In grammar, parallelism, also known as parallel structure or parallel construction, is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure. The application of parallelism affects readability and may make texts easier to process Common Examples of Parallelism Like father, like son. Easy come, easy go. Whether in class, at work, or at home, Shasta was always busy. Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe.

1. Parallelism (in Grammar)
Presented by
Iffat Jahan Suchona
B.A (Honours),
M.A (Applied Linguistics and E.L.T )
Department of English
University of Dhaka
Contact: 01681444197
E-mail: iffatsuchona@gmail.Com

3. Parallelism is…
• having the same grammatical
structure within one or more
sentences of similar phrases
or clauses.
• also known as parallel structure
or parallel construction

4. Example:
When talking to the group, she spoke sincerely and
with passion
Correct form:
When talking to the group, she spoke sincerely and passionately
adverb
phrase
Two adverbs

5. More Examples…
Not Parallel
She likes jogging, and to read
The show is both enjoyable and it is educational
He not only wants money but also fame
Trying desperately to find his keys, he looked in
his bedroom, the sofa and on the kitchen counter.
Parallel
She likes jogging and reading.
The show is both enjoyable and educational
He not only wants money but also wants fame
Trying desperately to find his keys, he looked in
his bedroom, under the sofa and on the kitchen
counter.

6. Using Parallel Structure
• With Coordinating Conjunctions
…While adding two or more clauses or phrases with a
coordinating conjunction (for, and, but, or, yet)
Example:
Not Parallel: My friend took me dancing and to a show.
Parallel: My friend took me to a dance and a show.

7. • With Correlative Conjunctions
…while connecting two clauses or phrases with a correlative
conjunction (not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor,
if…then, etc.)
Example:
Not Parallel: The dog not only likes to play fetch, but also chase
cars.
Parallel: The dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase
cars.

8. • With Phrases or Clauses of Comparison
…While joining two clauses or phrases with a word of comparison, such
as than or as.
Example:
Not Parallel: I would rather pay for my education than financial aid.
Parallel: I would rather pay for my education than receive financial aid.

9. • With Lists
…While comparing elements in lists.
Example:
Not Parallel: He made cake, pie and he baked dumplings.
Parallel: He made cake, pie and dumplings.

10. References
1. Parallelism (n.d). In Grammarly Blog. Retrieved from
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parallelism/
2. Macleod. S. (2002, November 15). Parallel Structure or Parallelism [Video File].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvDNvS2M3QA
3. Evergreen Writing Center. Retrieved from
https://www.evergreen.edu/sites/default/files/writingcenter/handouts/gramm
ar/parallel.pdf