Grammatical mistakes related to parallelism often occur when there is inconsistency or imbalance in the structure of a sentence or phrase. Here are some common errors:
Mismatched verb tenses
Using different verb tenses when parallelism calls for consistency can disrupt the flow of the sentence.
Incorrect: "She enjoys hiking, swimming, and will bike."
Correct: "She enjoys hiking, swimming, and biking."
Inconsistent forms of words
Parallelism requires using the same grammatical form throughout a sentence or phrase. Mixing different forms can lead to confusion.
Incorrect: "She likes to hike, swimming, and biking."
Correct: "She likes to hike, swim, and bike."
Lack of parallel structure
Failing to maintain consistent structure within a list or series can make the sentence sound awkward or unclear.
Incorrect: "He enjoys reading, to play video games, and fishing."
Correct: "He enjoys reading, playing video games, and fishing."
Misuse of correlative conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions should be paired correctly to ensure parallelism.
Incorrect: "Either he will go to the gym or play tennis."
Correct: "He will either go to the gym or play tennis."
Unequal comparison
When making comparisons, it's essential to use parallel structures on both sides.
Incorrect: "Her dog is more diligent than being intelligent."
Correct: "Her dog is more diligent than intelligent."
Mixing singular and plural nouns or pronouns
Maintaining consistency in the number of nouns or pronouns is crucial for parallelism.
Incorrect: "The company provides its employees with laptops, smartphones, and a tablet."
Correct: "The company provides its employees with laptops, smartphones, and tablets."
Function words
A function word (such as to, by, that, which, the) that begins one clause must begin the others in the same sentence.
Incorrect: "He not only enjoyed the hike but also packed lunch."
Correct: "He not only enjoyed the hike but also the packed lunch."
