1. Parallelism
“There never were, since the creation of the world, two
cases exactly parallel.” – Lord Chesterfield, 1694 – 1773
“Obviously Lord Chesterfield didn’t take Expository
Writing.” – Mrs. Manny Brown, 1974 -
2. Definition: Parallelism
Parallel structures use a repeating
pattern of words to indicate that the
words, phrases, or clauses are of the
same level of importance.
The most common way to join parallel
structures is with a coordinating
conjunction like “and” or “or.”
3. Parallelism: Words
The Ironman includes swimming, bicycling,
and running.
Be sure to bring with you a book, pen,
calendar, and binder.
In these sentences, the repeating structure –
the parallel element – is in the form of a single
word.
Notice the use of the coordinating conjunctions
to join the final word to the list.
4. Parallelism: Phrases
The homebuyers were told to pay the earnest
money, to get an inspection, and to talk to
their mortgage broker.
Hooked on romance novels, I learned that
there is nothing more important than being
rich, looking good, and having a good time.
Here, the repeating pattern includes phrases.
Notice that where verbs appear in the parallel
structure, they are identical in form, and when
gerunds are used, they are consistent
throughout the structure.
5. Parallelism: Clauses
The salesman expected that he would
present at the meeting, that there
would be time for his slide
presentation, and that prospective
buyers would ask questions.
In this sentence, the parallel structure
includes clauses.
6. Parallelism: Lists
Abused children commonly exhibit one or more
of the following symptoms: withdrawal,
rebelliousness, restlessness, and depression.
A thesaurus can be used to find: synonyms,
antonyms, connotations, and denotations.
All items that appear in a list after a colon must
take the same form.
7. Parallelism: Items in Pairs
At Lincoln High School, vandalism can result in
suspension or expulsion.
Thomas Edison was not only a prolific inventor, but
also a successful entrepreneur.
It is easier to speak in abstractions than to ground
one’s thoughts in reality.
Each of these sentences uses a different technique to
join two items in a parallel pair.
The first sentence uses the coordinating conjunction
“or;” the second uses a correlative conjunction, “not
only . . . but also;” the third uses the preposition “than.”
8. Parallelism: Function
Words
To stop smoking, many smokers try switching
to a brand they find distasteful or to a low tar
and nicotine cigarette.
Riley told me that she was late, that she
couldn’t be bothered to get a pass, and that I’d
just have to deal with it.
Repeat function words to clarify parallels.
Function words could include prepositions like
“by” or “to,” or subordinating conjunctions like
“that” or “because.”
