Free GMAT Course > Sentence Correction > Seven Error Types > 3. Parallelism > C. Lists of Adjectives or Adverbs

Just like verbs, adverbs and adjectives in a list must agree. Descriptive words are easy to replace with wordy phrases, and test writers will try to trip you up by including a verb or phrase among a list of adjectives or adverbs:

On the morning of his fourth birthday, Johnny was giggly, energetic, and couldn’t wait for the party to begin.

If you read through the sentence quickly, it might sound acceptable. However, the list includes one item that doesn’t belong:

This looks like a list of adjectives until you reach the third item in the list – it’s not an adjective, it’s a verb. The “list of adjectives” won’t be parallel until the last item matches the others:

This example replaces the verb phrase couldn’t wait with the descriptive phrase very eager — which includes an adjective. Note that this list is parallel even though one of the items in the list is modified.

Watch for consistency in item type as well as consistency of form.

Incorrect: On the morning of his fourth birthday, Johnny was giggly, energetic and couldn’t wait for the party to begin.
Correct: On the morning of his fourth birthday, Johnny was giggly, energetic and very eager for the party to begin.

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