Faulty Parallelism

You've written this sentence, or one very like it, more times than you'd probably like to admit: In my free time I like reading, to play football, and that I watch YouTube. You read it back and something's not right — not wrong exactly, not "grammar police" wrong — just... lumpy. Your teacher's pen circles it. You know what you meant. Your teacher knows what you meant. But the sentence trips over its own feet, and you can't quite say why.

Here's the thing — that lumpiness has a name. It's called faulty parallelism, and it's one of those errors that's dead easy to fix once someone shows you what to look for, and maddeningly invisible until they do. Nobody's born knowing this. I've been editing other people's sentences for twenty-two years and I still catch myself doing it in a first draft — the difference is I've trained my ear to hear the wobble and fix it before anyone else sees it.

The good news is that once you can spot the pattern, you'll start hearing it everywhere — in your own exam answers, in your mates' texts, in the caption under a school Instagram post. And once you can hear it, fixing it takes about ten seconds.

Before you read on, here's where we're heading. By the end you'll be able to: - Explain what parallelism means and why matching structures make sentences easier to follow. - Spot faulty parallelism in lists, comparisons, and paired phrases like "not only… but also." - Fix your own wobbly sentences quickly, without rewriting the whole thing from scratch. - Know when a bit of pattern-breaking is a deliberate, confident style choice — not a mistake.

Beginner (Foundation)

Let's start simple, because the idea underneath all of this is genuinely simple. Parallelism means using the same grammatical shape for items that belong together — in a list, or on either side of a comparison. Think of it as matching outfits for words: if the first item in your list is wearing an -ing, the others should be wearing one too.

Look at this:

• I like swimming, cycling, and running.

All three — swimming, cycling, running — are the same kind of word: an -ing form. They line up. Your ear doesn't stumble because your brain isn't being asked to switch gears halfway through.

Now try this:

• I like to swim, cycling, and to run.

We've mixed to swim (infinitive), cycling (-ing form), and to run (infinitive again) — three items, two different outfits. Your brain flags it even if you can't name the problem. That flag is faulty parallelism doing exactly what it does: making a smooth sentence feel jagged.

Here's another one, and this is the version that turns up in homework constantly:

• My brother likes playing video games and to watch films.

The ideas match — two hobbies — but the grammar doesn't. Playing video games is an -ing phrase; to watch films is a "to + verb" phrase. Fix it either way, but pick one:

• My brother likes playing video games and watching films.
• My brother likes to play video games and to watch films.

Both are fine. The trick isn't which pattern you choose — it's that you choose one and stick to it.

Common Mistake: Mixing "to + verb" and "-ing" in the same short list: ❌ She enjoys to dance and singing. ✅ She enjoys dancing and singing. / She likes to dance and to sing.

Parallelism in simple lists

Lists joined by and or or are where you'll meet this most often.

• At the weekend, I went to the park, ate ice cream, and watched a film.

Pattern: past-tense verb + object, three times over — went, ate, watched. Clean.

Break it:

• At the weekend, I went to the park, eating ice cream, and watched a film.

That middle item, eating ice cream, doesn't belong to the same family as went and watched. Fix it by pulling it back into past tense:

• At the weekend, I went to the park, ate ice cream, and watched a film.

Parallelism in comparisons

The same rule governs comparisons — sentences using than or as… as.

• Playing chess is easier than learning the piano.

Both sides are -ing phrases. Balanced.

• Playing chess is easier than to learn the piano.

One side's -ing, the other's an infinitive. Wobbly. Fix it by matching the shapes:

• Playing chess is easier than learning the piano.

Quick recap: - Parallelism means matching the grammatical shape of items that belong together. - Faulty parallelism is what happens when those shapes don't match. - In lists, keep every item in the same form — all -ing, all "to + verb," all past tense. - In comparisons, both sides of than or as… as need to wear the same outfit.

Intermediate (Development)

Once you can spot the obvious wobbles, the real skill is catching them in the places they like to hide: longer lists, correlative pairs, and comparisons where it isn't instantly clear what's being compared.

