Parallel Structure1

Express similar ideas in forms that are alike.

Parts in each of these sentences do not match the rest of the structure in the sentences. Revise each sentence so that the parts match.

Examples:

My favorite sport is tennis, but baseball is the favorite sport of my brother.
My favorite sport is tennis, but my brother’s favorite sport is baseball. OR My favorite sport is tennis, but my brother’s is baseball.

When buying a house, you need to examine the interior, exterior, and the yard.
When buying a house, you need to examine the interior, the exterior, and the yard. OR When buying a house, you need to examine the interior, exterior, and yard.

Correct the errors in parallel strucure. The answers are below.

• I like watching movies more than books.
• She went to the mall, a restaurant, and to see a movie.
• His wife is suing him for divorce, he is being sued for fraud by his partner, and income tax problems with the IRS.
• She is careful of how she looks: her makeup, her hair, and the styles of clothes that she wears.
• To be concerned does not mean being nosey.
• Factory farming is unethical, inhumane, and a detriment to the environment, human health, and to family farms.
• His tools include a screwdriver, wrench, circular saw, a hammer, a level, shovel, and posthole digger.
• A hotel wedding can cost someone an arm and a leg, whereas money is not that big a factor if you have your wedding in a public park.
• Rose loved a party, but parties were something that Anna would avoid at all costs.
• Golf demands money, time, and it is hard to learn.
• The states want to avoid a fight in court, which would be expensive, time-consuming, and a gamble.
• There were many rules to follow in High School, whereas in College you are on your own.
• Al is studious and an athlete.
• The signs of old age are moving slowly, forgetting things, and they have more little aches and pains.
• My brother is married and lives in Boston, my father lives in Venezuela and is a divorced man, while I am a single and live in Miami.

Here are the problems highlighted in red. The answers are below.

• I like watching movies more than books.
• She went to the mall, a restaurant, and to see a movie.
• His wife is suing him for divorce, he is being sued for fraud by his partner, and income tax problems with the IRS.
• She is careful of how she looks: her makeup, her hair, and the styles of clothes that she wears.
• To be concerned does not mean being nosey.
• Factory farming is unethical, inhumane, and a detriment to the environment, human health, and to family farms.
• His tools include a screwdriver, wrench, circular saw, a hammer, a level, shovel, and posthole digger.
• A hotel wedding can cost someone an arm and a leg, whereas money is not that big a factor if you have your wedding in a public park.
• Rose loved a party, but parties were something that Anna would avoid at all costs.
• Golf demands money, time, and it is hard to learn.
• The states want to avoid a fight in court, which would be expensive, time-consuming, and a gamble.
• There were many rules to follow in High School, whereas in College you are on your own.
• Al is studious and an athlete.
• The signs of old age are moving slowly, forgetting things, and they have more little aches and pains.
• My brother is married and lives in Boston, my father lives in Venezuela and is a divorced man, while I am a single and live in Miami.

Answers

The definition of parallel structure in red at the top of the exercise was not parallel. Here are two versions that are parallel:

Express ideas that are similar in forms that are similar. (too long)

Express similar ideas in similar forms. (better)

• I like movies more than books. OR I like watching movies more than reading books.
• She went to the mall, a restaurant, and a movie.
• His wife is suing him for divorce, his partner is suing him for fraud by his partner, and the IRS is investigating him for income tax problems.
• She is careful about her makeup, her hair, and her clothes.
• Being concerned does not mean being nosey. OR To be concerned does not mean to be nosey.
• Factory farming is unethical, inhumane, and detrimental to the environment, to human health, and to family farms.
• His tools include a screwdriver, a wrench, a circular saw, a hammer, a level, a shovel, and a posthole digger.
• A wedding in a hotel can cost thousands, whereas a wedding in a park will cost hundreds.
• Rose loved parties, but Anna avoided them. Rose loved parties, but Anna hated them.
• Golf demands money, time, and skill.
• The states want to avoid a fight in court, which would be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain.
• High school has many more rules than college.
• Al is studious and athletic. OR Al is a scholar and an athlete.
• The signs of old age are moving slowly, forgetting, and suffering little aches and pains.
• My brother is married and lives in Boston, my father and is divorced and lives in Venezuela, while I am single and live in Miami.

Point: Go for monotony, not variety, of structure and word choice when presenting similar ideas. Readers can process them more easily.

Last updated 9/18/06