Don't Repeat Yourself! Don't
Repeat Yourself! Don't Repeat Yourself!
Lesson Topic: Using Parallel Structure
And Avoiding The Repetition of Words in Writing.
Is there anything wrong with the following sentence?
Martin felt the
movie was boring, silly, and was too long.
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Yes, there is something wrong. Did you find the
problem? Well, if you didn't find the problem, keep reading, and
we'll tell you later.
Did you ever pick up a book and read something like
this:
Carol picked up her books. |
Carol picked up her pens. |
Carol picked up her
jacket. |
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Hopefully, you haven't seen too much of this type of
writing. Although there are some situations where this form of
writing is necessary (maybe for emphasis), it is usually not necessary to
repeat words over and over again. We can write the above sentences
like this:
Carol picked up her books,
pens, and jacket.
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Taking out repetitive words and combining similar
sentences and ideas is called parallel structure, parallel
construction, and parallelism. In
parallel structure, it is important to group similar ideas and items
together. For example, in the three sentences above, the words Carol
picked up her... repeat. Additionally, the words that do
NOT repeat are all nouns: books, pens, and jacket. Since books,
pens, and jacket
are all nouns, they can be grouped together. Thus, we can correctly
write the following:
Carol picked up her books,
pens, and jacket.
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Notice that the commas are placed after each noun in the list
except the last one. For more information about commas,
please see our previous lesson about commas.
When using parallel structure, the main rule to remember
is that the things in the list must be the same grammatical form.
This is best summed up in the following:
The items
in the list must be all nouns, all infinitives, all
prepositional phrases, all gerunds, or all
clauses.
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Take a look at this sentence:
Paula went to work, a
restaurant, and to the movies.
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If the preposition or article (a, an, the) is the same for all items
in the list, the writer can decide to include them in all of the items
or write it just in the first. Therefore, the above sentence is
incorrect. The items in the list are work,
a restaurant, and the
movies. However, the writer used the preposition to
with the first and third items only.
INCORRECT
|
Paula went to
work, a restaurant, and to
the movies.
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CORRECT
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Paula went to
work, a restaurant, and the movies.
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CORRECT
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Paula went to
work, to a restaurant, and
to the movies.
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Here is another example:
There are trains leaving the station in the
morning and noon.
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The preposition is in. When proofreading,
ask yourself, "Is this the correct word for each item?"
In the
morning? YES!
|
In
noon? NO!
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The correct preposition for noon is at.
Therefore, we must write
There are trains leaving the station in
the morning and at noon.
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Some words and verbs use prepositions as
well. Look at this example:
The cancer researcher is interested and excited
about the new advances in medical technology.
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What are the words in the parallel structure? They
are interested and excited. When the writer wrote excited,
she also correctly wrote about. How about interested?
Do you use about with interested? Let's do the proofreading test
that we learned above.
excited about
the advances...? YES!
|
interested about
the advances...? NO!
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The correct preposition used with interested is in.
Therefore, the above sentence is INCORRECT. The correct
preposition must be used in each item of the parallel structure. The
following is correct:
The cancer researcher is interested
in and excited about
the new advances in medical technology.
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For a list of common verbs with prepositions, click
here.
There are a number of situations which require you to
use parallel structure. They are
Both X
and Y . . . |
Not X
but Y |
Not only X
but also Y . . . |
Neither X
nor Y . . . |
Either X
or Y . . . |
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Remember the rule of parallel structure: the words in
the list must be the same grammatical form. In this situation, the X
and Y must be the same grammatical
form. Many common problems with parallel structure can be easily
corrected. Look at the chart of examples below.
INCORRECT |
CORRECT |
In
counseling, I think both talking
and to listen are
important |
In
counseling, I think both talking
and listening are
important. |
We
are not for war but peace |
We
are not for war but for
peace. |
This
car is not only fast
but also it is safe to drive. |
This
car is not only fast
but also safe. |
The
trip to the city is neither a
long one nor expensive. |
The
trip to the city is neither long
nor expensive. |
Either
you must stay home or
go with us. |
You
must either stay home
or go with us. |
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When using the above constructions, the X and Y must be
the same grammatical forms: both nouns, both infinitives, both
prepositional phrases, both gerunds, or both clauses.
So what's the problem with the first sentence in this
lesson?
Martin felt the
movie was boring, silly, and was too long.
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The words in the list of items are not the same: boring
and silly are adjectives; however, was too long begins with
a verb.
book
recommendation |
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Better Sentence Writing in 30 Minutes a Day features clear discussions of
rules and strategies for good writing. Clear explanations and lots of
exercises reinforce the skills needed for strong written communication. From
filling in the blanks to joining short sentences into longer and more graceful
combinations, this book will improve your writing. All the answers to the
quizzes are given in the back of the book. Click
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Quiz time
Directions: Read the following sentences. If the sentence is
correct, don't change anything. If the sentence is incorrect, find
the parallel structure problem and fix it.
1. The factory workers were ready, able, and were quite determined to
do a great job.
2. The computer network is safer, stronger, and more secure.
3. We cannot be worried or terrified of difficulties in
life.
4. The actor taught his student how to read, how to stand, how
to cry, and to talk with fans.
5. The requirements for a chemistry degree are not as strict as
a medical degree.
6. Either you can join the army
or the navy.
7. The reorganization of the
company is neither simple nor it will be cheap.
8. When I was in high school, I
learned piano and how to play the guitar.
9. Fred supports the idea
because, first, its simplicity; second, it is unique.
10. They are either our friends
or they are not.
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