Question

1. choose the sentence that correctly uses parallel structure.

a. he is a talented actor and a writer of screenplays.
b. playing soccer, studying physics, and he loves cooking.
c. to excel in this job, you need both communication skills and punctuality.
d. they decided to go swimming, played tennis, and to have a picnic.

Explanation:

To determine the sentence with correct parallel structure, we analyze each option:

• Option a: "He is a talented actor and a writer of screenplays." The phrases "a talented actor" (noun phrase) and "a writer of screenplays" (noun phrase) are parallel in structure.
• Option b: "Playing soccer" (gerund phrase), "studying physics" (gerund phrase), and "he loves cooking" (independent clause) are not parallel.
• Option c: "To excel in this job" (infinitive phrase), "you need both communication skills" (noun phrase) and "punctuality" (noun) – the first part is a clause, and the rest are noun phrases, not parallel.
• Option d: "to go swimming" (infinitive phrase), "played tennis" (verb - past tense), and "to have a picnic" (infinitive phrase) are not parallel in verb forms.

So, option a has correct parallel structure as both parts are noun phrases describing the person.

Answer:

a. He is a talented actor and a writer of screenplays.