Parallelism In Structure

Look at the following sentence:

Air travel is fast, safe, and it is convenient Three attributes of air travel are sought to be enumerated in this sentence. Of
these, the first two are mentioned as single words (fast and safe), while the third is mentioned as an independent main clause
(it is convenient).
The given sentence therefore lacks parallelism in structure, which is considered a grammatical error.
To restore parallelism and make the sentence grammatical, it should be rewritten as :
Air travel is fast, safe, and convenient.
Lack of parallelism may arise in many different ways.
Swimming, seeing movies, and to go for long walks are my hobbies.
This sentence seeks to enumerate three hobbies of the person.
Of these, two are mentioned in the form of gerunds swimming and seeing movies.
(A gerund is a noun which is formed by adding -ing to a verb.)
But the third hobby is mentioned in the form of an infinitive to go for long walks.
Thus, there is lack of parallelism in this sentence.
It should be corrected as Swimming, seeing movies and going for long walks are my hobbies.
Consider the sentence :
We should vote for Jones because he is honest, knowledgeable, and he is a hardworking person.
This sentence obviously lacks parallelism, because two qualities of Jones are mentioned as adjectives honest and knowledge
while the third is given as a full clause he is a hard-working person.
To restore parallelism, this should be rewritten as
We should vote for Jones because he is honest, knowledgeable and hardworking.
Following are some more examples of sentences lacking parallelism in construction, and how they should be corrected:
1. The Board decided to approve the contract, pass the budget, and it would re-elect the chairman.
(The Board decided to approve the contract, pass the budget and re-elect the chairman.)
2. Every night I go for a walk, wash my teeth and would read a book before going to sleep.
(Every night I go for a walk, wash my teeth and read a book before going to sleep.)
3. The museum contains sixth century sculptures, eighteenth century swords, and the dress worn by the royal family in the
nineteenth century.
(The museum contains sixth century sculptures, eighteenth century swords, and a nineteenth century royal dress. )
Let us now look at a few examples of questions involving parallelism in structure :

Example - 1
Europes travel industry is suffering as a result of a sluggish economy, a stretch of bad weather, as well as the chilling effects
of terrorist activity that is persistent.
(A) as well as the chilling effects of terrorists activity that is persistent
(B) and the chilling effects of terrorist activity that is persistent
(C) but persistent terrorist activity has had a chilling effect too
(D) and the chilling effects of persistent terrorist activity
(E) as well as the chilling effects of terrorist activity that persists

Chapter 6 | Parallelism in Structures | BMM10204 |32 of 112

Analysis
Whenever three or more qualities or activities are enumerated in a sentence in CAT, you should feel alerted for a possible lack
of parallelism in structure in it. Three reasons are sought to be enumerated in this sentence for the suffering of Europe's travel
industry. They must therefore be stated in the form X, Y and Z. The phrase in the form X, Y as well as Z spoils the
parallelism, and is wrong.
Moreover, the first two reasons are mentioned as noun phrases while the third is mentioned as a full clause. (B) corrects the
first error, but not the second.
There is no contrast involved among the three qualities mentioned in the sentence. So, by introducing the contrasting
conjunction but, (C) compounds the lack of parallelism still further.
The expression in (D) has perfect parallelism with the first two noun phrases, and is the answer.
(E) has the first error pointed out above, and is wrong.
(Remember that the conjunction as well as must be used to connect only two nouns. If there are more than two nouns, they
must be written as X, Y and Z, and not as X, Y as well as Z.)

Example - 2
The suspect in the burglary was advised of his right to remain silent, told he could not leave, and was interrogated in a
detention room.
(A) of his right to remain silent, told he could not leave, and was
(B) of his right to remain silent, told he could not leave, and
(C) of his right to remain silent and that he could not leave and
(D) that he had a right to remain silent, could not leave, and was
(E) that he had a right to remain silent, that he could not leave, and- was

Analysis
Three activities in the passive voice are enumerated in this sentence. To have parallelism, they must be of the form was
advised, was told and was interrogated.
While the first and the third are mentioned as was advised and was interrogated, the second-is-mentioned merely as
told.
To restore parallelism, the second must also be written as was told.
But none of the choices has this form.
The other way of restoring parallelism is to write the three activities as was advised, told and interrogated, in which the verb
was is understood though not explicitly stated in the case of both the latter verbs. (B) has this version, and is the answer.

Example - 3
Seismologists studying the earthquake that struck northern California in October 1989 are still investigating some of its
mysteries: the unexpected power of the seismic waves, the upward thrust that threw one man straight into the air, and the
strange electromagnetic signals detected hours before the tremor.
(A) the upward thrust that threw one man straight into the air, and the strange electromagnetic signals detected hours before
the tremor
(B) the upward thrust that threw one man straight into the air, and strange electromagnetic signals were detected hours
before the tremor
(C) the upward thrust threw one man straight into the air, and hours before the tremor strange electromagnetic signals were
detected

Chapter 6 | Parallelism in Structures | BMM10204 |33 of 112

(D) one man who was thrown straight into the air by the upward thrust, and hours before the tremor strange electromagnetic
signals were detected
(E) one man who was thrown straight into the air by the upward thrust, and strange electromagnetic signals that were
detected hours before the tremor

Analysis
(Remember that nearly 20% of the questions under Sentence Construction will have (A) as the answer, and one of them could
involve parallelism in structure. So, you should not jump to the conclusion as soon as you see a list of three nouns or actions
that there will be an error of parallelism in the sentence.) The given version maintains perfect parallelism in the manner in
which the three mysteries are described as noun phrases (the unexpected power, the upward thrust, and the strange
electronic signals) and is a correct sentence. So, we can choose (A) itself as the answer, unless we come across a better
version among the other choices.
(B) introduces lack of parallelism in two ways: (i) the absence of the definite article the before strange electromagnetic
signals, and (ii) the conversion of the last phrase into a subordinate clause with its own verb were detected. So, (B) is
wrong.
(C), (D) and (E) all result in lack of parallelism because the first mystery is mentioned as a noun phrase (the unexpected
power of the seismic waves), while the next two are given as independent main clauses.
So, we can choose (A) itself as the answer.

Chapter 6 | Parallelism in Structures | BMM10204 |34 of 112