Parallelism
This principle requires using the same grammatical structure for similar ideas in a sentence or list.
Parallelism
In a sentence, these two elements must agree in number.
Subject and verb
Correct this sentence: "She enjoys swimming, to hike, and goes camping."
"She enjoys swimming, hiking, and camping."
Correct this sentence: "The group of students were excited about the field trip."
- What is "The group of students was excited about the field trip."?
In a parallel structure, items in a series should all be in this form.
What is the same grammatical form (e.g., all nouns, all verbs, all phrases)?
When using "either/or" or "neither/nor," the verb agrees with this part of the subject.
- What is the nearest (or closest) part?
Identify the non-parallel item: "The candidate promised to lower taxes, to create jobs, and improving the education system."
What is "improving the education system"?
In this type of sentence, the verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun in a prepositional phrase.
- What is a sentence with a prepositional phrase?
500: Correct this sentence: "The professor said that the essay was well-written, insightful, and that it showed creativity."
- What is "The professor said that the essay was well-written, insightful, and creative."?
Correct this sentence: "Each of the books in the series have a unique storyline."
- What is "Each of the books in the series has a unique storyline."?