Grammar Smart 3rd Edition - Princeton Review 2014
B. Parallel Construction
Part 3. Putting It All Together
Examples from the Masters:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
-John F Kennedy
To be a woman is to have the same needs and longings as a man.
-Liv Ullmann
Let’s do some analysis. The first example is a series, and each element in the series is equal in form to the others. Kennedy says we shall, pay, bear, meet, support, and oppose. Five verbs. The final example is a kind of equals sign: Liv Ullmann says To be = to have. Two infinitives.
Balance, symmetry, consistency. Parallel construction gives your writing elegance and logic.
The Rule
Sentences, or parts of sentences that are connected by idea, should be expressed in similar form.
The elements in the series may be nouns.
In analyzing the value of a company, Wanda paid attention to the amount of debt, the underlying assets, and the prospects for growth.
Not: In analyzing the value of a company, Wanda paid attention to the amount of debt, the underlying assets, and whether the company had prospects for growth.
What did Wanda pay attention to? A list of three nouns: amount, assets, and prospects. Each noun has additional modifiers—the prepositional phrases of debt and for growth, and the adjective underlying. The errant example makes a list of two nouns and a clause.
Or the elements in the series may be phrases.
Wanda wanted to make a lot of money, buy stock, and retire early.
Not: Wanda wanted to make a lot of money, buy stock, and she wanted to retire early.
In this case Wanda wanted to do three things: to make, to buy, and to retire—three infinitive phrases. A lot of money and stock are objects of the infinitive, and early is an adverb. Note that the to may be dropped after the first element; it is understood to carry through to the other two infinitives. The errant example makes a list of two infinitive phrases and a clause.
Or the elements in the series may be clauses.
Wanda believed that a healthy portfolio was a necessity, that the only way to live was to work hard and play hard, and that knowledge was power.
Not: Wanda believed that a health portfolio was a necessity, that the only way to live was to work hard and play hard, and in gaining power through knowledge.
Here the sentence is more complicated, but it is still composed of a list—a list of three things Wanda believed. Each element is a subordinate clause, with its own subject and verb, and none of the elements can exist alone as a sentence. The errant example makes a list of two subordinate clauses and one phrase containing the gerund gaining.
Notice that it is helpful to ignore adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases when you are looking at the composition of the sentence. Finding the part of speech of the elements in the list is easier when you look at the sentence without the dressing of modifiers.
1. If your sentence has seesaw, or correlative, conjunctions (either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, both/and, whether/or), make sure you match the parts on either side. It’s a little like keeping a seesaw balanced: whatever you have on one side of the conjunction, you must match in form on the other side. Think consistency.
She stayed up late either working at the office or going to parties
Not: She stayed up late either working at the office or she would go to parties.
Unlike her colleagues, Wanda had an ambition not only to succeed at work but also to impress the entire city with the force of her personality.
Not: Unlike her colleagues, Wanda had an ambition not only to succeed at work but also wanted to impress the entire city with the force of her personality.
2. If the elements in your series are preceded by a preposition or an article, you can leave out the preposition or article after the first element, as long as you leave it out for good.
On her first visit to Paris she was delighted with the sound of people speaking French, with the grandeur of the architecture, and with the delicious feeling of being away from home.
Or: On her first visit to Paris she was delighted with the sound of people speaking French, the grandeur of the architecture, and the delicious feeling of being away from home.
Not: On her first visit to Paris she was delighted with the sound of people speaking French, the grandeur of the architecture, and with the delicious feeling of being away from home.
Embarrassing Moments In Parallel Construction
Harvard Business School ran the following ad:
What’s innovative, time-tested, diverse, intense, global, and develop leaders?
If you winced at Harvard’s list of adjective-adjective-adjective-adjective-adjective-VERB— then the rule of parallel construction has begun to sink in. (And let’s not forget, Harvard no longer requires its Business School applicants to take the GMAT, which has a whole section devoted to grammar. Hmm. What do we make of this?)
Now take a look at a warning printed on the side of many cigarette packages—a warning seen by millions of smokers.
Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.
The series is a list of nouns: lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, may complicate— oops, may complicate is no noun. The sentence is constructed to say that smoking causes may complicate. Which clearly makes no sense at all. These smokers are not only buying a product that is bad for their health but also getting a lesson a bad grammar. (See, parallel construction at work with correlative conjunctions? Not only buying ...but also getting.)
Quick Quiz #28
Parallel Construction
Pick the best answer.
1. Wanda, unlike the others in her office, yearned to take on extra responsibilities such as writing reports, managing newly hired workers, and to plan brainstorming sessions, and analyzing every twist and turn of the market.
A) managing newly hired workers, and to plan
B) managing newly hired workers, for planning
C) to manage newly hired workers for the planning of
D) to manage workers that were newly hired, and to plan
E) managing newly hired workers, planning
2. Wanda’s suspicion that Max was involved in some kind of shady deal sprang not from any particular incident but developed over a long period of observation.
A) sprang not from any particular incident but developed
B) sprang not from any particular incident but rather developed
C) was not springing from any particular incident but developing
D) did not spring from any particular incident but developed
E) did not spring from any incident particular but was developing
3. She imagined that Max used his weekends to sneak into the office, to go through files, to communicate with the opposition, and for planning his next move.
A) to communicate with the opposition, and for planning his next move
B) to communicate with the opposition, and to plan his next move
C) to communicate with the opposition, planning his next move
D) for communicating with the opposition, and for planning his next move
E) for communicating with the opposition so as to plan his next move
4. Wanda hoped that she would be the one to uncover Max’s disloyalty, and figure out a way to spy on the spy himself, and that by her wily efforts she would earn a promotion and a hefty raise.
A) and figure out a way to spy on the spy himself
B) that she would figure out a way to spy on the spy himself
C) that by figuring out a way to spy on the spy himself
D) by her figuring out a way for her to be spying on the spy himself
E) thereby figuring out a way for spying on him, the spy
5. After many sleepless nights, she decided to research companies that specialize in high-tech surveillance techniques, which would allow her to get incriminating evidence by bugging his phone, and to make friends with his secretary so that she could get access to his office without arousing suspicion.
A) by bugging his phone, and to make
B) by bugging his phone, and by making
C) by bugging his phone, and she would make
D) from bugging his and from making
E) to bug his phone, and to make