#PARALLEL STRUCTURE DEFINITION SERIES#

The grammar error becomes clear when you make a bullet-point list of each item following the part of the sentence that each item is meant to complete: The computer’s ability to multi-task, defend against viruses, and overall usability all improved when I updated the operating software. Below is an example of a grammatically incorrect sentence without parallel structure: Maintaining parallelism helps writers avoid grammatically incorrect sentences. In the non-parallel structure, there are two gerunds acting as nouns and one infinitive (to read), which makes the sentence awkward and harder to process.Ģ. In the parallel structure, all of the objects of “like” are gerunds, –ing verbs acting as nouns. Sentences that maintain parallelism are much easier to read and process than those that do not. There are two reasons it is important to maintain parallelism in a series:

#PARALLEL STRUCTURE DEFINITION SERIES#

Items in a series must be all nouns, all verbs, or all participles, and so on. Parallel structure means that coordinate parts of a sentence, such as items in a series or list, have the same grammatical form. Word Order in Statements with Embedded Questions.

Using Reduced Relative Clauses to Write Concisely.The Three Common Tenses Used in Academic Writing.Same Form, but Different Functions: Various Meanings of Verb+ing and Verb+ed.

Reducing Informality in Academic Writing.

Improving Cohesion: The 'Known/New Contract'.

Combining Clauses to Avoid Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments.

Choosing Between Infinitive and Gerund: “To do” or “doing”?.

Parallel structure definition