Parallel Structure

What is parallelism? Two or more ideas in a sentence that are alike in form and purpose. They can and should be expressed in the same grammatical forms.

Incorrect Examples Midge wants to hop, skip, and to jump. At work and while he was playing, Henry always pushed himself hard. This book is out of stock and not being printed. Our band plays at many school dances, town parades, and concert tours. We bought that fridge from a discount store and with a four-year guarantee.

Let’s Correct Them… Midge wants to hop, skip, and jump. At work and at play, Henry always pushed himself hard. This book is out of stock and out of print. Our band plays at many school dances, marches in town parades, and makes several concert tours. We bought that fridge from a discount store; it carries a four-year guarantee.

Conjunctions and either neither nor not only but also