short sentences in different ways with relative, adverbial and noun clauses, then present their best version aloud and explain the meaning it signals (standard b, clauses, in writing and presentations).
Sentence Sets
Set 1: The school garden won an award. Students planted it last spring.
Set 2: The concert was canceled. The band's bus broke down.
Set 3: The principal made an announcement. Phones will be collected during tests.
Procedure
For each set, pairs write two combined versions using different clause types, for example a relative clause and an adverbial clause
Pairs mark the independent clause in each version and say which idea it makes the main one
Each pair reads one version aloud to the class as if announcing it at an assembly, and the class names the clause type they heard
Teacher note for Set 2: "Because the band's bus broke down, the concert was canceled" states a cause, while "The concert was canceled when the band's bus broke down" states only a time; the clause type changes the meaning
Challenge Variation
Combine all three sets into one short paragraph for the school announcements, using at least one clause of each type (noun, relative, adverbial), and time how long it takes to read aloud.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: The Seven Phrase Types
Each row shows one phrase type the standard names, with a short example and the job the phrase does. Some names describe form (prepositional, participial, absolute) and others describe function (adjectival, adverbial), so one phrase can have two names: a prepositional phrase usually works as an adjective or an adverb.
Diagram 2: Clause Types in One Sentence
The sentence has one independent clause and three dependent clauses, one of each dependent type the standard names: an adverbial clause (when), a relative clause (which students) and a noun clause (what they handed in). Only the independent clause could stand alone.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
L.9-10.1 Homework: Parallel Structure, Phrases and Clauses
Directions: Complete all six problems. For Problems 3 and 5, name each structure using the terms from Diagrams 1 and 2. For Problems 2, 4 and 6, write in complete sentences and label the structures you use.
Part 1: Parallel Structure (Problems 1-2)
Revise each sentence so that it uses parallel structure, and name the form you matched: (a) The volunteers sorted cans, were folding blankets, and they also packed boxes. (b) Reading the manual is easier than to guess. (c) The mayor promised not only lower fees but also to repave Main Street. (d) Good study habits include taking breaks, a quiet place, and to review notes daily. (e) She would rather walk to school than taking the bus.
Write the opening of a one-minute class presentation (four or five sentences) on a change you would like to see at school. Include a parallel series of three items, a correlative pair (either ... or, neither ... nor, not only ... but also, or both ... and) with matching forms, and one pair of balanced clauses like those in Dickens's paragraph 1. Label each.
Part 2: Phrases (Problems 3-4)
Name the type of each phrase in bold: noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional or absolute. For each prepositional phrase, also say whether it works as an adjective or an adverb. (a) The tired lifeguard blew the whistle. (b) The band has been rehearsing since noon. (c) The soup, too hot to eat, sat on the stove. (d) We left early in the morning. (e) Covered in frost, the car would not start. (f) The bench near the fountain needs paint. (g) Its engine sputtering, the old truck climbed the hill. (h) The cat hid under the porch.
Start with the sentence The mechanic lifted the hood. Write three new versions: (a) add a noun phrase used as an appositive, (b) add a participial phrase, (c) add an absolute phrase. After each version, write one sentence explaining the specific meaning the phrase adds.
Part 3: Clauses (Problems 5-6)
Bracket every clause and label it independent, noun, relative or adverbial: (a) The painting that hangs in the lobby was donated by a former student. (b) Whoever finishes first may leave. (c) Unless the rain stops, the game will be postponed. (d) I wonder whether the bakery is open. (e) The coach, who had played in college, explained why the drill mattered.
