“She likes reading, swimming, and to ride a bike.”
这句话读起来哪里不舒服?——reading和swimming是ing形式,to ride a bike是不定式,三种不同的结构并列在一起。
这就是平行结构(parallelism)的问题:几个并列的成分应当使用相同的形式。
📊 厦门灯塔威廉老师批改数据: 平行结构错误在我批改的作文中发生率约30%,集中在三个场景:并列动词形式不一致(占40%)、not only…but also前后不对齐(占35%)、以及并列名词与动名词混搭(占25%)。奇怪的是,这类错误更容易出现在”想写好”的学生中间——因为他们在尝试复杂结构时,忘了保持一致性。
一、什么是平行结构?
平行结构是指在一句话中,两个或两个以上并列的成分(词、短语、从句)使用相同的语法形式。
对比:
-
❌ 不平行:I enjoy to travel, reading, and to cook.
-
✅ 平行:I enjoy travelling, reading, and cooking.
-
❌ 不平行:She is smart, beautiful, and has kindness.
-
✅ 平行:She is smart, beautiful, and kind.
说白了就是”同样的事,用相同的写法”。
二、并列连词是最常见的触发点
以下连接词会触发平行结构:
| 连接词 | 不平行 | 平行 |
|---|---|---|
| and | He is tall and a kind person. | He is tall and kind. |
| or | You can study hard or to give up. | You can study hard or give up. |
| but | She is young but has experience. | She is young but experienced. |
三、三个”套餐结构”最容易出错
1. not only…but also…
规则: not only后面的结构和but also后面的结构必须完全一致。
-
❌ He not only plays basketball but also he is good at swimming.
-
✅ He not only plays basketball but also swims well.
-
❌ The trip not only was interesting but also an educational experience.
-
✅ The trip was not only interesting but also educational.
2. either…or… / neither…nor…
- ✅ You can either pay now or pay later.(动词短语平行)
- ✅ He is neither a teacher nor a student.(名词平行)
- ✅ She speaks neither loudly nor quickly.(副词平行)
3. prefer…rather than… / would rather…than…
- ✅ I prefer staying at home rather than going out.(ing平行)
- ✅ I prefer to stay at home rather than go out.(不定式平行)
- ✅ I would rather stay at home than go out.(动词原形平行)
四、写作中常见的三种平行结构对照
对照1:动词时态不一致
| ❌ 不平行 | ✅ 平行 |
|---|---|
| He came in, sat down, and was opening his book. | He came in, sat down, and opened his book. |
| She likes cooking and to bake. | She likes cooking and baking. |
| The job requires organizing events and to write reports. | The job requires organizing events and writing reports. |
对照2:名词与动名词混搭
| ❌ 不平行 | ✅ 平行 |
|---|---|
| His hobbies are reading and golf. | His hobbies are reading and playing golf. |
| She is interested in art, music, and to travel. | She is interested in art, music, and travel. |
对照3:从句与短语混搭
| ❌ 不平行 | ✅ 平行 |
|---|---|
| I told him to work hard and that he should be patient. | I told him to work hard and to be patient. |
| He is a man of courage and who is determined. | He is a man of courage and determination. |
五、两个”平行陷阱”——容易忽视的情况
陷阱1:比较结构
在比较结构中,than前后的成分也需要平行。
-
❌ I enjoy playing basketball more than to watch TV.
-
✅ I enjoy playing basketball more than watching TV.
-
❌ Swimming is as fun as to run.
-
✅ Swimming is as fun as running.
陷阱2:列清单时
写作中用冒号后跟列表时,列表中的每一项形式要一致。
- ❌ She has three goals: to get a job, saving money, and buy a car.
- ✅ She has three goals: to get a job, to save money, and to buy a car. (或全部用ing形式:getting a job, saving money, and buying a car)
六、写作自查清单
写完一个句子后,问自己三个问题:
-
并列成分的语法形式是否一致? ——如果一个是ing,另一个也应该是ing;如果一个是to do,另一个也应该是to do。
-
not only…but also…两边对齐了吗? ——not only后面接什么,but also后面就接什么。不要一边接句子一边接短语。
-
and/or/but前后的结构相同吗? ——如果是两个形容词并列就和形容词并列,不要一个形容词一个名词。
七、升级范例
普通版(无平行结构):
Reading books can improve your vocabulary, and you can also learn new knowledge and to think in English.
升级版(注意平行结构):
Reading books can improve your vocabulary, expand your knowledge, and develop your English thinking skills.
一个简单的平行结构调整,就让句子从”东拼西凑”变成了”整齐有力”。阅卷老师看这样的句子,自然会认为你的写作功底不错。
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