Parallel ideas with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, etc.)

Coordinating conjunctions link ideas of equal importance. When those ideas are closely parallel in content, they should be expressed in parallel grammatical form.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: At Lincoln High School, vandalism can result in suspension of even being expelled from school. Revised sentence: At Lincoln High School, vandalism can result in suspension of even expulsion from school. Explanation: The words

The revision balances the nouns suspension and expulsion.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Many states are reducing property taxes for home owners and extend financial aid in the form of tax credits to renters. Revised sentence: Many states are reducing property taxes for home owners and extending financial aid in the form of tax credits to renters. Explanation: The word

The revision balances the verb reducing with the verb extending.

Exercises:

Identifying parallel structure

Parallelism 1

Parallelism 2

Parallelism 3

Parallelism 4