Grammar Tips & Articles »

Parallelism

This Grammar.com article is about Parallelism — enjoy your reading!


51 sec read
12,420 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

Rule of Parallel Structure

Note: We devote an entire section to parallel structure in the eBook Developing a Powerful Writing Style. We urge you to read it. We also deal with parallel structure in more detail below.

Notice in the examples above that each series contains elements grammatically identical in function and form. If you violate this rule of parallel construction, you will have produced what some grammarians call a shifted construction; others call it a nonparallel construction.

Look at this example:

He likes running and to play soccer.

Here, both elements of the series perform the same grammatical function: direct object of the verb likes. But they appear in different forms, one as an ‑ing verb (present participle) acting as a noun (that is, a gerund), the other as a to verb (infinitive) acting as a noun. To follow the rule, we would write:

He likes running and playing soccer.

He likes to run and to play soccer.

 

Previous: 1. Coordinating Conjunctions

Next: Serial-Comma Rule - Red, White, and Blue

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Parallelism." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Oct. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/parallelism>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Identify the sentence with correct use of the preposition 'in':
    A He arrived in the evening.
    B The cat is sleeping in the basket.
    C She walked in the garden.
    D The keys are in the drawer.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.