Parallel structure and word roots

Parallel structure

Parallel structure in a sentence occurs when its grammatical units 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, that disrupts the parallel structure.

Writers use parallel structure to indicate that ideas are of similar importance.

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 tells you that what follows is a result of what’s just been said–even if we 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 and Mrs. Wilkins.

Finally, parallel structure completes the description by saying 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, so something that’s referred to repeatedly is going to be more important than something that is only mentioned once. Synonyms for unfamiliar words, for example, can help you figure out the right answer.

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 is 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–are attached to word roots (also called word bases). A prefix is “fixed on” or attached in front of a root, and suffixes are attached 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.

The purpose of a suffix is to identify whether a word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. In other words, they do not affect the meaning of a word.

For example:

Jose was an amiable young fellow who was well liked by all his teachers.

The root ami is from the Latin word amicus, which means “friend.” The suffix -able means “able to” and identifies the word as an adjective, so that amiable literally means “able to be a friend.”

Now, if we want to use amiable as a noun, we add a second suffix, -ity, which turns adjectives into nouns. Amiability means the act or idea of being friendly. Now, instead of just saying Jose was an amiable young fellow who was well liked by all his teachers, we can also say Jose’s amiability made him well-liked by his teachers. Remaining aware of this kind of flexibility from one word form to another can help you sort through difficult words to select the correct answer.

For test taking purposes, when you see a long word that you don’t know, cover the suffixes with your finger and focus on identifying the prefixes and roots.

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, try to retain a basic sense of what each word part means.