Chapter I
PARALLEL
SENTENCES STRUCTURES
a. The
Definition of Parallel Sentences Structures
Parallelism in sentences refers to matching grammatical structures.
Elements in a sentence that have the same function or express similar ideas
should be grammatically parallel, or grammatically matched. Parallelism is used
as a rhetorical and stylistic device in literature, speeches, advertising, and
popular songs.
b.
Faulty parallelism
A failure to create grammatically parallel structures when they
are appropriate is referred to as faulty parallelism. In the following examples, note the
difference between correct parallel structure and faulty parallelism.
a. What counts isn't how
you look but how you behave.
not What counts isn't how
you look but your behavior.
b.
The president
promised to reform health care, preserve social security, and balance the budget.
not The president promised to reform health care, preserve social security, and a balanced budget.
not The president promised to reform health care, preserve social security, and a balanced budget.
Check for faulty parallelism in your own
writing. Nouns should be parallel with nouns, participles with participles,
gerunds with gerunds, infinitives with infinitives, clauses with clauses, and
so on. Be especially vigilant in the following situations.
c.
Parallel structure in a series
When your sentence includes a series, make sure
you have not used different grammatical structures for the items.
· He described skiing in the Alps, swimming in the Adriatic, and the drive across the Sahara
Desert. (faulty parallelism)
He described skiing in the Alps, swimming in the Adriatic, and driving across the Sahara Desert. (parallel) .
He described skiing in the Alps, swimming in the Adriatic, and driving across the Sahara Desert. (parallel) .
In the parallel version, all the elements in the series begin with
gerunds: skiing, swimming,
driving. In the nonparallel version, the final element is a noun but not a
gerund.
The elements would remain parallel
even if the phrases following the gerunds were changed or omitted. The length
of the items in the series does not affect the parallel structure.
· He described skiing,
swimming in the Adriatic,
and driving across the desert. (parallel).
· Elaine liked to have a beer, exchange stories with her friends, and watch the men walk by. (parallel)
· Elaine liked having a beer, exchanging stories with her friends, and watching the men walk by.
(parallel)
When you use words such as to,
a, an, his, her, or their with items in a series, you can use
the word with the first item, thus having it apply to all the items; or you can
repeat it with each item. If you choose to repeat it, you must do so with all
the items, not just some of them.
· He liked their courage, stamina, and style.
(parallel)
He liked their courage, their stamina, and their style. (parallel)
He liked their courage, stamina, and their style. (not parallel)
He liked their courage, their stamina, and their style. (parallel)
He liked their courage, stamina, and their style. (not parallel)
· She saw a van, car, and bicycle collide.
(parallel)
She saw a van, a car, and a bicycle collide. (parallel)
She saw a van, a car, and bicycle collide. (not parallel)
She saw a van, a car, and a bicycle collide. (parallel)
She saw a van, a car, and bicycle collide. (not parallel)
d. Parallel structure in
comparisons and antithetical constructions
When you are comparing items in a sentence, obviously
parallelism will be important. Make sure that the elements you are comparing or
contrasting are grammatically parallel.
· He spoke more of
being ambassador than of being president.
not He spoke more of his term as ambassador than being president.
not He spoke more of his term as ambassador than being president.
· The schools in the rural area are smaller than the
schools in the inner city.
not The schools in the rural area are smaller than the inner city.
not The schools in the rural area are smaller than the inner city.
In
the second sentence, schools are being contrasted to the inner city. What the writer
wants to contrast are schools in the rural area with schools in the inner city.
In antithetical
constructions, something is
true of one thing but not another. But
not and rather than are used to set up these
constructions. As with comparisons, both parts of an antithetical construction
should be parallel.
· The administration approved the student's right to drop the class but not to meet with the professor.
not The administration approved the student's right to drop the class but not meeting with the professor.
not The administration approved the student's right to drop the class but not meeting with the professor.
· The committee chose to
postpone the motion rather
than to vote on it.
not The committee chose to postpone the motion rather than voting on it.
not The committee chose to postpone the motion rather than voting on it.
e.
Parallel structure with
correlative conjunctions
Errors in parallel structure often occur with correlative conjunctions: either …or; neither …nor; both
…and; not only …but also; whether …or. The sentence structure following
the second half of the correlative conjunction should mirror the sentence
structure following the first half.
