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What Is the Purpose of Bullet Points?The purpose of bullet points is to organize related information for clarity and conciseness. In addition, they make specific content easier to read by visually separating it from the surrounding text. How Is Parallel Structure Used in Bullet Points?Effective bullet points are written with parallel structure, which is also called parallel construction and parallelism. Before we look at what parallel structure is, here is a brief example of what it is not: A Chicago technical writer should be proficient in the following areas:
Notice that these bullets look awkward because they don’t “match.” The first one is a complete sentence, while the final three are phrases. In addition, they use different verb tenses. We can eliminate this awkwardness by using parallel structure, which means ensuring that all the bullets are either a sentence or a phrase and that each follows the same format: A Chicago technical writer should be proficient in the following areas:
All the bullet points are now phrases beginning with –ing (present participle) action verbs–awkwardness gone! Related ResourcesWhat Is Parallel Structure? How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word How to Create Custom Bullets in Microsoft Word Clear sentences support clear writing. To craft clear sentences, you need to construct them in a way that is easy for readers to follow and understand. You can do this by using patterns in your writing. A common pattern in writing is parallel structure (or parallel construction). With parallel structure, information follows the same grammatical pattern in a sentence. This structure makes the information easier to read and remember, enhancing the readability of your writing. Parallel structure can appear in many formats, including lists, verb forms, and the order of information. Lists in SentencesWhen listing items in sentences, you want to ensure they use the same structure. Consider the following example: Example 1.1 Autism has a complex genetic basis with incomplete penetrance, a large number of susceptibility genes, and the complex gene-environment interactions. This example has three items in the list. 1. incomplete penetrance These items each have different articles. The first item has no article, the second item has the article a, and the third item has the article the. Because these articles are different, the structure is not parallel. This unparallel structure takes more effort to read and remember, creating more work for readers. To make the list parallel, you can revise the items to have the same article. Example 1.2 Autism has a complex genetic basis involving incomplete penetrance, many susceptibility genes, and complex gene-environment interactions. In this revision, all the items in the list do not have an article, so the list runs parallel. The information in this version will be easier for readers to read and remember. Lists in BulletsBullet points are another common format for lists. Consider the following example: Example 2.1 In the laboratory, students will learn how to:
In this example, the second bullet starts with a verb, but the first and third bullets do not have verbs. To make the bullet points parallel, you want to revise them so that they all start with a verb (option 1) or none of them start with a verb (option 2). For option 1, you can add a verb to each item in the list. Example 2.2 In the laboratory, students will learn how to:
In this example, all the items in the bulleted list start with verbs, so the list runs parallel. For option 2, you can remove the verb from the second bullet point and revise the introductory text to present the list more clearly. Example 2.3 In the laboratory, students will learn the following techniques:
In this example, all the items in the bulleted list do not have verbs, so the list runs parallel. Verb Forms in SentencesVerb forms can also affect whether a bulleted list runs parallel. Example 4.1 To infect cells, HIV adheres to a host cell and fused with the cell membrane, delivering the viral core into the cytoplasm. In this list, the verbs are in the present tense (adheres), past tense (fused), and present participle (delivering). This variation in verb forms is more difficult for readers to understand. To make the sentence clearer, you want to ensure that all verbs have the same form. Example 4.2 To infect cells, HIV adheres to a host cell, fuses with the cell membrane, and delivers the viral core into the cytoplasm. This sentence is clearer and easier for readers to understand. Verb Forms in BulletsVerb forms can also go awry in bulleted lists. Example 3.1 Patients with traumatic brain injury were less likely to:
In this example, the first three items start with verbs in different tenses (receive, underwent, and monitoring), and the fourth item starts with an abstract noun derived from a verb (administration of). These different formats will confuse readers. To make the list clearer, you could change all items so that they have verbs in the same tense. However, in this case, the items in the list could share the same verb (receive). Example 3.2 Patients with traumatic brain injury were less likely to receive:
This revision is easier for readers to read and understand. Order of InformationWhen you need to tell readers more than one thing in a sentence, you want to ensure that the order of information runs parallel. Consider the following example: Example 5.1 Protein expression was measured with Western blotting, and RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA levels. In this sentence, the first clause starts with a characteristic (protein expression) and ends with a technique (Western blotting). And the second clause starts with a technique (RT-PCR) and ends with a characteristic (mRNA levels). These two clauses present information in the opposite order. Protein expression (characteristic) —— Western blotting (technique) RT-PCR (technique) —— mRNA levels (characteristic) To make this sentence clearer, you can reverse the order of information in one of the clauses so that both clauses follow the same pattern. Protein expression (characteristic) —— Western blotting (technique) mRNA levels (characteristic) —— RT-PCR (technique) With this revised order, you get a clearer version of this sentence. Example 5.2 Protein expression was measured with Western blotting, and mRNA levels were assessed with RT-PCR. For this example, you might be tempted to condense this sentence by using the term respectively. Example 5.3 Protein and mRNA expression were measured with Western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. Although this sentence might seem more concise, this phrasing forces readers to mentally assess which characteristic corresponds to which technique. Readers may even need to read the sentence again to connect the information. This backtracking violates the number one principle of making the reader's job easy. To make your content clearer, avoid using the term respectively in your writing. And if you are struggling with word count, there are many other ways to cut words from your writing. Tips for Finding Parallel StructureParallel structure creates a pattern that makes information easier for readers to understand and remember. To assess parallel patterns in your writing, try the following strategies:
Crystal Herron is an editor, educator, and coach. She helps scientists and clinicians successfully compete for funding and publish their findings with effective writing. You can subscribe to her e-newsletter and connect with her on LinkedIn. How do you know if a list is parallel?In a parallel list, all the list items start with the same type of word. The term "parallel list" is most commonly used in relation to bullet points, but it also applies to lists written out as sentences and also with terms such as "either/or" and "neither/nor" (called correlative conjunctions).
How do you make a sentence parallel?By making each compared item or idea in your sentence follow the same grammatical pattern, you create a parallel construction. Example Not Parallel: Ellen likes hiking, the rodeo, and to take afternoon naps.
What is parallel structure in bulleted lists?We can eliminate this awkwardness by using parallel structure, which means ensuring that all the bullets are either a sentence or a phrase and that each follows the same format: A Chicago technical writer should be proficient in the following areas: Finding great pizza.
What is good parallel structure?Creating parallel structure in a sentence is achieved when the writer balances similar grammatical elements such as words, phrases, and clauses to demonstrate they are of equal importance.
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