Combine each set into one sentence using the clause type named: (a) relative clause: The tutor helped me with algebra. The tutor is a senior. (b) adverbial clause: The power went out. We finished the game by flashlight. (c) noun clause: Nobody knows who left the flowers. This is still a mystery. Then write a five-sentence paragraph describing a place at your school in which at least three sentences begin in different ways (with a phrase, with a dependent clause and with the subject). Label the openings.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Parallel Structure
All five sentences repaired and the matched form named; Problem 2 includes all three labeled patterns
Three or four repaired, or one pattern missing
Fewer than three repaired
Phrase Types
At least seven of eight phrases named correctly; three correct expansions
Five or six named correctly, or one expansion incorrect
Fewer than five
Clause Types
All clauses bracketed and labeled; three correct combinations
Most clauses labeled, or one combination incorrect
Clauses not identified
Meaning and Variety
Each explanation names a specific meaning; the paragraph uses three different openings
Explanations are general, or two openings
No explanations, or openings all alike
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 3, 4 and 19 use the Dickens passage in Direct Instruction, and Questions 5-10 use the Crane passage in Guided Practice (Question 10 uses paragraph 1; the others use paragraphs 2 and 3). Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
Answer: B
B lists three infinitive phrases (to raise, to recruit, to plan), so the items in the series match. A ends with a clause (that we should rest) after two infinitives. C mixes gerund phrases with an infinitive phrase (to swim at the lake). D ends with an independent clause (it had very few spelling errors) after two adjectives.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision follows parallel structure? You can either take the early bus or you can ride with Dana.
Answer: A
With a correlative pair, the words after either and after or must match. In A both are verb phrases (take the early bus, ride with Dana). B puts a clause after either but only a verb phrase after or. C keeps the unequal halves and shifts the verb form. D pairs a verb phrase with a participle (riding).
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 1 of the Dickens passage, which structure does Dickens repeat in parallel?
Answer: C
Each item has a subject and a verb (it was, we had, we were), so each is an independent clause, and each pair uses the same pattern with opposite words. A and D point to words that do appear, but going direct to Heaven is part of the verb phrase were going, and for good or for evil is a pair of prepositional phrases; neither is the repeated unit, which has its own subject and verb. B is wrong because that clause does not modify times and is not repeated.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2 of the Dickens passage, why is the verb were correct in "There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face"?
Answer: D
In a sentence that opens with there, the subject follows the verb, and a compound subject joined by and takes a plural verb. A attaches the verb to the object of a preposition. B is false: there is not the subject, and the verb can be was or were depending on what follows. C ignores the rule for compound subjects.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2 of the Crane passage, what kind of phrase is "waving his garment bannerlike"?
Answer: B
The phrase begins with the participle waving and describes the soldier (He). A is wrong because the phrase has no preposition. C is wrong because an absolute phrase has its own noun before the participle (his garment waving); this one has none. D is wrong because the words have no subject-verb pair and no relative pronoun.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3 of the Crane passage, what is "numbers making futile bids for the popular attention"?
Answer: D
The phrase has its own noun (numbers) followed by a participle (making), and it adds a detail to the whole scene of "They clamored at each other," which makes it an absolute phrase. A misses the noun numbers, which a participial phrase would not have. B and C fail because making is a participle, not a finished verb, so there is no clause.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2 of the Crane passage, what is the job of "one of the orderlies at division headquarters"?
Answer: C
The phrase is built on the pronoun one with its modifiers; dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster count a pronoun with its modifiers as a noun phrase in the broad sense, because it does a noun's job, and an appositive may be a noun or a pronoun. It sits right after his trustworthy brother to rename him, which is what an appositive does. A misreads it: it tells who the brother is, not where. B would need a participle or modifier attached to its own noun. D fails because the words have no verb and no relative pronoun.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3 of the Crane passage, what is "that there were other plans of campaign"?
Answer: A
The clause answers the question "advocated what?", so it does a noun's job as the direct object. B confuses the two uses of that: here that does not refer back to a noun, it introduces the content of what the men advocated. C gives it a job it does not do. D fails because the words have a subject and verb (there were ... plans).
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2 of the Crane passage, what is "who had heard it from a truthful cavalryman"?
Answer: C
The clause begins with the relative pronoun who, which refers back to the noun just before it, a reliable friend, and it tells us more about that friend. A misreads its job: it modifies a noun instead of acting as one. B would need a subordinating word such as because or when. D fails because a clause that begins with who cannot stand alone as a sentence here.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 1 of the Crane passage, what is "As the landscape changed from brown to green"?
