Parallel Structure (also known as Parallelism) means having a grammatical balance between related ideas in a sentence. You will often write a sentence that contains two or more points (examples, details, etc); in this case, these similar ideas must be the same grammatical structure. In other words, nouns should be paired with nouns, verbs with verbs, adjectives with adjectives and so on. Likewise, match phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses, etc. More simply put—try not to change grammatical forms in mid-sentence.
Here are some examples of sentences that are NOT grammatically parallel. Which element of each sentence is problematic?
- On weekends my friends and I like to play soccer at the park, watch movies at the mall, and swimming at the beach.
- Employees should be treated fairly and with respect.
- Walking is a great way to exercise because it is convenient, free, and it requires no equipment.
Here are revised versions of the sentences, written with parallel structure:
- On weekends my friends and I like to play soccer at the park, watch movies at the mall, and swim at the beach.
- Employees should be treated fairly and respectfully.
- Walking is a great way to exercise because it is convenient, it is free, and it requires no equipment.
Remember that you have lots of choice when writing a sentence in a parallel form. The key is to be consistent.
Though these sentences are different from one another, ALL THREE are parallel:
- Employees should be treated fairly and respectfully.
- Employees should be treated with fairness and with respect.
- Employees should be treated with fairness and respect.
Review - Parallel Structure or Parallelism
Review - Parallel Structure or Parallelism
Exercise
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