Even a perfectly grammatical sentence can go wrong if the ideas don’t align just right. This problem comes up when the wording that connects a series of parallel items to the rest of the sentence doesn’t apply to all of them:

I listen to music before, during, and after I study.

I listen to music before I study is fine, I listen to music after I study is fine, but I listen to music during I study is garbled.

I listen to music before, while, and after I study.

I listen to music while I study is fine.

One way to solve a problem like this is to change the connection point so that all the items do make sense with it:

Sometimes we discover residents with fries, subs, slices of pizza, milkshakes, beer, and wine that family members have smuggled in.

Another option with a long series like that one is to break it into two or more, each with its own connection point. Add a coordinating conjunction to the first series, to show readers where it ends, and add another conjunction before the second or last series, to show where it begins:

The principle that words must connect properly applies even to a series of just two:

I like music as much or more than my friends do.

I like music as much as or more than my friends do.

We try to make sure family members have a clear understanding and obey the rules.

We try to make sure family members have a clear understanding of and obey the rules.

Or, even better than the previous sentence, because this example is easier to follow:

We try to make sure family members clearly understand and obey the rules.