Answer: A
The clause has a subject and verb (the landscape changed) and begins with the subordinating conjunction as, so it cannot stand alone; it modifies the verb awakened by telling when. B ignores the word as, which makes the clause dependent. C fails because the subject of the main clause is the army. D mistakes as for a preposition, but here it is followed by a full clause.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which words form the verb phrase in this sentence? By next June, the students will have planted forty trees along the creek.
Answer: D
A verb phrase is the main verb with its helping verbs: will and have help the main verb planted. A and C are prepositional phrases working as adverbs (when, where), and B is a noun phrase, the direct object.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which phrase works as an adverb in this sentence? The lanterns in the barn flickered after midnight.
Answer: B
After midnight is a prepositional phrase that tells when the lanterns flickered, so it modifies the verb and works as an adverb. C is also a prepositional phrase, but it follows the noun lanterns and tells which lanterns, so it works as an adjective. A is a noun phrase, and D is not a phrase at all: it splits the verb from its prepositional phrase.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the job of the bold words? The recipe, simple enough for a beginner, calls for three ingredients.
Answer: B
The phrase is built on the adjective simple and describes the noun recipe, so it is an adjectival phrase. A attaches it to the wrong word: it tells what kind of recipe, not how it calls for anything. C would need its own noun. D fails because the phrase has no subject and verb.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision combines the two sentences with an absolute phrase? The storm had passed. The hikers continued up the trail.
Answer: C
In C, the storm having passed is a noun plus a participle that modifies the whole main clause, which is an absolute phrase, and it keeps the original meaning. A uses an adverbial clause (it has the finished verb had passed). B uses a participial phrase and changes the meaning: now the hikers passed the storm. D uses a relative clause and changes what happened.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Revise the sentence for parallel structure and name the rule you applied: At the meeting, the students asked for longer library hours, a quieter study room, and that the printers be fixed.
Model answer: "At the meeting, the students asked for longer library hours, a quieter study room and working printers." Items in a series take the same grammatical form; the first two items are noun phrases, so the third becomes a noun phrase instead of a clause (that the printers be fixed). Rubric line: 2 points for a revision with three matching noun phrases and the rule named; 1 point for a correct revision with no rule.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Identify every clause in this sentence as independent or dependent, and name the type of each dependent clause. Then explain what each dependent clause adds. Although the museum was crowded, we found the exhibit that our teacher had recommended.
Model answer: "Although the museum was crowded" is a dependent adverbial clause; it adds a contrast (a condition that might have stopped us). "We found the exhibit" is the independent clause, the main idea. "That our teacher had recommended" is a dependent relative clause modifying exhibit; it tells which exhibit. Rubric line: 2 points for all three clauses labeled correctly with what each adds; 1 point for correct labels without explanations, or two of three correct.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Combine each pair into one sentence using the clause type named, and underline or name the clause. (a) Noun clause: The coach revealed something. The team had qualified for the state finals. (b) Relative clause: The trophy sits in the lobby. The team won it in 2019.
Model answer: (a) "The coach revealed that the team had qualified for the state finals." The noun clause that the team had qualified for the state finals is the direct object of revealed. (b) "The trophy that the team won in 2019 sits in the lobby." (or "The trophy, which the team won in 2019, sits in the lobby.") The relative clause modifies trophy. Rubric line: 2 points for both combinations with the correct clause type; 1 point for one.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Expand the sentence The drummer kept the beat. twice: once with a participial phrase and once with an adverbial phrase or clause. Explain the specific meaning each addition gives the reader.
Model answer: "Nodding to the singer, the drummer kept the beat." The participial phrase describes the drummer and shows how the drummer works with the band. "The drummer kept the beat until the last chord faded." The adverbial clause tells how long he kept it. Any correct participial phrase and adverbial phrase or clause earns credit if the explanation names a specific meaning (who, how, when, why). Rubric line: 2 points for two correct expansions with specific explanations; 1 point for one, or for two with vague explanations.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
In paragraph 1 of the Dickens passage, how does parallel structure help convey Dickens's meaning? Quote one pair of clauses and explain the effect.
