在阅读过程中,如果看到and和or,读者一般会默认后面的内容和形式与前面平行。试想一下,如果你读到I like cooking and...,会不会觉得后文还是在说爱好?但如果下文是I travel to Beijing,是不是读起来有点奇怪?因此,我们在使用and和or时,要尽量保证前后内容的形式和意思平行。
我们来看两个具体案例:
例1
A: Also to be coordinated [between Hong Kong and Guangdong] are water supply, security, and how to move people and trucks across the border more efficiently.
B: Also to be coordinated are water supply, security, and efficient movement of people and trucks across the border.
分析:A句中and的前后结构分别是名词water supply和security和不定式how to move ...,这就破坏了平行结构,B句将how to...改成了名词形式的efficient movement,就确保了前后平行。
例2
A: Timber is needed for construction and to withstand floods.
B: Timber is needed to provide material for construction and to help withstand floods.
分析:A句中and前后分别是名词construction和不定式to withstand floods,形式上不平行,B句将construction改为to provide material for construction后,and前后都是不定式形式,就形成了平行结构。