This chapter contains the following sections:
- PART A:Consistent Tense
- PART B:Consistent Number and Person
- PART C:Parallelism
Chapter introduction:
All good writing is consistent. That is, each sentence and paragraph in the final
draft should move along smoothly without confusing shifts in tense, number, or
person. In addition, good writing uses parallel structure to balance two or more
similar words, phrases, or clauses.
Although you should be aware of consistency and parallelism as you write
the first draft of your paragraph or essay, you might find it easier to revise for
them-that is, to write your first draft and then, as you read it again later, check
and rewrite for consistency and parallelism.
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