平行结构(Parallelism)是一种修辞手段。它要求处于并列关系的句子与句子之间，句子内部并列的成分之间采取同类语法形式来表达同类概念，以达到明晰句意、节省用词、加强语气、增加韵律的修辞效果。它是中学英语语法的重点、难点，也是高考的考点。掌握这一语言现象，不仅有利于搞清句子之间的关系，也有利于学习者写出流畅的英文句子，从而为写作水平的提高打下坚实的基础。常用于这种结构的连词有单一式并列连词： and, or, but; 相关式并列连词: both... and, not... but, either... or, neither... nor, the same... as, as... as, not so... as, not as... as, such... as, so... that, too... to, from... to, from... until, between... and, not only... but(also), whether... or; 短语式并列连词：as well as(除……之外，不但……而……)，more than(更……), rather than (而不是), other than(除……之外)，instead of(代替)。学习掌握平行结构要做到“三统一”、“六注意”。

　　三统一：

　　一、平行结构连接词所对应的各个连接单位的词性必须相统一。处于平行关系的部分可以是句子的任何成分，如名词、代词、数词、形容词、副词、动词等。

　　Mr. Brown is a lawyer, a politician, and a teacher. 布朗先生既是一名律师，又是一名政治家，同时也是一名教师。

　　He teaches both English and French. 他既教英语又教法语。

　　He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. 他回答了我的话，但他讲得既不慢又不清楚。

　　The child is lively as well as healthy. 这孩子既健康又活泼。

　　注意：①as well as与动词连用时，通常要用动词的-ing形式。

　　As well as breaking his leg, he hurt his arm. 他不但摔了腿，而且还伤了胳膊。

　　②A as well as B的短语为主语时，谓语动词要随A的人称、数而变化。

　　His children as well as his wife were invited to the party. 不但他太太，而且连他的孩子们都被邀请参加了那次聚会。

　　Clearness rather than loudness is often the main requirment in speaking. 演讲时，通常主要需要的是清楚而不是声音大。

　　注意：在连接两个主语时，谓语动词与rather than前的名词保持一致。

　　二、在同一时间背景下，平等结构连接词所对应的动词时态必须相统一。

　　We have done things we ought not to have done and (we have) left undone things we ought to have done. 我们做了不该做的事情，却没做该做的事情。

　　Fishing is his favorite hobby, and collecting coins

　　also gives him great pleasure. 钓鱼是他最喜爱的嗜好，集币同样给他带来巨大的快乐。

　　We're going to the bookstore in John's car. You can come with us or you can meet us there later. 我们要坐约翰的车去书店。你可以和我们一起去，也可以过后与我们会合。

　　三、平行结构连接词所连接的几个单位在结构形式上必须相统一。处于平行关系的部分可以是句子动名词短语、不定式短语、介词短语、分词短语、从句等。并且，连接词要放在平行的成分之前。

　　One learns a language by making mistakes and correcting them. 一个人在犯错与纠错中学会语言。

　　During the examination we were supposed to stay in our seats, keep our eyes on our work and not speak to anyone. 考试中要求我们做到呆在座位上，集中精力，并且不交头接耳。

　　You can be either for the proposal or against the proposal. 你或者同意或者反对这个建议。

　　Having no money but not wanting anyone to know, he simply said he would go without dinner. 他没钱而又不愿让人知道，所以他干脆说他不想吃午饭。

　　He is well-known not only in China but also in many other countries. 他不仅在中国有名，而且在许多别的国家知名度也很高。

　　There at the door stood a girl about the same height as mine. 在门口站着一个身高和我一样的女孩。

　　They usually have less money at the end of the month than they have at the beginning. 通常情况下，他们在月底时没有月初时的钱多。

　　六注意：

　　一、在平行结构中，有时亦可不用等立连词，只用逗号、分号、冒号等把分句隔开。

　　The purpose of new technologies is to make life easier, not to make it more difficult. (发展)新科技的目的是使生活变得更轻松而不是使之更麻烦。

　　He is cruel, he is lustful, he is immensely cunning. 他残忍，他好色，他非常狡猾。

　　Heavy clouds rose slowly from the horizon; thunder drummed in the distance. 浓云从地平线缓缓升起，远处雷声隆隆。

　　He knocked at the door again and again: there was no answer. 他一再敲门，但无人应门。

　　二、用对称的词或短语把句子连接起来。

　　At school, I wear my new clothes； at home, put on old ones. 在学校，我穿新衣服；在家，我穿旧衣服。

　　As an industry, TV is very successful, as an art, it can be much improved. 作为产业，电视是成功的，作为艺术，还需要进一步提高。

　　三、不论是有两个或两个以上项目构成的平行结

　　构，都可在最后一个项目之前插入一个词语，从而使这个项目处于更加突出的地位。

　　The conference on nuclear energy was attended by students from Stanford and, predictably, teachers from Barkley. 参加原子能会议的学生来自斯坦福，不出所料，教师来自巴克里。

　　四、为了避免重复，单调、重复的词或词组可以省略，不影响其意。但是如果省略后会造成意思上的混乱和不合逻辑，则不可省略。

　　To some life is pleasure, and to others (life is) suffering. 生活对有些人是快乐的，对有些人是痛苦的。

　　The woman denied that she had got into the shop at night and that she had taken the ring. 那个妇女否认曾在夜晚进入该店，偷了戒指。(第二个that不可省，那样句意就变成了：那个妇女否认曾在夜晚进入该店，然后偷了戒指。)

　　五、为了使一个名词与另一个具有相反意义或意义相近的名词保持平行，通常不用冠词。

　　She is too young to know the difference between right and wrong. 她还太小，不能明辨是非。

　　Law and order has been established. 法律和秩序已经建立起来。

　　六、在英语谚语中，常用单词的相同形式构成平行结构。

　　Friendship is like money: easier made than kept. 友谊就像金钱：建立容易保持难。

　　(文/李秀东； 英语辅导报高中教师版 04~05学年度第18期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)