Model answer: Dickens repeats one clause pattern with opposite words, as in "it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness." Because the form of each pair is identical, the only thing that changes is the key word, so the reader notices the contrast. The run of pairs suggests that the period held extremes side by side, and the closing clause says that its "noisiest authorities" described it only in superlatives. Rubric line: 2 points for an accurate quotation and an explanation linking the repeated form to the contrasts; 1 point for a quotation with a general explanation.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
A student will read this paragraph aloud in a class presentation. Revise it so it sounds less choppy, using at least one adverbial clause, one relative clause and one participial phrase. Label each. Our class cleaned the creek on Saturday. We found a shopping cart. It was stuck in the mud. We pulled it out. The water was cold.
Model answer: "When our class cleaned the creek on Saturday, we found a shopping cart that was stuck in the mud. Standing in the cold water, we pulled it out." When our class cleaned the creek on Saturday is an adverbial clause (time); that was stuck in the mud is a relative clause modifying cart; standing in the cold water is a participial phrase describing we. The revision keeps every fact and gives a listener fewer, clearer sentences. Rubric line: 2 points for all three structures, labeled, with the facts kept; 1 point for two structures.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does L.9-10.1 mean?
L.9-10.1 means that students in grades 9 and 10 use standard English grammar correctly when they write and speak, with a focus on how sentences are built.
Part a asks for parallel structure. Part b asks students to use seven types of phrases and five types of clauses to make meaning specific and to add variety to writing and presentations.
What is parallel structure?
Parallel structure means giving matching ideas the same grammatical form.
Items in a series, items joined by and or or, compared items and the two halves of pairs such as either ... or should match: "to read, to write and to speak," not "to read, writing and speech."
What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?
A clause has a subject and a verb; a phrase does not.
"When the rain stopped" is a clause (rain, stopped). "After the rain" is a phrase. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, and a dependent clause cannot.
What is an absolute phrase?
An absolute phrase is a noun plus a modifier, usually a participle, that adds a detail to a whole clause.
In "Her voice shaking, Ana began the speech," the words her voice shaking are an absolute phrase. It differs from a participial phrase ("Shaking, Ana began") because it has its own noun.
Is a prepositional phrase adjectival or adverbial?
It can be either: prepositional names the form, and adjectival or adverbial names the job.
In "The dog in the yard barked at noon," in the yard tells which dog (adjectival), and at noon tells when it barked (adverbial).
How is L.9-10.1 different from L.11-12.1?
L.9-10.1 focuses on building sentences, while L.11-12.1 focuses on judging usage.
The grade 9-10 standard names parallel structure and specific phrase and clause types. The grade 11-12 standard asks students to understand that usage is a convention that changes and to resolve contested usage with references.
Do students need to memorize all the phrase and clause names?
Students need the names to talk about their choices, but the standard's goal is use, not labels.
A student who can combine sentences with an absolute phrase or a relative clause to make meaning clearer has met the goal, even if the label takes a moment to recall.
How is L.9-10.1 tested?
L.9-10.1 is usually tested with editing questions that ask students to choose the version of a sentence with correct structure.
The digital SAT Reading and Writing section includes a Standard English Conventions domain with sentence-structure items, and many state tests include similar editing questions. Classroom tests often add sentence-combining and short written explanations.
Is it wrong to start a sentence with because?
No: a sentence may begin with because as long as the dependent clause is attached to an independent clause.
"Because the bus was late, we missed the opening" is correct. "Because the bus was late." on its own is a fragment, which is where the classroom warning comes from.
How can parents help with phrases and clauses at home?
Ask your student to add detail to a plain sentence and to say what the new words tell you.
Start with a sentence such as "The dog slept," and take turns adding where, when, how or which dog. Speeches and song lyrics are also good places to spot parallel structure together.
07
Related Standards
6 standards
These standards connect to L.9-10.1: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
L.7.1Prerequisite
Explain the function of phrases and clauses and correct misplaced modifiers
Lesson coming soon
L.8.1Prerequisite
Explain the function of verbals: gerunds, participles and infinitives
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
L.9-10.2Parallel
Use semicolons and colons correctly, and spell correctly
Lesson coming soon
SL.9-10.6Parallel
Adapt speech to contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate
Lesson coming soon
After this lesson
L.11-12.1Next step
Command of usage, knowing that usage changes and is sometimes contested