· The scientists disputed not
only the newspaper
article but also the university's official
statement. (parallel: phrase with phrase)
The scientists disputed not only the newspaper article but also they disputed the university's official statement. (faulty parallelism: phrase with clause)
The scientists disputed not only the newspaper article but also they disputed the university's official statement. (faulty parallelism: phrase with clause)
· Either I like the job or I don't like it. (parallel: clause with clause)
Either I like the job or I don't. (parallel: clause with clause)
Either I like the job or not. (faulty parallelism: clause with adverb)
Either I like the job or I don't. (parallel: clause with clause)
Either I like the job or not. (faulty parallelism: clause with adverb)
· I have neither the patience nor the time to complete the
assignment. (parallel: noun phrase with noun phrase)
I have neither the patience to complete the assignment nor do I have the time complete it. (faulty parallelism: phrase with clause)
I have neither the patience to complete the assignment nor do I have the time complete it. (faulty parallelism: phrase with clause)
Be sure that any element you want to repeat
appears after the first half of the correlative
conjunction. Look at the position of as in the following examples. In the
second sentence, as appears before either and is repeated after or, which makes the
construction not parallel.
· They acted either
as individual citizens or as members of the committee.
not They acted as either individual citizens or as members of the committee.
not They acted as either individual citizens or as members of the committee.
In the following example, the last sentence, we expected appears before the first half of the correlative
conjunction and should not be repeated after the second half.
· We expected not only to be late but also to be exhausted.
or We expected to be not only late but also exhausted. (better)
but not We expected not only to be late but also we expected to be exhausted.
or We expected to be not only late but also exhausted. (better)
but not We expected not only to be late but also we expected to be exhausted.
f.
Parallel structure with
verbs
When you have more
than one verb in a sentence, be sure to make the verbs parallel by not shifting
tenses unnecessarily. Also, don't shift from an active to a passive verb.
· Kate prepared the speech on the plane and delivered it at the conference. (parallel: both
verbs are active)
Kate prepared the speech on the plane, and it was delivered by her at the conference. (faulty parallelism: active verb followed by passive verb)
Kate prepared the speech on the plane, and it was delivered by her at the conference. (faulty parallelism: active verb followed by passive verb)
Sometimes
sentences use a single verb form with two helping verbs. Look at the following
example.
· Robert has in the past and will in the future continue to support the measure. (incorrect)
To support belongs with will
continue, but not with has.
If you read the sentence without and
will in the future continue, you will see this: Robert has in the past to support
the measure. Rewrite the sentence to include a participial form for has.
g.
Exercise 1 (with parallel structure form)
- Choose
the correct sentences !
- A. The girl keeps looking and to
smile at me.
- The
girl keeps looking and smiling at me.
- A. Jamie likes to listen to the
music, to play his guitar, and playing with his computer
at his room.
- Jamie
likes to listen to the music, to play his guitar, and to play his
computer at his room.
- A. Lily wanted to talk and
discuss an important problem with you.
- Lily
wanted to talk and discussing an important problem with you.
- A. To evaluate the products and
to handle the defected products are the most important jobs of a quality controller.
- To
evaluate and handling the defected products are the most important jobs
of quality controller.
- A. I want a guitar, a drum, and to
play a saxophone.
- I
want a guitar, a drum, and a saxophone.
- (parallel structure with other
conjunctions) Joins these sentences using “ not only…but also” and “not
only…but..as well”!
- He
works diligently. He works effectively.
ð He works not only diligently but also effectively.
ð He works not only diligently but also effectively as well.
- Ross
did the exam fast. He got “A” for exam.
ð Ross not only did the exam fast but also got an A for it.
ð Ross not only did the exam fast but also got an A for it as well.
- Phoebe
is angry with me. She is angry with everybody.
ð Phoebe is not only angry with me but also with everybody.
ð Phoebe is not only angry with me but also with everybody as well.
- He
is a good teacher. He is a good father.
ð He is not only a good teacher but also a good father.
ð He is not only a good teacher but also a good father as well.
- My
sister got a medal for a chess competition. She got a medal for a dance
competition.
ð My sister got a medal not only for a chess competition but also
for dance competition.
ð My sister got a medal not only for a chess competition but also
for dance competition.
Chapter II
Conclusion
Parallel
Structure is prepetition a form of the verb, adjective, noun, or form any
words. when you see the repetition of a word, then you simply consider the form
of the word. if it starts with "to", then it must be followed by
"to"; when starting with a "noun", then it must be followed
by a "noun". there are two things that must be considered in parallel
sentence;
Parallel Structure form :
-
Look the
form of repetition of words used.
Example :
“She is young, pretty, and clever.” (starts with noun followed by
noun)
“He avoids smoking and drinking.” (starts with gerund, follow with
gerund)
Conjunctions form :
In addition to
attention to the form of repeated words, things that also must be considered is
the conjunctive use. The simplest conjunctions are and, but there are several
other forms that must be considered as well format:
Both….. and…
Both…...and….as well as…/….and…as well as….
Not only….but also…
Not only….but….as well
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