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Parallelism

Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical elements within sentences to enhance clarity and balance in writing. Effective parallel structure requires that elements share the same grammatical form, and it can include various parts of speech, correlative conjunctions, and rhythmic repetition for impact. Examples illustrate both faulty and correct parallelism, emphasizing its importance in creating strong, vibrant language.

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7 views2 pages

Parallelism

Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical elements within sentences to enhance clarity and balance in writing. Effective parallel structure requires that elements share the same grammatical form, and it can include various parts of speech, correlative conjunctions, and rhythmic repetition for impact. Examples illustrate both faulty and correct parallelism, emphasizing its importance in creating strong, vibrant language.

Uploaded by

piyushvermaenglish
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Parallelism

Parallel construction (parallelism) is the use of similar grammatical elements within sentences. Elements
sharing the same function within a sentence should also share the same grammatical form. Just as the
top and bottom lines in an = sign share the same form and function, so too should closely related
elements in your writing.

USING PARALLELISM:
Effective use of parallelism can add unity, force, clarity and balance to your writing. Be aware, however,
that all words, phrases and clauses used in parallel structure must share the same grammatical form.

Incorrect (faulty) parallelism:

 Jogging, a well-balanced diet, and exercise all contribute toward a healthy body.
 The victims of the disease have sore throats, a fever and their head aches.

Correct parallel structure:

 Jogging, eating a well-balanced diet, and exercising all contribute toward a healthy body.
 The victims of the disease have sore throats, fevers, and headaches.

The grammatical forms parallel structure can share can include many different parts of speech. Here are
some examples.

 Nouns: I ate jambalaya, gumbo, and ettouffe when I was in New Orleans.
 Adverbs: My dog growled deeply, loudly and menacingly.
 Verbs: Our teacher handed back tests, gave a lecture, and assigned some homework.
 Adjective Phrases: Playful as a kitten but wise as a street Tom, the old cat played with the
string while keeping a watchful eye on the mouse hole.
 Prepositional Phrases: The eerie, unearthly scream seemed at the same time to be coming
from outside the house, under the floorboards, and inside my head.

Several correlative conjunctions also require parallel structure.

 This soup is both spicy and sweet. (both . . . and)


 You should either speed up or slow down. (either . . . or)
 Renaldo is not only a cheat but also a liar. (not only . . . but also)
 Grace would rather sleep than work. (rather . . . than)
EFFECTIVE USE OF PARALLELISM:
Language can become much stronger and more vibrant with proper, effective use of parallelism. Use the
rhythm of parallel phrases and clauses for impact. The deliberate use of word forms, word groups, and
sounds can create a rhythm underlining the message the sentence delivers. Look at this excerpt from
M.L. King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. The deliberate use of "go back to" within each phrase creates a
rhythm, drawing the reader's (or listener's) attention forward.

Key words can also be repeated to begin parallel elements. Sometimes it is possible to enhance the
effect of parallelism or make parallel structures clearly stand out through the repetition of certain words
used to begin parallel phrases. Such words include (but are not limited to) prepositions, articles (a, an,
the) and the “to” form of the verb (infinitive). King’s speech makes use of repetition as well.

 Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia,


go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettoes of the northern cities, knowing that
somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Keep in mind that continual use of repetition can create dull prose. For this technique to work, the
repetition must be mixed with a variety of word choices and sentence patterns.

Parallel elements can also be arranged in an order that enhances the effect. Elements arranged in order
from the least to the most important are arranged in climactic order--the order builds to a climax.

 You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you
can't fool all of the people all of the time --Abraham Lincoln.

This quote builds one thought upon another from the use of the phrases "some . . . all" and "all . . . some"
to "all . . . all."

Parallel forms can also take the form of balanced sentences. Balanced sentences use parallel structure to
enhance the message of compared or contrasted ideas. Look at this quote by J.F.K. Notice how—like a
set of scales—the sentence is balanced equally to either side of the comma; the same or similar words
(your country can do . . . you can do . . .) are used to express compared ideas.

 Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. --John F.
Kennedy

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