Parallelism is the technique of matching structural patterns to improve the memorability, readability, and clarity of a piece of writing. While this handout provides general information about parallelism, remember to write with your audience and assignment in mind.
Within writing, parallelism is commonly used in lists, series, stages of a process, correlations (e.g., either, or), or comparisons. In a list of words, parallelism is achieved by matching words in both form (e.g., noun, verb, adjective) and function as shown in the following examples:
In the correct example, all three adjectives in the list match by ending in -ly and describe the verb ran.
In the correct examples, parallelism is achieved by having the correlated and listed words match structurally. In the first correct example, the verb is followed by gerunds that both end in -ing. In the second correct example two verbs are listed in matching form, tense, and function.
To achieve parallelism with phrases or groups of words functioning together in a list, each item should match every other item grammatically:
Each phrase in the correct example maintains parallelism by following the same grammatical pattern (adjective + singular noun) to match in form and function.
Parallel structure can also apply to clauses (subject + verb). When using clauses, parallelism is achieved by ensuring that each clause matches in the verb tense, voice, type of object, and type of subject:
The two clauses “She enjoys reading books” and “he prefers watching movies” maintain parallelism throughout the comparison by matching verb form and tense (“enjoys” and “prefers”) and having a similar form for the subject and object.
Parallelism in formatting involves using consistent organization in a document. For example, if a heading is used to introduce a concept, use the same style of heading to introduce the next concept.
Example:
