Emphasis & advanced · CEFR B2 · Confident
Keeping a list in shape in English
Everything joined by "and" or "or" must have the same shape — three -ing forms, or three nouns, never a mixture.
The shape
A, B and C — all the same shape
Write a list that does not trip the reader.
In Hindi
"and" या "or" से जुड़ी हर चीज़ की बनावट एक जैसी होनी चाहिए।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
She likes reading, to swim and long walks. | She likes reading, swimming and walking. All three items should take the same form — here, all -ing. |
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the keeping a list in shape used for?
- Everything joined by "and" or "or" must have the same shape — three -ing forms, or three nouns, never a mixture. In practice: write a list that does not trip the reader.
- How do you form the keeping a list in shape?
- A, B and C — all the same shape.
- What is the most common mistake with the keeping a list in shape?
- Saying “She likes reading, to swim and long walks.” instead of “She likes reading, swimming and walking.”. All three items should take the same form — here, all -ing.
Where keeping a list in shape fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Keeping a list in shape is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to emphasis & advanced. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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