Jenny Morse, PhD
Author and CEO

Is the grammar in your lists and bullets correct? Whenever you create a series, whether horizontal (sentences) or vertical (bullets) the items in those lists need to match!

Parallel structure not only maintains consistency in your lists (sentences and bullets) but it establishes clarity and credibility for your audience. How can you make sure that your sentences and bulleted lists are parallel? When thinking about parallel structure think 1, 2, 3, not 1, A, Blue.

What do we mean? Well, parallel structure involves using the same pattern of words in a series or list and that each item in that list used the same grammatical form. So, all the words are nouns, or all verbs, or all gerunds, etc.

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A correct, basic list might look like this:

I like to eat fish, carrots, and strawberries.

Each of the bolded words are nouns, meaning each of the words in this list are the same grammatical form. And you can check it by isolating the main part of the sentence and reading it with each word by itself:

I like to eat fish.

I like to eat carrots.

I like to eat strawberries.

See how each item in the list fits in the same place in the main part of the sentence? That means the list is parallel.

It gets a bit more complicated when you have phrases. You should think about parallel structure with single words in lists and series, but parallel structure is just as necessary (perhaps more necessary) with multi-word phrases and clauses. With multi-word phrases and clauses, you also have to ensure all items are in the same voice, such as the same tense (all present, past, or future) and, with clauses, that each item has a subject and predicate.

A correct, slightly more complicated list might look like this:

I like to play tennis, run on the treadmill, and hike mountains.

Each of the bolded words are verb clauses, and while the words that follow each verb in the list are different, the verbs follow the same grammatical form. The underlined words are subjects (nouns) that follow the predicates (verbs).

And you can still check the list by isolating the main part and seeing if all the pieces fit in the same place:

I like to play tennis.

I like to run on the treadmill.

I like to hike mountains.

An incorrect, slightly more complicated list might look like this:

I like to go fishing, running on the treadmill, and I went hiking last week.

In this example, each of the verb clauses are different grammatically. How do we know?

Because when we check the list by isolating the main part of the sentence and seeing how each part lines up (or doesn’t) with the same sentence, we get this:

I like to go fishing.

I like to running on the treadmill.

I like to I went hiking last week.

This is where 1, A, and Blue come in. Instead of each of these words being part of the same pattern within this series, like 1, 2, 3, they are all different. In this specific example, it’s clear that I like fishing and running, but did I enjoy my hike last week? I went, but it isn’t clear that I actually enjoy hiking. When I say—I like fishing, running on the treadmill, and hiking. —its grammar is correct, but more importantly, my audience doesn’t have to guess. I clearly articulate my message to them.

What about bulleted lists? They follow the same principles are parallel structure for lists and series in sentences, but there are a few additional considerations. If you don’t already know, we love bulleted lists! I always recommend breaking up your emails because nobody wants to read anything, and bulleted lists combat this by

Aiding scanning
Breaking up long sentences and paragraphs
Drawing your readers’ attention to the most important information

Bulleted lists interrupt flow, so our brains notice something different.

In bulleted lists you still have to use the same grammatical form. So, if the first bullet starts with a noun, the rest of the bullet points need to start with nouns.

An incorrect bulleted list might look like this:

For our meeting next week, I’d like you to do the following:

I need you to print copies of the reports.
emails for each participant
Projector

This list uses different grammatical forms, and it also isn’t clear. It’s clear that I want you to print copies, you can maybe guess that I also want you to send emails, but what do I want you to do with the projector? Buy one, set it up, take it down?

And when we check the list by substituting the each item into the original sentence, they don’t work:

I’d like you to I need you to print copies of the reports.

I’d like you to emails for each participant.

I’d like you to Projector.

None of those works. So, we’d want to revise the bullets to make each one fit in the main sentence:

I’d like you to print copies of the reports.

I’d like you to send emails to participants.

I’d like you to set up the projector.

The incorrect list example also demonstrates other ways you need to be consistent within your bulleted lists. Are each of the first words capitalized or lowercase? Punctuation or no punctuation? Full sentences or fragments? It doesn’t matter what you choose, but whatever you choose, you need to do it consistently. Capitalize or don’t capitalize every bullet point. Use full sentences or use fragments for every bullet point, etc.

Now, our bulleted list will look like this:

For our meeting next week, I’d like you to do the following:

Print copies of the reports
Send emails to participants
Set up the projector

In this bulleted list, each bullet point starts with a verb, and it’s clear what I want you to do. Each bullet point is capitalized, they’re each fragments, and none of them have punctuation.

Ultimately, you should think about parallel structure when you’re writing because

Parallel structure is grammatically correct. Using parallel structure establishes your correctness and credibility when you write messages.
But, more importantly,
Parallel structure makes your sentences easier to read and helps with your clarity for those reading your messages.

So, remember, when thinking about parallel structure with your sentences and bulleted lists, think 1, 2, 3, not 1, A, Blue.

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