Fixing Parallel Structure: A Guide For Writers

Hey guys! Ever read a sentence that just felt a bit off, like something was out of sync? Chances are, it was struggling with parallel structure. Don't worry, it's a common hiccup, but mastering it is key to making your writing smooth, clear, and totally professional. We're diving deep into why parallel structure matters, how to spot it, and most importantly, how to fix it. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's get our sentences singing!

Why Parallel Structure is Your New Best Friend

So, what exactly is parallel structure, and why should you even care? Think of it like a perfectly balanced meal or a killer beat in a song – everything just fits. In grammar terms, parallel structure, also known as parallelism, means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This is often used in lists, comparisons, or when joining clauses with conjunctions like 'and', 'but', or 'or'. When your sentences are parallel, they flow better, are easier to understand, and sound more sophisticated. It's like giving your readers a clear, well-lit path instead of a confusing maze. Without it, sentences can sound clunky, confusing, or just plain wrong. For instance, compare these two:

• Non-parallel: She likes running, to swim, and biking.
• Parallel: She likes running, swimming, and biking.

See the difference? In the first example, 'running' (a gerund) is mixed with 'to swim' (an infinitive) and 'biking' (another gerund). The second sentence uses gerunds consistently, making it much more pleasing to the ear and easier to process. Good parallel structure not only makes your writing more readable but also adds a certain elegance and rhythm. It helps emphasize your points and makes complex ideas more digestible. Think about famous speeches or impactful literature – you'll often find masterful use of parallelism. It's a tool that, once you get the hang of it, will elevate your writing from good to great. So, let's break down how to achieve this grammatical magic!

Spotting the Imbalance: When Parallelism Goes Sideways

Alright, so how do you know if your sentences are playing fair with parallel structure? You gotta be a bit of a grammar detective, guys. The most common culprits are lists, series, and comparisons. If you've got a sentence that's listing actions, qualities, or things, check that each item in the list follows the same grammatical form. Are they all verbs? All nouns? All phrases starting with a gerund (the -ing form of a verb used as a noun)? Or are they all infinitives (to + verb)? Let's look at some common scenarios where parallelism can get a bit messy.

Lists and Series:

When you're presenting a group of items, they need to match. Take this common mistake: "My goals are to get a promotion, save money, and buy a new car." While understandable, it's not perfectly parallel. 'To get a promotion' is an infinitive phrase, but 'save money' and 'buy a new car' are verb phrases without the 'to'. A truly parallel version would be: "My goals are to get a promotion, to save money, and to buy a new car." Or, you could make them all gerunds: "My goals are getting a promotion, saving money, and buying a new car." The key is consistency. You might also see this with nouns: "The store sells apples, bananas, and orange juice." This is fine because they are all nouns or noun phrases. But if you had "The store sells apples, bananas, and to drink orange juice," that's where the alarm bells should ring! The last item is an infinitive phrase, messing up the noun-based list.

Comparisons:

Parallelism is also crucial when you're comparing two things using words like 'than' or 'as'. For example, "He is better at coding than to design websites." This is a no-go! Both parts of the comparison should have the same grammatical structure. A parallel version would be: "He is better at coding than at designing websites." Or, "He is better at coding than designing websites." (though the first is often preferred for clarity).

Clauses Connected by Conjunctions:

When you join two independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), or subordinate clauses with subordinating conjunctions, parallelism helps maintain balance. Consider: "The team celebrated their victory and plans for the next season." This sentence is confusing. Is 'plans' a verb or a noun? If it's a verb, it should match 'celebrated'. If it's a noun, the first part needs to be a noun phrase. A parallel version could be: "The team celebrated their victory and planned for the next season." Or, if you wanted to focus on the act of planning: "The team's activities included celebrating their victory and planning for the next season."

The bottom line? Keep an eye out for lists, comparisons, and connected clauses. If something feels awkward, it's probably an parallelism issue. The more you practice spotting these, the quicker you'll become at fixing them. It's all about that consistent grammatical form!

Fixing the Flubs: Turning Awkward Sentences into Gems

Okay, detective work is done. Now, let's talk solutions! When you've identified a parallel structure problem, fixing it usually involves adjusting one or more of the elements so they all match. It's like tuning up an instrument – you adjust the strings until they sound harmonious. The goal is always to make the grammatical form of each comparable element the same. Let's revisit that original sentence structure problem from the prompt: "Dentists recommend people brush their teeth twice a day and will use floss and mouthwash once a day." Here, we have a recommendation with two actions:

1. brush their teeth twice a day
2. will use floss and mouthwash once a day

The issue is the structure of the second action. 'Brush' is a simple verb, implying a recommendation for an action. 'Will use' introduces a future tense and a modal verb ('will'), which doesn't match the simple imperative feel of 'brush'.

