How does parallelism enhance writing

Correct parallelism: We can neither wait for something to happen nor take evasive action. When using a correlative conjunction, the words, phrases, or clauses following each part should be parallel. In the first sentence, the construction of the second part of the sentence does not match the construction of the first part. In the second sentence, omitting needless words and matching verb constructions create a parallel structure. Sometimes, rearranging a sentence corrects faulty parallelism.

Faulty parallelism: It was both a long movie and poorly written. Correct parallelism: The movie was both long and poorly written. To see examples of parallelism in use, read some of the great historical speeches by rhetoricians such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Notice how they use parallel structures to emphasize important points and to create a smooth, easily understandable oration.

Speechwriters use parallelism not only within sentences but also throughout paragraphs and beyond. Repeating particular key phrases throughout a speech is an effective way of tying a paragraph together as a cohesive whole and creating a sense of importance. This technique can be adapted to any piece of writing, but it may be especially useful for creating a proposal or other type of persuasive workplace document. Note that the spelling and grammar checker on most word processors will not draw attention to faulty parallelism.

When proofreading a document, read it aloud and listen for sentences that sound awkward or poorly phrased. On your own sheet of paper, revise each of the following sentences to create parallel structure using coordinating conjunctions. On your own sheet of paper, revise each of the following sentences to create parallel structure using than or as. On your own sheet of paper, revise each of the following sentences to create parallel structure using correlative conjunctions. Rewrite the sentences to create a parallel structure.

Skip to main content. Search for:. Identify ways to create parallelism in writing. Write and revise sentences using parallelism. Using Parallelism Parallelism is the use of similar structure in related words, clauses, or phrases. Read the following sentences aloud: Faulty parallelism: Kelly had to iron, do the washing, and shopping before her parents arrived.

Tip A simple way to check for parallelism in your writing is to make sure you have paired nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, prepositional phrases with prepositional phrases, and so on. Creating Parallelism Using Coordinating Conjunctions When you connect two clauses using a coordinating conjunction for , and , nor , but , or , yet , so , make sure that the same grammatical structure is used on each side of the conjunction.

Compound or complex sentences that use coordinating or subordinating conjunctions can be a little tougher to catch:. My English professor told me to revise my assignment and that I should pay particular attention to faulty parallelism. In the above sentence, the incorrect use of the subordinating conjunction that leaves the sentence out of balance. My English professor told me that I should revise my assignment and that I should pay particular attention to faulty parallelism.

My English professor told me to revise my assignment and to pay particular attention to faulty parallelism. Enago Academy, the knowledge arm of Enago, offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources on academic research and scholarly publishing to all levels of scholarly professionals: students, researchers, editors, publishers, and academic societies.

Correct: Arts and crafts projects encourage kids to be creative, to be patient, and to accomplish tasks that can boost their self-esteem. Correct: Arts and crafts projects encourage kids to be creative, to be patient, and to take pride in their work. Incorrect: To complete this ceiling fan installation, you will need a screwdriver, wrench, a pair of pliers, two standard light bulbs, electrical tape, and patience.

Correct: To complete this ceiling fan installation, you will need a screwdriver, a wrench, a pair of pliers, two standard light bulbs, electrical tape, and patience. Incorrect: The best American western movies look as though they were filmed on location in the American west, but Europe was the shooting location for many of them.

Correct: The best American western movies look as though they were filmed on location in the American west, but many were actually filmed far away in Europe. Incorrect: Many controversial works of literature have been banned from school libraries.

Correct: Many controversial works of literature have been banned from school libraries. Salinger; and even the Bible. Sloan, Gene. Correct : The vessel also has a 1,seat theater that will show the Broadway musical Grease.

The theater also acts as a comedy club, jazz club, casino, aquatheater, and karaoke bar. Skip to content Writing Commons The encyclopedia for writers, researchers, and knowledge workers.

Main Menu. How Can We Help You? Written by Jenifer Paquette. Learn about parallelism as a foundational grammatical structure in English. Suggest an edit to this page? Those were the people who made up most of his audience that day. He also contrasts heat with oasis, and injustice and oppression with freedom and justice. The speech led to major changes in U. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act the following year, which outlawed racial discrimination. Parallel structure is a useful tool for student writers.

College professors expect a student paper to have a thesis statement. A first-year student might write something like this:. Voters should reject Proposal X because it is unfair to minorities, impossible to enforce, and unnecessary. In this parallel thesis statement, the writer has set up a series of three adjectives: unfair, impossible, and unnecessary.

These three adjectives can organize the structure of the entire paper — with one section for each adjective. A strong parallel thesis statement makes it easier for students to organize their thoughts and write their papers. English learners and native speakers alike have difficulty with parallelism. Some writers mix different grammatical structures. For example,.

The gerunds running and biking are mixed with the infinitive to swim. The mix breaks the rhythm of parallel structure.

This is known as false parallelism. A better choice, then, is to use three gerunds in a series.