Parallel Structure

For a list of actions or items … … you must maintain parallel structure. To do this, use equal grammatical units. If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns; if the first item is a verb, then make the other items verbs as well

For a list of actions or items … … you must maintain parallel structure. To do this, use equal grammatical units. If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns; if the first item is a verb, then make the other items verbs as well. Nonparallel structure looks like this: At the store, Sue bought NOUN, NOUN, and VERB.

For a list of actions or items … … you must maintain parallel structure. To do this, use equal grammatical units. If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns; if the first item is a verb, then make the other items verbs as well. Nonparallel structure looks like this: At the store, Sue bought NOUN, NOUN, and VERB. At the store, Sue bought pink plastic flamingoes, ceramic gnomes, and then added a concrete mermaid.

For a list of actions or items … … you must maintain parallel structure. To do this, use equal grammatical units. If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns; if the first item is a verb, then make the other items verbs as well. Nonparallel structure looks like this: At the store, Sue bought NOUN, NOUN, and VERB. At the store, Sue bought pink plastic flamingoes, ceramic gnomes, and then added a concrete mermaid.

Parallel Structure Noun, noun, and noun Sue bought flamingoes, gnomes, and mermaids.

Parallel Structure Noun, noun, and noun Verb, verb, and verb Sue bought flamingoes, gnomes, and mermaids. Joe ate cookies, drank milk, and watched TV.

Parallel Structure Noun, noun, and noun Verb, verb, and verb Clause, clause, and clause Sue bought flamingoes, gnomes, and mermaids. Joe ate cookies, drank milk, and watched TV. Shawn asked where we were, how we got there, and how we would get home.

Fixing a nonparallel item Once you discover a nonparallel item, you have two options. Look at this example:

Fixing a nonparallel item We spent the hour in the waiting room reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and we wiggled on the hard plastic chairs.

Fixing a nonparallel item We spent the hour in the waiting room reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and we wiggled on the hard plastic chairs. You may change the nonparallel item (“we wiggled”): We spent the hour in the waiting room reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and wiggling on the hard plastic chairs. OR

Fixing a nonparallel item We spent the hour in the waiting room reading old magazines, eating stale cookies from the vending machine, and we wiggled on the hard plastic chairs. You may change the first two items to match the third one: In the waiting room, we read old magazines, ate stale cookies from the vending machine, and wiggled on the hard plastic chairs.

A list may have . . . Two items (noun and noun) OR A hundred items (verb and verb and verb and verb and verb, etc.), BUT They must all be parallel (have equal grammatical units).

Correlative Conjunctions Either . . . or Neither . . . nor Not only . . . but also Also require parallel structure.

Correlative Conjunctions Either . . . or Neither . . . nor Not only . . . but also Also require parallel structure. Either I swim to Cuba, or I die trying.

Correlative Conjunctions Either . . . or Neither . . . nor Not only . . . but also Also require parallel structure. Either I swim to Cuba, or I die trying. Neither sharks nor strong currents can stop me.

Correlative Conjunctions Either . . . or Neither . . . nor Not only . . . but also Also require parallel structure. Either I swim to Cuba, or I die trying. Neither sharks nor strong currents can stop me. Not only will I become famous, but also I will sell the movie rights for a million dollars.