Parallel structure | Syntax | Khan Academy Video Lecture | Complete Course on English Grammar: Upgrade your Speaking & Listening - Personal Skills

hello grammarians hello Rosie hello
Paige hi David hi David
today all three of us are going to be
talking about parallel structure and
I've always had trouble spelling the
word parallel but Rosie pointed out
something just before we started
recording that is blowing my mind
Rosie how do you spell parallel well
it's fun because the two L's that are
together in the word are together in the
middle of the word look at that they're
parallel that's all it's fine that's
just that's amazing parallel structure
is less a consideration of grammar it's
really more about style right parallel
structure basically means that when
you're making some kind of list in a
sentence if you're using a series of
verbs if you're using a series of nouns
any series of words they should all
roughly line up with one another so
let's say I was an outdoorsman and I
said I love fishing skiing and rock
climbing each one of these is a gerund
right it is the in form of verb we're
using it as a noun and this this
sentence exhibits parallel structure but
you know sometimes you'll see a sentence
that'll mess that up right so let's say
you were editing someone's personal
statement and athletes personal
statement and they said I love fishing
skiing and to climb rocks now there's
nothing grammatically incorrect about
this sentence it makes sense it is legal
in the way that it is composed but
stylistically it just doesn't it doesn't
harmonize so this is not parallel but
this is some other things to look out
for to make sure you're making a
sentence parallel is if everything is
active voice or passive voice infinitive
verbs versus other forms of verbs like
to eat versus eating and a string of
individual modifiers like adjectives
versus larger phrases let's put that
into action
okay so active versus passive voice so
an example if we're not going to have
parallel structure would be something
like the cake was baked frosted and I
put sprinkles on it so so what we're
saying here is that here is a passive
thing that happened to the cake the cake
was baked
here's another passive thing that
happens to the cake the cake was frosted
by someone else and then that someone
else comes in and Paige says I put
sprinkles on it but if we're going to
assume that sprinkled is now a verb that
means to be covered in sugary cake
decorations we would say the cake was
baked frosted and sprinkled or decorated
with friends friends but I kind of like
sprinkle so that's active versus passive
we've already covered infinitive versus
other verb forms so that's you know
skiing well it's that's to ski versus
skiing so this is what we call an
infinitive form and this is another form
that's called the gerund so make sure to
keep those separate in your lists and
then lists of individual terms versus
longer phrases so if you are describing
something with a string of adjectives be
careful when you follow it up with a
longer phrase for example sharks are
large damp and dangerous those are all
just short individual modifiers as
opposed to sharks are large damp and not
to be trifled with
and look again we're not saying this is
not a grammatical sentence it is and
sometimes you may want to break parallel
structure in order to have some sort of
particular effect if you if you are
trying to draw attention to this last
element then yeah you might want to
break parallel structure but we want to
make you aware that there is just a sort
of general tendency towards making your
sentences harmonious in this way baked
frosted and sprinkled large damp and
dangerous you know and and then when you
want to have access to that ability to
really
raw attention to that last element then
you can say ah you know what I'm gonna
make this perpendicular is that is
perpendicularity is that a thing that I
just made up right now yes are we going
with it maybe yeah
do we like it yeah not parallel it's not
parallel not parallel
well I suppose dentures about covers
parallel structure so for one last time
with Paige you can learn anything Dave
it out Rosie out Paige out you've been a
wonderful intern Paige we'll miss you
thank you I'll miss you too