Parallelism

Parallelism

By Claire Major

What is parallelism?

​It's all about balance.

Parallelism in grammar is defined as two or more phrases or clauses in a sentence that have the same grammatical structure.

Items in a series must be parallel

​Examples - notice the comma usage in the lists

He likes music, art, and history (nouns in a series)

I want to go swimming, dancing, and horseback riding (gerunds in a series)​

He is tall, dark, and handsome (adjectives in a series)

They want to paint the living room, to put down new carpet, and to buy a new sofa (infinitives in a series)​

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences shows parallel structure for items in a list?

• The Romans conquered, colonized, and governed most of the world.

• He had finished the game, took a shower, and had eaten lunch by 2pm.

• She loves to collect rocks, paint pictures, and draw portraits.

• At the store I bought cake, pizza and forgot milk.

And, but, as, or, than, although

Structures joined by these words must have the same grammatical form.​

He enjoyed the music of Spain and the sculpture of France.

That paint color is not blue, but green.

Taking a bus can be as costly as taking a plane.

He wanted to borrow a car or to rent one while his car was being fixed.

Eating in a restaurant is more fun than cooking at home.

Although he liked to eat good food, he did not like to pay high prices for it.​

Error Examples and How to Correct Them

He is young, intelligent, and has charm.

He is young, intelligent, and charming.

​

She likes to read, to travel, and painting.

She likes to read, to travel, and to paint.

​

He did not like to swim or skiing.

He did not like to swim or to ski.

​

Going on vacation is more fun than to work in the summer.

Going on vacation is more fun than working in the summer.​

Multiple Choice

Is this sentence using parallel structure? "That soup should not be served hot, but at a cold temperature."

• Yes, it uses parallel structure correctly

• No, it does not use parallel structure correctly

The sentence is not using parallel structure correctly.

Some text here about the topic of discussion

That soup should not be served hot, but at a cold temperature.

That soup should not be served hot, but cold.​

Multiple Choice

Her husband had bought a house, found a job, and chose a school for the children before she arrived.

• Uses correct parallel structure

• Does not use correct parallel structure

​The sentence is not using correct parallel structure

Her husband had bought a house, found a job, and chose a school for the children before she arrived.

​

Her husband had bought a house, found a job, and chosen a school for the children before she arrived. (notice 'had' - this is the past perfect verb tense - all of the verbs in the list need to be the participle forms of the verbs. Chose is past tense, but it is not a past perfect participle)

​

​We don't include 'had' before every verb in the list - this would be too repetitive and it is understood that the items in the list are all past perfect participles.

​

Multiple Choice

When he was a college student, he learned to play tennis, to golf, and swimming.

• Parallel

• Not Parallel

Multiple Choice

To face adversity, to solve problems, and to overcome difficulties all give one a sense of satisfaction.

• Parallel

• Not Parallel

Multiple Choice

After years of dealing with the public, she developed great charm, wit, and confident.

• Parallel

• Not Parallel

Multiple Choice

On their vacation they enjoyed swimming at the beach, walking through the quaint streets, and sitting in the picturesque parks.

• Parallel

• Not Parallel

Multiple Choice

Being a homemaker is as difficult as working in an office.

• Parallel

• Not Parallel

Poll

After completing this lesson, I feel like I understand parallel structure.

• Yes, I understand parallel structure

• No, I need more practice

• No, I am completely confused