Parallel Construction
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Parallel Construction
Sentences and lists are awkward when they contain a series of items with inconsistent grammatical structure. But as your reader scans through a series of items with parallel grammatical structure, the relationships between different items of information become clear. Here’s an example:
Which of the two sentences below is easier to follow?
At the February meeting we will hold a discussion of the new health plan, whether to revise the procedures manual, and then a draft will be developed of the early retirement policy.
At the February meeting, we will discuss the new health plan, decide whether to revise the procedures manual, and draft an early retirement policy.
In the second example, the parallel verb tenses saved space and helped us grasp the ideas immediately. To help your writing flow smoothly and make sense, use the same format for items you present in a series.
Pop Quiz
Rewrite these sentences using parallel construction.
1. Rita’s responsibilities include sorting the mail, answering the phone, and to run errands.
2. We have asked managers to reduce travel budgets by 20 percent and that expense reports should be submitted weekly.
Here are the answers with the parallel words underlined:
1. Rita’s responsibilities include sorting the mail, answering the phone, and running errands.
2. We have asked managers to reduce travel budgets by 20 percent and to submit expense reports weekly.
The same approach applies to lists, which are much easier to read when the grammar is parallel.
Incorrect Example
The agenda for the March meeting includes the following goals:
- Discussion of the new health plan
- Whether to revise the procedures manual
- The early-retirement policy will change
Correct Example
The agenda for the March meeting includes the following goals:
- Discussing the new health plan
- Deciding whether to revise the procedures manual
- Revising the early-retirement policy
Parallel construction can help you organize your thoughts, make your writing flow smoothly, and make your meaning clear immediately. (How is this sentence as an example of parallel construction?)
This tip was contributed by WriteItWell.com, your editing partner.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Writing and memorization are daily activities for scholarly teenagers. tried put in a parallel construction sentence
Daily activities for scholarly teenagers include writing and memorization. OR Writing and memorizing are daily activities for scholarly teenagers.
I absolutely love your grammar tips and quizzes. They are an excellent review for English speaking students, but also great for people learning English as a second language. Well done!
Very helpful. Kindly indicate which of the following are grammatically correct.
The following projects will be undertaken:
a. We will be starting Phase II of the… or
a.1 We will commence Phase II of the…
b. We will be launching a new Website and Mobile App or
B.1 The launch of a new Website and Mobile App
a2. Commencement on Phase II of the…
Kindly note the first sentences are the originals; the sentence following is the suggested revision.
We prefer “We will undertake the following projects:” over “The following projects will be undertaken:” but either is acceptable.
After that, any items beginning “We will” or “We will be” are repetitious of the introduction. We recommend:
We will undertake the following projects:
a. Commencement of Phase II of the …
b. Launch of a new website and mobile app
We recommend review of our blog post Parallel Construction and Rules 2 and 5 of Effective Writing.