I'm not talking about the basic items in a list (e.g. X, Y and Z), but a list of clauses (I think).
Example:
I am interested in things like going to this place, going to that place, eating food, and other things.
In that example, do the verbs have to match for proper grammar? What I learned in university writing class was that the entire series has to have verbs that match: going to this place, going to that place and going to eat.
Best Answer
The verb tenses certainly need to match. Just try it without matching them to see how horrible it sounds:
The verb itself doesn't have to match, but it's more aesthetically pleasing if it either matches all the way through or never matches: you can certainly say
but it would sound better if you either said
or
One thing you definitely want to avoid is starting a list with one verb form that's implied for the rest of the list, and then changing it partway through:
And finally, don't forget to stay away from syllepsis.