Which sentence demonstrates parallel structure?

• A. He likes reading, writing, and jogging.
• B. He likes reading, writing, and to jog.
• C. He likes to read, writing, and jogging.
• D. He likes reading, to write, and jogging.

Answer: (A)

Parallel structure means the parts joined in a list after a controlling verb all have the same grammatical form. When you say what someone likes, you want each item to keep the same form so the sentence reads smoothly. In this sentence, every item after “likes” is a gerund—the -ing form used as a noun: reading, writing, and jogging. That uniformity creates balance and clarity.

The other options disrupt that pattern. One mixes gerunds with an infinitive for the last item (to jog), breaking the same-form rule. Another mixes an infinitive with gerunds, and yet another mixes a gerund with an infinitive in different items. These shifts make the sequence feel uneven and harder to follow. A good rule of thumb: after verbs like, love, enjoy, list the items using the same form—typically all -ing forms or all to + verb.