TIp #1 Writing the Report Using Parallel Structures

​When writting reports, there are often lists of actions, events and ailments being described so you will need to list them. It is in these lists that mistakes often occur

Eg
The patient complained of dizziness, fatigue and having a stomach ache
It may seem like a proper listing but in fact the listing here is nongrammatical
The patient complained of dizziness, fatigue and a stomach ache.

How to make everything parallel? Follow these general guidelines

1) Lump nouns and do not mix with gerunds.

       Gerunds are a kind of noun but they do not mix well with non gerund nouns

       Eg The patient felt  tired, anxious and wanting water
       Should be: The patient felt tired, anxious and thirsty

2) Look to what verb is connecting the list of nouns, adjectives and connect them all

        There is often a lead verb and so starting another breaks the structure

        Eg The paient requested water, painkillers and wanted to be left alone
        Should be: The paient requested water, painkillers and privacy

3) Gerunds should not be broken up and should be consistent

      Try to ensure that if the first two in a list are gerunds, the rest are as well

      Eg The patient was coughing, sneezing and often shivered
       Should be: The patient was coughing, sneezing and often shivering