Friday 4 December 2009

Grammar: Parallel Structure -- Beginner Level

After a couple of entries expressing my admiration of Rowan Atkinson's talents, we will shift back to a little grammar, just to spice up things a little bit.

Parallel Structure -- Beginner Level

Question! Is the following sentence correct?

Parallel structure is a big problem in written English and spoken English.

The answer is "Yes". How about this one?

Parallel structure is a big problem in written English and in spoken English.

The answer is still "Yes".

And this is parallel structure, in simple words, it is the balancing of words.

Take a look at the following example.

Mary loves to swim, to paint and draw.

Does it look balanced to you?
Your answer should be "No", because it should be:

Mary loves to swim, to paint and to draw.

Or you can write like this:
Mary loves to swim, paint and draw.

Or even this:
Mary loves swimming , painting and drawing.

How about a little change this time:

Jacko hates girls who spend money on branded good, wasting time in shopping malls all day, and who wear heavy make-up.

A couple of ways to make it right:
  1. Jacko hates girls who spend money on branded good, waste time in shopping malls all day, and wear heavy make-up.
  2. Jacko hates girls who spend money on branded good, who waste time in shopping malls all day, and who wear heavy make-up.

Do read the link below for more examples.


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