ENGLISH 1301 - PARALLELISM - Mr. Castillo

In grammar, parallelism means that, in a sentence, elements that are alike in function are alike, in form. For example, consider this sentence: The adults hid the Easter eggs behind bushes, under chairs, and in the tall grass. The details telling where the eggs were hidden are alike in form. They are prepositional phrases. (If you need to review prepositional phrases, consult your handbook.)

Notice how the elements are alike in form (all are prepositional phrases):
1. behind bushes
             The adults hid the Easter eggs 2. under chairs, and
3. in the tall grass
 
Can you spot the elements that are not parallel in this sentence? For a vacation, the family wants to go water skiing, a hike in the mountains, or visiting Washington, D.C. Let's rearrange the sentence this way:
1. to go water skiing
For a vacation, the family wants 2. a hike in the mountains, or
3. visiting Washington, D.C.
 
The three elements after "wants" (You may recognize them as direct objects) are not parallel in form. To be parallel (or alike) in form, the elements could be written like this:
             1. to go water skiing, 
             2. to hike in the mountains, or
             3. to visit Washington, D.C.

Now all the forms are verbs beginning with "to" (infinitives). The elements do not have to begin with "to" to be parallel; they just have to be alike in form. Other ways to write this
sentence include: 
1. water skiing
                          The family wants  2. hiking in the mountains, or
3. visiting Washington, D.C.
             All are -ing forms (gerunds).
Another Example:
1. that I should study
                          The teacher told me 2. that I should do homework, and
3. that I should schedule a conference.
 
All of these are parallel because they are all dependent clauses introduced by "that."

An Incorrect Example: John is an artist and who is creative.
Examine this sentence:  1. is an artist (verb)
                          John              and
2. who is creative. (clause)
 
     The two elements are not parallel in form because 1. is a verb and 2. is a clause. The sentence can correctly be written several different ways:

     • John is an artist, and he is creative. (compound sentence)
     • John is an artist who is creative. (complex sentence)
     • John is a man who is an artist and who is creative. (2 clauses)

Another Incorrect Example: His stories are interesting because of their originality, their humor, and he develops a theme.
 
Examine this sentence:    1. of their originality
                       His stories are interesting because   2. their humor ,and
  3. he develops a theme.
 
These are not parallel because 1. is a prepositional phrase, 2. is a noun, and 3. is a clause. The sentence can correctly be written several different ways:

* His stories are interesting because of their originality, their humor, and their developed theme. (nouns)
* His stories are interesting because they are original, they are humorous, and they develop a theme. (3 clauses)

Another Incorrect Example: The book was dull, too many pages in length, and could not be understood.
 
Examine this sentence: 1. dull
                                       The book was 2. too many pages in length, and
3. could not be understood.
 
The sentence is not parallel because 1 . is an adjective, 2. is a noun, and 3. is a verb. The forms are different. The sentence can correctly be written this way.

* The book is dull, long, and confusing. (3 adjectives)

Read about correlatives in your handbook. The words that follow the correlatives must be parallel in form.

An Incorrect Example:  You may travel either by train or there is a plane.
 
Examine this sentence: 1. either by train
                                        You may travel             or
  2. there is a plane.
 
Either ... or ... is a correlative; therefore, the words that follow each part of the correlative must be parallel in form. This sentence is not parallel because 1. is a prepositional phrase and 2. is a clause. The sentence can correctly be written two ways:

• You may travel either by train or by plane. (prepositional phrases)
• You may travel by either train or plane. (nouns)

SUMMARY

Parallelism makes writing clear and effective. As you can tell, you must carefully, examine your work after it is written. This examination (called revision) is the only way to insure that you have correctly encoded your intended message. With practice, you will be able to recognize and to correct unparallel sentences. For further explanations, examples, and exercises, consult your handbook. 
 
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