Phil Druker, Department of English, University of Idaho 

Parallelism

When you write a list, you often introduce the list with a sentence (a complete idea) that ends with a colon(:). After the colon, the items in the list must be grammatically parallel (i.e., have the same grammatical structure).  Below are some correct examples of parallelism in lists. 

Tip:  be sure to use the same type of word to start each element in the list.

Note: also see the Methods section of the proposal for more ideas on parallelism

1. A list with nouns.

The typical formal report contains these standard elements:
    title page
  

2. A list with nouns plus a sentence.

The basic structure of the informative abstract includes three elements:

1.        The identifying information.  The name of the report, the author, and perhaps the writer's affiliation should be stated in the abstract's heading.
2.        The problem statement.  One or two sentences should define the problem or need that led to the project.
3.The main findings.  The final three or four sentences--the biggest portion of the abstract--state the crucial information the report contains.

3. A list with noun phrases.

Transmittal letters generally contain most of the following information:
1.        the title, and if necessary the purpose of the report;
2.        a statement of who authorized or commissioned the project, and when;
3.        a summary of the principal results, conclusions, and recommendations;        .

4.        an acknowledgement of any assistance received in preparing the materials;

5.     an offer to assist in interpreting the materials or in carrying out further projects.

4. A list with verbs:

The details in a paragraph explain the paragraph’s topic sentence by:

1. defining a key term or idea included in a topic sentence,
2. providing examples or illustrations of the situation described in the topic sentence,      ..
3. identifying factors that led to the situation described in the topic sentence,
4. defining implications of the situation described in the topic sentence,
5. defining the assertion made in the topic sentence.

5. A list with prepositions.

Usually, use colons after a complete sentence, as in the following cases:

1.      in lists (as illustrated above);

2.        between main clauses--complete and very closely related sentences (e.g., His reason for accepting the lowest-paying job offer was simple: he always wanted to live in the Northwest.);

3.        before an explanation (e.g., Two candidates are clearly superior: John and Marsha.);

4.      before a quotation (e.g., The supervisor's message was clear enough: "You're fired.").

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