Parallel structure exists when all items in a list are like each other. Yes, the Sesame Street song is a useful tool to explain this grammar concept. The list of shapes you see isn’t parallel because the triangle is not like the other shapes. To make this list all like each other, you’d need to edit the triangle to a square.
Let’s apply this concept to language:
to speak, to manage, updating, to review
Notice three of the items are infinitive verbs, and one is a gerund. To correct this list, you need to edit the gerund to an infinitive: to update.
Parallel structure matters for three key reasons. It ensures the writer:
- Removes distractions that often result as a breakdown in the flow of the idea being communicated
- Creates grammatically correct copy
- Remains professional and credible
To create a list with parallel structure, take advantage of the lead-in statement. If you don’t plan to use a lead-in to your list, it might help to create a temporary one. The lead-in statement controls the grammar – that is, the parallel structure – of your list.
You can update your skills by:
- Registering for a micro-credential or other workshop
- Attending professional development webinars through your Chamber of Commerce
- Volunteering for a role that allows you to learn new skills or develop existing ones
The word ‘by’ in the above lead-in statement demands that my list begin with a gerund (-ing).
Having a lead in, whether real or imaginary, helps with your editing, too. Read the lead-in, and then the first bullet. Repeat this process for all the bullets. If you hear and feel a breakdown, check your parallel structure!
Ready to try editing for parallel structure in a real document? Great! I’ve got a good one for you.
A tourism office in Ottawa published this beautiful, full-page advertisement for the back cover of the magazine The New Yorker. As you read the blurb for why you should visit Ottawa, you’ll likely get a bit distracted, perhaps confused. You’ll feel something is amiss. When you reread the ad, you notice there are two lists that aren’t parallel.
Are you able to edit the faulty list structure in the two separate sentences? You’ll find edited versions below.
Original:
Whether you’re into sightseeing, the arts, culture, culinary delights, or delight in the great outdoors – Ottawa is Canada’s showcase city, …
Edited version:
Whether you’re into sightseeing, the arts, culture, culinary delights, or you delight in the great outdoors – Ottawa is Canada’s showcase city, …
The original uses ‘delight’ as a verb, but the four items in front of it are nouns. Therefore, to correct this sentence, add a subject to ‘delight’.
Original:
Visit our website for more details, special offers, and to book hotels and packages.
Edited version:
Visit our website to receive more details and special offers and to book hotels and packages.
The original was a list of three: two noun phrases and a verb phrase. The edited version is a list of two verb phrases.