Think of parallel structure as creating a balanced seesaw of grammar. It's about using the same grammatical form for similar ideas in a sentence. But how do you spot it, and more importantly, why does it matter?
Good parallel structure makes your writing clearer, smoother, and more persuasive. Imagine reading a list where some items are phrases, and others are full clauses – jarring, right? That's where parallel structure saves the day!
So, how do you find the sentence that nails it? Look for elements joined by coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor), correlative conjunctions (both…and, either…or, not only…but also), or items in a list. Are the words, phrases, or clauses on either side of these conjunctions or in the list all in the same form? If so, you've found your winner!
For example, instead of saying "I like hiking, to swim, and biking," you'd say "I like hiking, swimming, and biking." See the difference? Happy hunting for perfect parallelism!