Longer lists lose the thread

The longer a list gets, the easier it is for your grammar to drift without you noticing — because by item three, you've usually stopped thinking about the shape of your sentence and started thinking purely about content.

• In drama club we practised our lines, worked on costumes, and how to move on stage.

Two items — practised our lines, worked on costumes — are verb + object. The third, how to move on stage, is a completely different animal: a "how to" phrase. It doesn't fit the family. Fix:

• …we practised our lines, worked on costumes, and rehearsed our movements on stage.

Pro-Tip: Say each list item aloud, straight after the words that introduce the list. If your voice stumbles or the grammar suddenly changes shape, that's your ear telling you exactly where the fix needs to go.

Correlative pairs: the classic trap

Correlative pairs — either… or, neither… nor, not only… but also, both… and, whether… or — are magnets for faulty parallelism, because the whole point of a correlative pair is to promise the reader that two things will match. Break that promise and the sentence feels like a rug pulled from underneath you. (If you want the full run-down on these conjunctions and how they're classified, that's covered back in Pillar 2's Coordinating and Correlative Conjunctions — I won't repeat it here.)

Take either… or:

• You can either stay after school for extra help or going home early.

After either, a bare verb (stay). After or, an -ing form (going). Fix:

• You can either stay after school for extra help or go home early.

Now not only… but also, which is trickier because the whole sentence can drift while still sounding vaguely plausible:

• The project was not only difficult to plan but also took a long time to finish.

Look closely: was… difficult to plan is a verb-plus-adjective structure; took a long time to finish is verb-plus-object. They're cousins, not twins — many teachers would let it pass, and honestly, in speech it's fine. But if you want it airtight for an exam answer, tighten it:

• The project not only took a long time to plan but also took a long time to finish.

Repetitive, sure — but unmistakably parallel, and that's what a marker's eye is trained to reward.

Common Mistake: Letting a subject sneak into one half of a correlative pair and not the other: ❌ Not only my brother but also I love anime. ✅ Not only do my brother and I love anime, but we also make fan art.

Comparisons: knowing what's actually being compared

Comparisons go wrong when one side has a full subject-and-verb and the other's just a fragment tagging along.

• My little sister is braver than me climbing trees.

What's actually being compared? My little sister and… me climbing trees? That's not a fair fight, grammatically speaking. Two cleaner versions:

• My little sister is braver than I am at climbing trees.
• My little sister climbs trees more bravely than I do.

Now the compared elements line up properly: subject against subject, verb phrase against verb phrase.

Parallel clauses

Sometimes your "list" isn't single words — it's whole clauses. Same rule applies.

• I revised for the test, I was making flashcards, and practised past papers.

Three tenses, three shapes, one confused sentence. Fix by giving each item its own subject and matching tense:

• I revised for the test, I made flashcards, and I practised past papers.

Quick recap: - The longer the list, the easier the pattern slips — check every item against the first one. - Correlative pairs demand matching structure after both halves; that's the whole point of them. - In comparisons, work out exactly what's being compared before you worry about the grammar. - When you're listing clauses, give each one a clear subject and verb — or share one deliberately.

Advanced (Mastery)

By now you can spot and fix the obvious wobbles. What's left is the interesting part — when strict matching helps your writing, when it makes you sound like a robot, and how skilled writers bend the rule on purpose without breaking it by accident.

Parallelism versus variety

Good writing balances two things that occasionally pull in opposite directions: clarity and rhythm (which parallelism gives you) and variety (so you don't sound like a checklist).

• He was kind, he was brave, and he was intelligent.

Perfectly parallel — and a bit wooden. Drop the repeated he was:

• He was kind, brave, and intelligent.

Still parallel — now the three items are simply adjectives. Notice what happened: the pattern got shorter, not broken. That distinction matters. Compare it with this genuinely faulty version:

• He was kind, he was brave, and intelligent.

Here the first two items are full clauses and the third is a lone adjective with nowhere to sit. That's not stylish economy — that's just faulty parallelism wearing a disguise.

Pro-Tip: If you're going to break a pattern, break it on purpose — for drama, for a joke, for a specific effect. If it's accidental, and it just makes your sentence harder to follow, that's the one to fix.

