Parallelism in
Sentence
Structure
Why do these matter?
academic
job resume
writing
higher grades more job options
Think of shapes
Lisa likes to chew gum, she reads and
she likes wearing pink backpacks.
Lisa likes to chew gum, she reads and she likes wearing
pink backpacks.
Lisa likes to chew gum, read and wear pink backpacks.
Lisa likes to chew gum, read and wear pink backpacks.
Parallel Structure
Parallel structure means using the same
pattern of words to show that two or more
ideas have the same level of importance.
Parallel sentence elements in grammar are
just like parallel lines in geometry: they face
the same direction and never meet.
More precisely, in grammar, it’s less about
meeting and more about balance. Parallelism
in grammar is defined as two or more phrases
or clauses in a sentence that have the same
grammatical structure.
Parallel construction prevents awkwardness,
promotes clarity and improves writing style and
readability.
These are quotes with parallelism from famous people
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of
blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of
miseries." — Winston Churchill, House of Commons
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we
shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the
success of liberty." — John F. Kennedy, Presidential Inaugural
Address
"... and that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth." — Abraham
Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
"We have petitioned, and our petitions have been scorned; we
have entreated, and our entreaties have been disregarded; we
have begged, and they have mocked when our calamity came.
We beg no longer; we entreat no more; we petition no more. We
defy them." — William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold speech
Rules of Parallelism
Steps to revise sentences for parallel structure:
1) Figure out what parts of the sentence are being compared.
2) Decide whether they are parallel, i.e. arranged in the same way.
3) If they are not, make them parallel by making the grammatical
construction the same in each part.
Example1:
He likes reading, writing and swimming’
OR we can say: ‘He likes to read, write and swim’ (but not ‘He likes reading,
writing and to swim’ because the structure is not the same throughout)
Example2:
Sam has a pen in his bag.
Sam has a pencil in his bag.
Sam has two books in his bag.
A better way of conveying the same would be: Sam has a pen, a pencil and
two books in his bag.
Example3:
Betty has intelligence, honesty, and she is funny.
OR A better way of conveying would be: Betty has intelligence, honesty, and
humor.
Using Parallel Structure
With Coordinating With Correlative With Phrases or Clauses of
Conjunction Conjunctions Comparison
When you connect two or more When you connect two clauses or When you connect two clauses or
clauses or phrases with a coordinating phrases with a correlative conjunction phrases with a word of comparison,
conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, (not only…but also, either…or, such as than or as, use parallel
or so), use parallel structure. neither…nor, if…then, etc.), use structure.
parallel structure. Example
Example
Example
Not Parallel: Not Parallel: Not Parallel: I would rather pay for
My dog not only likes to play fetch, my education than financial aid.
My best friend took me dancing and to
but also chase cars. Parallel:
a show. My dog not only likes to play fetch, Parallel: I would rather pay for my
but he also likes to chase cars. OR My education than receive financial
Parallel:
dog likes not only to play fetch, but
My best friend took me to a dance and also to chase cars. aid.
a show.
Using Parallel Structure
With Correlative
Conjunctions
When you are comparing items in a Parallel:
list, use parallel structure.
John Taylor Gatto criticizes public
Example schools because they are compulsory,
governmentfunded, and normalizing.
Not Parallel: John Taylor Gatto OR John Taylor Gatto criticizes public
criticizes public schools because they schools because they require students
are compulsory, funded by the to attend, receive money from the
government, and destroy students' government, and destroy students'
humanity. humanity.
Situations that Require Parallel Structure
1. Lists or Series
All lists of things, qualities, or actions should take the same
grammatical form. Faulty: e.g., Cassandra loves reading the
newspaper, taking long walks, and to dance the tango. Parallel: e.g.,
Cassandra loves reading the newspaper, taking long walks, and
dancing the tango.
Note that you can create parallel structure in various ways:
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, infrastructure was
required: the building of financial support, the training of singers,
and the education of audiences.
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, three things were
required: building financial support, training singers, and educating
audiences.
When a list begins with a preposition, either include the preposition
only at the beginning of the list or include it before every item:
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, it was necessary to build
financial support, train singers, and educate audiences.
Incorrect: Dictionaries are useful for learning to spell correctly and
to prop open windows.
Correct: Dictionaries are useful for learning to spell correctly and
propping open windows.
Situations that Require Parallel Structure
2. Nouns Joined by Coordinating Conjunctions
Faulty:
e.g., Among many cultures, rites of passage can involve feats of
courage and sometimes even doing dangerous things.
The addition of the verb doing before the second noun disrupts
the balance of the sentence.
Parallel:
e.g., Among many cultures, rites of passage can involve feats of
courage and sometimes even dangerous things.
Situations that Require Parallel Structure
3. Phrases Joined by Correlative Conjunctions
(either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not
only...but also, whether...or, etc.)
e.g., Idrees is not only fluent in Urdu but also in English.
Parallel:
e.g., Idrees is fluent not only in Urdu but also in English. Since
both nouns are modified by a single adjective (fluent), the
adjective should be placed before the first correlative
conjunction (not only). Where each correlative conjunction has
its own verb, the correlative conjunction comes before the verb:
Faulty:
e.g., Idrees speaks not only two languages fluently but also
plays cricket very well.
Parallel:
e.g., Idrees not only speaks two languages fluently but also
plays cricket very well.
Situations that Require Parallel Structure
4. Sentences that Explain Chronological Events
Sentences must use verb tenses that are consistent and reflect
the chronological order of events.
Faulty:
e.g., Kevin stopped asking for directions and starts using a map.
Parallel:
e.g., Kevin stopped asking for directions and started using a
map.
Because this sentence describes an event that happened in the
past, both verbs need to be in the past tense.
Parallelism in Proofreading
Using Parallelism to Remove Repetition
Repetitive words can often be removed from a sentence if their removal
does not detract from your clarity.
Faulty: e.g., Alan picked up his computer. Alan picked up his books.
Alan picked up his phone.
Parallel: e.g., Alan picked up his computer, books, and phone.
Faulty: e.g., In the morning, afternoon, and the evening...
Parallel: e.g., In the morning, afternoon, and evening...
Parallelism in Proofreading
Using Parallelism for Clarity
Faulty: e.g., Sandra is interested in Canadian art and poetry.
In this example, we’re not sure if Sandra is interested in Canadian poetry
specifically or poetry in general. To ensure your meaning is clear, repeat
‘Canadian’ and retain parallelism.
Parallel: e.g., Sandra is interested in Canadian art and Canadian poetry.
Thanks!
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