The Web and the Search for Parallel Verbs

Lists are a great way to organize information – especially for a business document. “10 Simple Google Search Tricks” by Simon Mackie (New York Times, April 2, 2010) is a good illustration of how lists get stronger and weaker through parallel grammar. Here are some of the headings in his list:

“1. Use the ‘site:’ operator to limit searches to a particular site.

“2. Use Google as a spelling aid.

“4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world.

“8. Search for specific document types.

“10. Area code lookup.”

Number 10 sticks out, doesn’t it? Unlike the other list items, it’s not a complete sentence, and it doesn’t have its own verb.

The other items are parallel, complete sentences starting with “Use,” “Find,” “Get,” “Exclude,” and “Search.” After this clear-cut series of verb-driven sentences, “Area code lookup” looks distractingly different.

When you include a bulleted or numbered list in your own documents, consider starting every single item with a verb – say, either all present-tense verbs, or all -ing verbs. Your list will be dynamic, and your reader will stay laser-focused on the series of actions you have in mind.

For more guidelines on how to use parallel structure in your lists, see our updated book Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide. Also check out our book Essential Grammar: A Write It Well Guide, which will ship later this summer!