Parallel structure and word roots

Parallel structure

Parallel structure happens when the grammatical units in a sentence match. For example, in “I like to run, jump, and fish,” the three verbs match. In “He enjoyed jazz, blues, and reggae,” three nouns are listed.

Incorrect: Nolan looked under the bed, behind the couch, and searched in the trash for his missing keys before he found them in the pocket of yesterday’s pants.

Correct: Nolan looked under the bed, behind the couch, and in the trash for his missing keys before he found them in the pocket of yesterday’s pants.

The incorrect version adds a second verb, searched, which breaks the parallel structure.

Writers use parallel structure to show that ideas are equally important.

This example is from The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, found at Project Gutenberg. It combines continuers, cause-and-effect words, and parallel structure to describe Mrs. Wilkins, Squire Allworthy’s housekeeper.

First, therefore signals that what follows is a result of what has just been said (even if you don’t know exactly what that was).

The construction “as…so is it” is a variation on “as…as.” It creates a similarity between the predatory kite (a species of raptor) and Mrs. Wilkins.

Finally, parallel structure completes the description by explaining that Mrs. Wilkins, a “slave and flatterer” of her employer Squire Allworthy, expects or exacts “the same taxes” - servility and flattery - from those below her.

Restatement clues

Writers often restate key ideas. That means an idea referred to repeatedly is usually more important than an idea mentioned only once. You can also look for synonyms nearby; they often help you define unfamiliar words.

For example:

He lacked the perspicacity, the insight, and the wit to rise to such a delicate political situation.

In the context of the sentence, what does perspicacity most nearly mean?

a. Breeding
b. Decorum
c. Perceptiveness
d. Experience
e. Audacity

Double negatives

Just like in math, a double negative in an English sentence equals a positive. When Ty Cobb said, “I have observed that baseball is not unlike a war, and when you come right down to it, we batters are the heavy artillery,” he was really saying that baseball is like war.

Roots, prefixes, and suffixes

You already know that words are made up of parts. Affixes - prefixes and suffixes - attach to word roots (also called word bases). A prefix is attached in front of a root, and suffixes attach to the end.

For example, the Latin root port (from portare) means “to carry.” When we affix “re-” (back, again) in front of “port,” we get “report,” which literally means “to carry back.” The suffix “-er” (one who, that which) changes port to porter (one who carries) and reporter (one who reports - or carries back - the news). Portal has the same root, and a portal is a doorway that carries you from one place to the next.

Prefixes and roots

There is some confusion among grammarians about which word parts are roots and which are prefixes. Don’t worry about the classification; you won’t be tested on it. Instead, focus on the basic meaning of each word part.

Suffixes

The purpose of a suffix is to show whether a word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. Suffixes usually don’t change a word’s core meaning; they mainly change how the word functions in a sentence. For test-taking purposes, when you see a long word you don’t know, cover the suffixes with your finger and focus on identifying the prefixes and roots.

Noun suffixes

Adjective suffixes

Verb suffixes

Adverb suffixes