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Parallel structures with prepositions

When using prepositions: (to, at, by, for... and more)
Some list items use prepositions to help you position or orient the ideas. For example, you would usually say


→Going on holiday ← and not →*Going to holiday *←.


So, the problem for you is: Do you have to mention the preposition each time ... and what should you do if your ideas use different prepositions?


You can be more consistent by using them once before all items in the list, or used before all items respectively, but not a mix of both.


If the nouns (or the ideas) in your sentence use different prepositions, you have to construct the sentence in such a way that this is accounted for (as the error in the third example below demonstrates).

* The devotees came by boat, by cart, by bike and even taxi. * (Note: Asterisks signal examples of poor constructions.)

* The doctor works on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and on Saturdays. *

* Whether you come to work by car, bus, taxi, or walk, you are still expected to arrive on time. *

Be consistent

Consistency is the key:
Clauses within sentences need to be balanced; they should not switch from passive to active voice, or change verb forms, tenses or noun types.

* The coach told the team members that they should get a good night's sleep, that they should abstain from consuming alcohol, and to focus before the match. *

* Factors taken into consideration for the new urban plan must include noise pollution, wastewater issues, having sufficient green space and parking. *

Take care suggesting a correlation between ideas.
Look at how the following example makes an awkward connection between making Japanese food and rugby.

* He not only likes making Japanese food, but also rugby. *

Test your sentences for parallel consistency.

Checking your sentences for consistency:
What you need to do is to identify the point where the list or comparison of the various elements begins, then try each of the list items individually to see if they make sense. Look at the example below for how we would attempt this:

want enough money to go overseas, enough time to do it in, and enough energy to enjoy it.

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