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整齊的力量：平行結構
平行結構(parallelism)是英文寫作技巧之一，是指「使用相同語法形式呈現多個對等概念」，句子讀起來更順、結構更清楚。
洗腦歌公式
排行榜上的暢銷歌曲旋律好記，洗腦的歌詞也是功臣，容易使人琅琅上口的歌詞用的平行結構就像中文所說的「排比」手法。
I am tired of this devil
I am tired of this stuff
I am tired of this business -Black or White, Michael Jackson
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love -Circle of Life, Elton John
Don't wanna feel another touch
Don't wanna start another fire
Don't wanna know another kiss – I'll Never Love Again, Lady Gaga
You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me Of when we were young – When We Were Young, Adele
Every turn I take, every trail I track
Every path I make, every road leads backTo the place I know, where I cannot go, where I long to be– How Far I'll Go, Alessia Cara
好句子要 Short and Sweet
除了排比，還有幾種平行結構用錯就會造成語意不清或是文法錯誤。
1. 在夏令營時，我學會游泳、潛水和航行。
(X) In summer camp, I learned to swim, to dive, and how to sail.
(O) In summer camp, I learned to swim, to dive, and to sail.
列舉一連串動詞時，形式要一致。
2. 我們在動物園看到樹懶和鱷魚。
(X) In the zoo, we saw a sloth and alligator.
(O) In the zoo, we saw a sloth and an alligator.
看到名詞，記得前面配冠詞。
3. Marley 除了喜歡咬泰迪熊，還喜歡追摩托車。
(X) Marley not only likes biting his teddy bear but also chase scooters.
(O) Marley not only likes biting his teddy bear but also likes chasing scooters.
(O) Marley likes not only biting his teddy bear but also chasing scooters.
注意動詞在句子的位置，在連接詞前後平行對等。其他容易忘記要平行對等的還有 either...or ( 兩者之一 )、 neither...nor ( 兩者皆非 ) 等。
4. 這家店的衣服和另一家非常不同。
(X) The clothes in this store are very different from the other store.
(O) The clothes in this store are very different from the ones in the other store.
人、事、物對等才可以比較，第一句是「這間店的衣服」和「另一間店」的比較，兩邊不對等。
有爭議的牛津逗號?
有一個標點符號引發兩派爭議，它是牛津逗號，是在多個列舉項目最後 and/or 前面的逗號。 在各大編輯守則中，有些規定要用，有些不要求。牛津逗號的使用因人而異，最重要的是整篇 文章格式統一。
This book is dedicated to my parents, Lucy, and God. 這本書總共獻給四個人。
This book is dedicated to my parents, Lucy and God. 這本書總共獻給兩個人。
本文摘錄自一張圖搞懂 刻意練習名詞 2019年03月號
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