Lesson: English Grammar - 20

When is Parallelism an Issue?

[Page 20 of 28]

As we saw in the last example, the simple conjunction "and" can create a need for parallelism. Basically, whenever more than one part of the sentence picks up on the same phrase earlier in the sentence, you're dealing with parallelism.

However, there are some word pairs which alert you to the fact that a parallel is being set up. They are:

  • either…or
  • neither…nor
  • not only…but also

Whatever follows the first and the second part of these pairs must have the same grammatical form. Thus, if you have an adjective following one, you need an adjective to follow the other, and so on. See the following correct examples:

  • Either Jane or Elena must attend the party. (Proper nouns follow "either" and "or.")
  • Neither the sofa nor the chair was comfortable to sit on. (Nouns follow "neither" and "nor.")
  • When she finished the competition, she was not only exhausted, but also exhilarated. (Adjectives follow "not only" and "but also.")
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