Loose parallelism in speech versus exams

In conversation, people get away with genuinely loose parallelism all the time:

• She likes reading novels, to watch documentaries, and that her friends recommend good books.

Your mate would understand you perfectly. An examiner marking your essay would not be so forgiving — and fairly so, because in formal writing, the pattern is doing real work: it's showing the reader (and the marker) that you're in control of your sentence, not just generating words and hoping. Tightened up:

• She likes reading novels, watching documentaries, and getting recommendations from her friends.

Three -ing phrases. Clean, controlled, and it reads like someone who knew exactly what they were doing.

"Rather than" and tangled negatives

"Rather than" quietly invites mismatched structures, because your attention drifts to the meaning and stops checking the shape:

• I prefer to revise in the library rather than revising at home.

Not a disaster, but tighten it:

• I prefer revising in the library to revising at home.
• I prefer to revise in the library rather than at home.

Negatives tangle things further, especially around "not only… but also":

• The school is not only improving exam results but also student behaviour is better.

Is improving exam results is a verb phrase; student behaviour is better is a whole new clause with its own subject. Straighten it:

• The school is improving not only exam results but also student behaviour.
• Not only are exam results improving, but student behaviour is also getting better.

Either one gives both halves the same shape.

Parallelism as a tool, not just a rule

Once you've mastered the mechanics, you'll notice something: writers and speakers use parallelism deliberately to make a line memorable. Churchill's "We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the landing grounds, we will fight in the fields and in the streets" isn't accidentally parallel — the repetition is the whole engine of the sentence's power.

You don't need to write speeches for school, but you can borrow the trick for a story opening, a personal statement, or the closing line of an essay:

• We need teachers who listen, teachers who care, and teachers who believe in their students.

Everything after teachers who matches — and that's not luck, that's craft.

Common Mistake: Thinking parallelism is purely a correctness issue — something you fix and forget. It's also a stylistic tool. Once the basics are automatic, you can reach for it to make a sentence land harder.

Quick recap: - You can drop repeated words and stay parallel, as long as what's left still clearly matches. - Casual speech tolerates loose parallelism; formal writing and exams reward tight, visible patterns. - "Rather than" and negatives are classic hiding spots for mismatched structures — check them specifically. - Skilled writers use parallelism on purpose, for rhythm and emphasis — not just to avoid red pen.

UK vs US Note

The grammar of parallelism doesn't change depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on — the patterns are identical. All you'll see is the odd spelling swap in the surrounding words, for instance practised [US: practiced] and behaviour [US: behavior]. Every structure and every fix in this article works exactly the same in both.

Key Takeaways

• Parallelism means matching grammatical shapes in lists and comparisons.
• Faulty parallelism makes an otherwise fine sentence feel lumpy or unclear.
• In lists, keep every item in the same form — all verbs, all adjectives, all clauses.
• Correlative pairs like either… or and not only… but also demand matching structures on both sides.
• You can bend the rule deliberately for style — but in exams and formal writing, tight patterns are your safest bet.

Check Your Understanding

1. Fix the faulty parallelism: a) For PE I enjoy running, to swim, and playing basketball. b) He is smart, he is funny, and kind.
2. Choose the better parallel version of each pair: a) My mum likes cooking, to garden, and going for walks. / My mum likes cooking, gardening, and going for walks. b) Either you can stay after school or going home now. / You can either stay after school or go home now.
3. Rewrite this sentence to fix the parallelism after "not only… but also": Not only the science teacher but also the students were excited for the experiment.
4. Spot the faulty parallelism and rewrite: Revision helps you remember facts, organise your ideas, and that you feel confident in the exam.
5. Write your own sentence using "rather than" that shows good parallelism.

Internal Links

• 6.1 Parallelism and Balance — where parallelism becomes a stylistic and rhetorical tool, not just a fix.
• 1.2 Objects and Complements — for understanding what a verb is actually working with.
• 2.2 Combining Sentences — for joining clauses cleanly before you list them.
• Back to: Pillar 2, "Coordinating and Correlative Conjunctions" — the and / or / either… or machinery this article assumes you already know.

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