المدونة / Parallel Structure Mistakes: 12 Real Examples and How to Fix Them

Parallel Structure Mistakes: 12 Real Examples and How to Fix Them

Parallel structure means that items in a list, or on either side of and, or, or either… or, take the same grammatical form: all nouns, all -ing forms, all infinitives, and so on. Faulty parallelism is not always a grammatical error in the strict sense, but it makes sentences harder to read, and it is one of the most frequent comments on academic papers. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot.

The corrections below are written in formal, academic English.

1. Mixing -ing forms and infinitives

✗ Jerry likes running, playing with his friends, and to eat.
✓ Jerry likes running, playing with his friends, and eating.

✗ I like swimming, running, and to dance.
✓ I like swimming, running, and dancing.

✗ I love to cook and baking.
✓ I love cooking and baking.

2. Mixing verb tenses in a list

✗ Yesterday, John played soccer, walked, and playing games.
✓ Yesterday, John played soccer, walked, and played games.

✗ Michelle enjoyed when she camped and making s'mores.
✓ Michelle enjoyed camping and making s'mores.

✗ Curfews keep teenagers out of trouble and eliminating worries.
✓ Curfews keep teenagers out of trouble and eliminate worries.

3. Mixing nouns and adjectives

✗ She felt happiness and sad at the same time.
✓ She felt happiness and sadness at the same time.

✗ He wanted to learn more about careers in programming, engineering, biochemist, and research scientist.
✓ He wanted to learn more about careers in programming, engineering, biochemistry, and scientific research.

4. Comparing unlike things

✗ A monkey is a better pet than squirrels.
✓ A monkey is a better pet than a squirrel.

5. Either… or and not only… but also

The words after each half of a paired conjunction should be the same type of phrase. Moving either or not only usually fixes the problem.

✗ You may either have the ring or the bracelet.
✓ You may have either the ring or the bracelet.

✗ She can take either the examination or ask for a personal interview.
✓ She can either take the examination or ask for a personal interview.

✗ Not only did Colton learned a lesson, but also his parents.
✓ Not only Colton but also his parents learned a lesson.

How to check

Underline each item in a list and read it directly after the shared start of the sentence: "Jerry likes running," "Jerry likes playing," "Jerry likes to eat." The odd one out is easy to spot. Proofread Bot flags lists and paired conjunctions whose parts do not match. See also gerund or infinitive mistakes.

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