Writing Lessons, Quick and Easy! Learn how to identify and maintain parallelism in your writing.

1. Texas A&M International University
Writing Center
Dr. Billy F. Cowart Hall 203
www.tamiu.edu/uc/writingcenter
writingcenter@tamiu.edu
956.326.2884

2.  

3. Parallelism happens
when balance is
maintained between
things and/or ideas
(words, phrases, or
clauses).
Balance occurs through
using identical
grammatical
constructions within
sentences.

4. Use a type of connective word or phrase, such as a
coordinating or correlative conjunction.
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Correlative
Conjunctions
Not Only ... But
Also
Both … And
Either … Or
Neither … Nor
Coordinating
Conjunctions

5. Example
Roger went to Olive Garden and gulped down mounds of
spaghetti, loaves of bread, and pounds of Tiramisu.
In the example, the list follows this pattern:
adjective + preposition + noun,
adjective + preposition + noun,
adjective + preposition + noun
Maintaining that structure keeps the sentence parallel.

6. Example
Roger went to Olive Garden and gulped down mounds of
spaghetti, bread, and pounds of Tiramisu.
In this version, the list follows this pattern:
adjective + preposition + noun,
noun,
adjective + preposition + noun.
The switch in the pattern makes this sentence unparalleled.

7. Unparalleled
Samantha enjoys climbing mountains, running marathons,
and to play soccer.
Parallel
Samantha enjoys climbing mountains, running marathons,
and playing soccer.

8. Unparalleled
Parallel
 Roxanne, not only an underpaid waitress but also a wannabe
crime fighter, dashed into the burning building to assist in
rescue efforts.
 Roxanne, not only an underpaid waitress at Denny’s but also
determined to be a hero, dashed into the burning building to
assist in rescue efforts.

9. Parallelism may also occur between
whole sentences within paragraphs. The
repetition of grammatical constructions
throughout a paragraph can emphasize
the importance of an issue.
For example, read Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech. Pay close attention to how he constantly repeats
phrases to emphasize ideas.

10. “But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free.
One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly
crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives
on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean
of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro
is still languishing in the corners of American society and
finds himself an exile in his own land.”

11.  When listing, make sure you use the same
constructions. One way to do this is to write down your
list separately and make sure all elements are parallel.
 Read your sentences out loud. One reason why
unparalleled sentences don’t work is that they sound
awkward.

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