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Should this passage use the adjectival or adverbial forms of concurrent and consecutive?

The trial court also sentenced the defendant to five life sentences (with parole) and five 15-year sentences for the non-homicide crimes, all of which were to be served consecutive(ly?) to each other and to the sentence for first degree murder.

Finally, the trial court sentenced the defendant to eleven life sentences (with parole) for the armed criminal actions, with these sentences to be served concurrent(ly?) with the other sentences and to each other.

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    And what is the question here?
    – Boluc Papuccuoglu
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 12:45
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    Seems obvious what the question is.
    – mplungjan
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 12:54
  • Dear Paul Wilson, I am mentioning this because I suspect you haven't had time to read the FAQs or "help" pages. Please choose whose answer you preferred by clicking on the tick symbol and or the arrow pointing up. And... one more thing, welcome to EL&U!!
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 14:16
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    Close-voters: “Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified.” The question does ask about a specific source of concern.
    – B. Szonye
    Commented Aug 2, 2013 at 7:18
  • There's some awkwardness in the quoted text – “consecutively to each other” doesn't sound right to me. (Also, it's odd to see a question that is entirely quoted text, with no explicit question, which is probably why Boluc had trouble figuring it out.)
    – B. Szonye
    Commented Aug 2, 2013 at 7:21

3 Answers 3

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The trial court also sentenced the defendant to five life sentences (with parole) and five 15-year sentences for the non-homicide crimes, all of which were to be served consecutively, and also consecutive to the sentence for first degree murder.

Finally, the trial court sentenced the defendant to eleven life sentences (with parole) for the armed criminal actions, with these sentences to be served concurrently with one another and concurrently with the other sentences.

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Seems it is

However there are a few

among the to be served consecutive / to be served consecutively

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    I would not add the "to", though: "all of which were to be served consecutively, along with the sentence for first degree murder", and "...all these sentences to be served concurrently with the other sentences."
    – JeffSahol
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 13:11
  • Please see update
    – mplungjan
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 13:17
  • I almost went (greatly relieved!) with JeffSahol's suggestion. On re-reading, however, it seems open to misinterpretation. In the first sentence, all the sentences (i.e., the LWOP sentence, the identified LWP sentences, and the term sentences) are to be served consectutively. I'm not sure JeffSahol's version makes that clear. All the punishments in the second sentence are to be served concurrently (both with, or is it "to") each other and with (to?) the punishments in the first sentence. Jeff . . . take another try, please; I think you're close!
    – Paul Wilson
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 13:40
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    It took me 5 mins to work out what "LWOP" & LWP" meant in your comment! I think that @JeffSahol's version is fairly clear, whereas I struggled with the original version, having to re-read it several times to understand it. But I've now posted my own version based on Jeff's. From a British perspective, I always find these US sentences rather 'strange': When he dies, does his body have to remain in prison for 4 more lifetimes, until it can be buried?! ;-) – TrevorD 6 mins ago
    – TrevorD
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 14:01
  • What is LWOP and LWP?!? miaow!
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 14:25
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No adjectivization is needed in either case.

meta: You should have quoted the original in-toto separately, and then offered your suggestion in the next paragraph. Anyways, the original structure works fine.

The trial court also sentenced the defendant to five life sentences (with parole) and five 15-year sentences for the non-homicide crimes, all of which were to be served consecutive to each other and to the sentence for first degree murder.

Finally, the trial court sentenced the defendant to eleven life sentences (with parole) for the armed criminal actions, with these sentences to be served concurrent with the other sentences and to each other.

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