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  1. He is both a singer and a scientist.
  2. He is both a singer and scientist.

which of the two is correct? Further, In the sentence

  1. While evaluating your progress I have taken into account your classroom performance, your receptivity and how you have improved.

I believe in the third sentence in place of "how you have improved" it should be "your improvement" or is the sentence alright? Please provide a valid reason for this.

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I believe the rule you're looking for is parallel construction. When you have a list, each item in the list should have the same grammatical form:

He is both a singer and a scientist.

While evaluating your progress, I have taken into account your classroom performance, your receptivity, and your improvement.

The reason that "and how you have improved" is incorrect is because it has a different grammatical form than the other two items in the list.

People will sometimes break this rule in casual conversation when it would require starting the sentence over again in order to follow. In general, people will understand what you're saying. It's less acceptable in writing and prepared speeches, since there is more time to revise the sentence to follow the rule.

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  • Thanks.. but in the first sentence, He is both a singer and scientist is also correct as the designations point at the same person. What's the difference.
    – user244722
    Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:11
  • Hmm... I think you can say, “He is a singer and scientist,” but it means something slightly different. It sounds to me like you’re saying “He is a [singer and scientist],” emphasizing that he’s both simultaneously in a way that would be considered unusual. If you just want to say he’s both without that implication, I’d just say, “He is [a singer] and [a scientist].”
    – godel9
    Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:36
  • I prefer "a singer and a scientist" - that would be my choice. But I see nothing at all wrong with "...your classroom performance, your receptivity and how you have improved". It sounds perfectly idiomatic to me.
    – WS2
    Commented Sep 5, 2022 at 19:10
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For the reasons of parallel construction, sentence 1 is more correct than sentence 2.

Regarding sentence 3, also following the parallel construction rules, your improvement is better than how.

However, parallel construction does not mean that you must use the same word, baut the same parts of speech in the same tense, number, whatever.

So I would use the following alternative for sentence 3:

  1. While evaluating your progress I have taken into account your classroom performance, your receptivity and the way you have improved.

So you have 3 nouns: performance, receptivity and way (or rather, ""way of improvement). For me, simply saying your improvement sounds awkward, and it does not transmit the desired message properly - it is not only the difference between now and one year ago, but the efforts you made on the way too.

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