Strategy 1: Make All Verbs Match

One common fix is to ensure all verbs in a parallel list or structure have the same form. In our example, we can adjust the second part to match the direct, recommended action of 'brush'.

• Original: Dentists recommend people brush their teeth twice a day and will use floss and mouthwash once a day.
• Revision: Dentists recommend people brush their teeth twice a day and use floss and mouthwash once a day.

Here, both 'brush' and 'use' are simple verb forms, directly recommended by the dentists. This is the most straightforward and elegant solution. The sentence now clearly states two recommended actions with parallel verb structures.

Strategy 2: Using Infinitives (If the Verb Wasn't the Core Issue)

Sometimes, the verb itself isn't the issue, but the surrounding structure. If the sentence started differently, like "Dentists recommend to brush their teeth...", then you'd need to make the second part an infinitive too. For example, if the sentence was originally structured around infinitives:

• Hypothetical Original: Dentists recommend to brush their teeth twice a day and to be using floss and mouthwash once a day.
• Revision: Dentists recommend to brush their teeth twice a day and to use floss and mouthwash once a day.

In this hypothetical case, we've converted 'to be using' (a bit wordy anyway) into the parallel infinitive 'to use'. This strategy is less common for the specific example given but is a crucial tool in your parallel structure arsenal.

Strategy 3: Using Gerunds (If Appropriate)

If the sentence were structured around gerunds (verbs ending in -ing acting as nouns), you'd adjust accordingly. For instance:

• Hypothetical Original: The dentists' advice includes brushing their teeth twice a day and the utilizing of floss and mouthwash once a day.
• Revision: The dentists' advice includes brushing their teeth twice a day and using floss and mouthwash once a day.

Here, we change "the utilizing" (a noun phrase with an article and preposition) into the parallel gerund 'using'.

Key Takeaway: The simplest and most effective fix for the prompt's sentence is to make the verbs parallel. We identified that 'brush' and 'will use' were not parallel. By changing 'will use' to 'use', we create a consistent structure where both verbs directly follow the implied command of 'recommend'. It's about finding that common grammatical ground and sticking to it!

The Power of Three: Parallelism in Lists

We've touched on lists, but let's really hammer this home because it's where parallelism is most commonly tested and used. When you have three or more items in a series, they absolutely must be in the same grammatical form. This is often called the "rule of three" in writing, and parallelism is its backbone. Think about famous taglines or powerful statements – they often rely on this:

• "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) - Three parallel verbs.
• "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - Three parallel noun phrases.

If you mess this up, the sentence just sounds wrong. Let's look at a common mistake when listing activities:

"To succeed in this course, you need to attend lectures, complete all assignments, and studying diligently."

Notice how 'studying diligently' is different? 'Attend lectures' and 'complete all assignments' are infinitive phrases (implied 'to attend', 'to complete'). 'Studying diligently' is a gerund phrase. To make it parallel, we need to make all parts infinitives or all parts gerunds.

Fixing the List: Option 1 (Infinitives)

"To succeed in this course, you need to attend lectures, to complete all assignments, and to study diligently."

This works perfectly. Each item starts with 'to' followed by a verb.

Fixing the List: Option 2 (Gerunds)

"To succeed in this course, you need attending lectures, completing all assignments, and studying diligently."

Wait, this sounds a bit off, right? Why? Because the introductory phrase "you need" doesn't naturally pair with gerunds in this structure. If the sentence were phrased differently, gerunds might work:

"Success in this course requires attending lectures, completing all assignments, and studying diligently."

Here, "requires" works well with gerunds. The lesson? Not only does the list need to be parallel, but the entire sentence structure needs to support the chosen parallel form. For the original sentence, making all parts infinitives ('to attend', 'to complete', 'to study') or all verbs directly following 'need' ('attend', 'complete', 'study') would be the correct parallel approach. Consistency is king, guys!

Conclusion: Write with Confidence!

So there you have it! Parallel structure isn't just some dusty grammar rule; it's a powerful tool that makes your writing clearer, more engaging, and way more professional. Whether you're crafting an email, writing an essay, or just chatting online, paying attention to parallel structure will make a huge difference. Remember to look for lists, comparisons, and connected clauses, and ensure that all elements share the same grammatical form. If something sounds off, run it through the parallel structure check! You've got this. Now go forth and write sentences that are perfectly balanced and totally awesome!