Parallel Structure
What is Parallelism?
Parallelism means using the same grammatical form for similar ideas:
- ❌ She likes swimming, to run, and riding bikes.
- ✓ She likes swimming, running, and biking.
- ✓ She likes to swim, to run, and to bike.
In Lists and Series
All Nouns
- ❌ We need creativity, to have patience, and being dedicated.
- ✓ We need creativity, patience, and dedication.
All Verbs
- ❌ He came, he saw, and was conquering.
- ✓ He came, he saw, he conquered.
All -ing Forms
- ❌ I enjoy reading, to cook, and taking walks.
- ✓ I enjoy reading, cooking, and taking walks.
All Infinitives
- ❌ She wants to learn, traveling, and make friends.
- ✓ She wants to learn, to travel, and to make friends.
With Coordinating Conjunctions
Both… and
- ❌ She is both smart and has talent.
- ✓ She is both smart and talented. (both adjectives)
Either… or
- ❌ You can either call me or sending an email.
- ✓ You can either call me or send an email. (both verb phrases)
Neither… nor
- ❌ He neither has money nor does he have time.
- ✓ He has neither money nor time. (both nouns)
Not only… but also
- ❌ She not only sings but also is dancing.
- ✓ She not only sings but also dances. (both verbs)
In Comparisons
With Than
- ❌ Running is harder than to swim.
- ✓ Running is harder than swimming.
- ✓ To run is harder than to swim.
With As… As
- ❌ Speaking is as important as to write.
- ✓ Speaking is as important as writing.
In Headings and Bullet Points
Not Parallel
- ❌ Goals:
- Increase sales
- Reducing costs
- To improve customer service
Parallel
- ✓ Goals:
- Increase sales
- Reduce costs
- Improve customer service
Famous Parallel Examples
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” – JFK
“I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” – Shakespeare
Practice: Fix These
| Not Parallel | Parallel |
|---|---|
| She likes to read and writing | She likes to read and to write |
| The job requires patience, skill, and being efficient | The job requires patience, skill, and efficiency |
| He is tall, dark, and has handsomeness | He is tall, dark, and handsome |
Parallel structure means that items in a list or comparison must use the same grammatical form. Mix verb forms or noun forms and the sentence feels unbalanced: “She likes swimming, to run, and cycling” should be “swimming, running, and cycling.”