Grammar-Quizzes › Connectives › Coordinators › Parallel Wording
Parallel Wording
Coordinate like word forms
| NONPARALLEL—COORDINATES NOT SAME KIND |
|---|
A coordinator (and, but, or, nor) joins like elements, such as noun phrases, verb phrases, adverb phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, gerunds, infinitives and clauses. If the coordinates of and, but or or are not grammatically alike, then the clause is not parallel. |
| ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS MIXED |
*My English is improving slow but surely. (Adj – Adv) |
*We are leaving quickly and quiet. (Adv + Adj) |
*We'll can speak specific or generally, whichever you prefer. (Adj +/- Adv) |
*He works neither efficiently nor effective. (Adv +/- Adj) |
| ADVERBS AND AJECTIVES MIXED |
*The football player ran skillfully yet defensive. (Adv – Adj) |
* He welcomes us friendly¹ and joyfully. (Adj + Adv) |
| VERB FORMS MIXED |
*She walks and texting at the same time. (V + Ger) |
*You I need to write and communicating with others. (Inf + Ger) |
*I really like relaxing and enjoy my quiet time. (Ger + Base form) |
*I spend time listen and laughing at his talk show. (Base form + Ger) |
| PHRASES MIXED WITH OTHER WORDS AND STRUCTURES |
*The gymnast went around the bar and swinging over the top. (VP–Ger) |
*In the morning and noon the mail comes. (PP–N) |
*How to do that and the time I am doing that is a problem. (PrnP +/- NP) |
*I don't care who it is or the product he is selling, just hang up! (Wh-P +/- NP) |
| CLAUSES MIXED WITH OTHER WORDS AND STRUCTURES |
*The dog was barking and we running. (Cls + ?) |
*We were walking but not tiring. (Cls - ?) |
*We put new batteries in the toy yet broken. (Cls - ?) |
| PARALLEL—SAME KIND COORDINATES |
|---|
When a coordinator (and, but, or) joins like or same kind coordinates (adjectives, nouns, adverbs, phrases or clauses), the clause is said to have "parallel construction". Rewording the coordinates so that the forms are grammatically alike improves the readability of the clause. |
| ADVERBS |
My English is improving slowly but surely. (Adv – Adv) |
We are leaving quickly and quietly. (Adv + Adv) |
We'll can speak specifically or generally, whichever you prefer. (Adv +/- Adv) |
He works neither efficiently nor effectively. (Adv +/- Adv) |
| ADVERBIALS |
The player ran skillfully and defensively. (Adv + Adv) The player ran in a skillful and defensive manner. (PP: Adj+ Adj) |
He welcomes us in a friendly and joyful manner. (PP—Adj + Adj) |
| VERB FORMS |
She walks and texts at the same time. (V + V) |
You need to write and (to) communicate with others. (Inf + Inf) (Usually, "to" is not repeated when coordinating two infinitives with "and".) |
I really like relaxing and enjoying on the weekend. (Ger + Ger) |
I spend time listening to and laughing at his talk show. (Ger + Ger) |
| PHRASES |
The gymnast swung around the bar and over the top. (PP + PP) |
In the morning and at noon the mail comes. (PP + PP) |
How to do that and when to do that is a problem. (Wh-P + Wh-P) |
I don't care who it is or what he's selling, just hang up! (Wh-P +/- Wh-P) |
| CLAUSES |
The dog was barking, and we were running. (Cls + Cls) |
We were walking, but we were not feeling tired. (Cls – Cls) |
We put new batteries in the toy, yet it wasn't working. (Cls – Cls) |
*Yellow highlighting indicates example of incorrect usage.
equivalent (Adj) — of similar or equal status, like
like (Adj) – of the same form, appearance, kind, character, amount, etc.
¹friendly (Adj) – which ends in -ly is an adjective not an adverb; in a friendly manner (AdvP) in a joyful manner (AdvP)
Coordinated "adverbs of manner" are usually marked with a suffix -ly (but not fast, hard, well, loud) or -ways,-wise (sideways, otherwise, etc.) A few words that end in -ly are not adverbs; they are adjectives (e.g., early, daily, friendly, and lovely). Note that you can change an adjective to an adverb expression with "in a ___ manner".
² A cleft clause groups words in one part of the clause to create emphasis on the other part of the clause. How (to do that) and when (when to do that) is a problem. (=) A problem is how… and when… . "General properties of clefts" (Huddleston 16 §9.1) Coordination of like type15 §3.5)
³An elliptical clause is a clause in which some words have been left out. Because of the pattern or logic of the entire sentence, it is clear what the missing words are.
Related page Adverb Suffixes, Adjective suffixes, Parallel Gerunds, FANBOYS.
Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner.
Phrasal Categories: NP – Noun Phrase; VP – Verb Phrase; AdjP – Adjective Phrase; AdvP – Adverb Phrase; PP – Prepositional Phrase; DP – Determinative Phrase; Wh-P –Interrogative Pronoun Phrase (Wh- Phrase with an infinitive).
Clausal Categories: Cls – clause; F – finite clause; NF – nonfinite clause (Ger – gerund; Inf – infinitive; PPart – past participle).
Word Functions: Subj – subject; Pred – predicate/predicator; Comp – complement: elements required by an expression to complete its meaning (DO – direct object; IO – indirect object); Adjunct – adjunct: elements not required by an expression to complete its meaning (Subord – subordinator; Coord – coordinator); Supl – supplement: a clause or phrase added onto a clause that is not closely related to the central thought or structure of the main clause.
Practice 1
At the Movies
Add a parallel element to the sentence.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or "check 1-10" button.
Practice 2
Movie Review
Determine which elements make the sentence parallel.
- Select the parallel word form that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or "check 11-20" button.
Practice 3
Nose Ring
Read for Errors
Jeannie has a new nose ring. She is both excited and defensive about it. Jeannie's parents were upset with and frustrated by their daughter's decision. Her parents think she will be passed over and discriminated against because of her nose piercing. They believe the piercing will alienate her from potential employers and keep her from making new client contacts. They say their belief is based on and supported by research by Northwestern University. One psychologist said that the display of tattoos and the wearing of body piercings is rooted in a person's desire to be rebellious.
Jeannie is annoyed with and frustrated by this conservative way of thinking. For centuries, a number of cultures have engaged in and celebrated rites with body tattoos and piercings. Jeannie feels that piercing one's nose is similar to and not different from piercing one's ears, which is a common beauty practice. Jeannie keeps reminding her parents that the opinions of and judgments about people with body piercings are changing.
alienate (V) — make distant, make unwilling to support you
annoy (V) — bother, irritate, displease
century (N) — 100 years
conservative (Adj) — not liking changes or new ideas
defensive (Adj) — behaving in a way that shows you think someone is a threat or criticizing you, even if they are not
discriminated (participle) — be treated differently from another in an unfair way
engage (V) — participate
judgment / judgement (N) — to think over and form an opinion; assess and conclude
pass over (verbal expression) — overlook, not appreciate
piercing (N) — a hole made through part of your body so that you can put jewelery there, or the process of making the hole
potential (Adj) — possible in the future
rebellious (Adj) — willingly disobeying rules; behaving in a way that goes against authority
rites (N) — a ceremony that is always performed in the same way, usually for religious purposes
Decide whether the preposition should be included with the parallel verb forms.
- Select the parallel word form that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or "check 21-30" button.