Many people like riding, hiking, biking, and swimming. "The use of parallel structures," says Ann Raimes in Keys for Writers, "helps produce cohesion and coherence in a text." It was Sally Baldwin who brought me along, told me what to wear and do and think and say. "(Francis Bacon, "Of Studies," 1625), "Those who write clearly have readers; those who write obscurely have commentators. Correct: Every morning, we make our bed, eat … Without parallel structure: I like running, singing, and to read In the parallel structure, all of the objects of “like” are gerunds, –ing verbs acting as nouns. Correct : The class valued respect , honesty , and promptness in a teacher. He felt that being a good listener was just as important as talking well. Tahoe's increased pollution must be addressed before anything else, targeting the lake's invasive species, the pesticides being used near the lake, car emissions, and run-off from roadways. (Simms, Aug. 2014: this one is a bit cumbersome for quizzing, but the material is good.) When success happens to an American writer, he acquires a new life. 3. It emphasizes on the same level of importance of multiple ideas or information given in the same sentence. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Parallel Structure Quiz. With strong hands and bare feet, the kid climbed the biggest tree in the park. An example: Wrong: The coach neither wanted to lose nor to tie. Tahoe's increased pollution must be addressed before anything else, targeting invasive species, pesticides and road run-off, and auto emissions. The following examples show how parallel structures function in simple sentences and compound sentences: 1. The writer used interesting adjectives, good transitions, and he punctuated properly. "(Martin Amis, "Kurt Vonnegut: After the Slaughterhouse." - Easy come, easy go.- No pain, no gain.- Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.- One man's trash is another man's treasure.- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. As she passed out, her eyes closed, her body relaxed, and she was falling to the ground. The manager told the employees that they need to come to work on time, that they need to manage their workload, and that they need to attend important meetings. 1. (Simms, Aug. 2014: this one is a bit cumbersome for quizzing, but the material is good.). Here’s a quick and simple definition:Some additional key details about parallelism: 1. Washing the dishes, studying for my test, and paying my phone bill are all on my to-do list this week. Many students fear falling behind, failing, and getting bad marks. This is a very special episode because it’s Paige’s last video with us as a KA intern! Email entrants should list their skills using parallel structure. A cluster of amplifiers spread the theme of love over everything and everybody; the mild breeze spread the dust over everything and everybody. With strong hands and feet that were bare, the kid climbed the biggest tree in the park. Emilio walked across the street, down the alley, and through the back door of his apartment. 2. Flying i… 1. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/parallel-structure-grammar-1691570. (Two adjectives, stimulating and challenging), (William A. Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual, 10th ed. The movie was thrilling, exciting, and suspenseful.Here are a few examples of incorrect and corrected parallel structures. The third paragraph also introduces the same pattern of parallel structure: we cannot dedicate, we cannot concentrate, we cannot hallow this ground. Parallel structure is a stylistic choice to make verbs in a sentence maintain a pattern. phrases in a sentence have similar or the same grammatical structure Whenever you include a list of actions or items, you must use equal grammatical units. Incorrect: I attended a conference, weddings, and a bar mitzvah last summer. Parallel structure refers to same word pattern within a sentence by repeating a chosen grammatical form. James quickly put his coins into the pop machine, pushed the Coke button, and was waiting for the bottle to fall. When it comes to forming a sentence, there are some things that one should put in mind to get the desired response. Nordquist, Richard. James quickly put his coins into the pop machine, pushed the Coke button, and waited for the bottle to fall. The Moronic Inferno. For example, a subset of employees can act as a parallel structure … 4. All three verbs in this sentence … Parallel structure isn’t a set rule, but more of a stylistic choice: it helps sentence elements maintain a pattern. https://www.thoughtco.com/parallel-structure-grammar-1691570 (accessed February 17, 2021). Parallel structure means each item in a list is the same structure. Proverbs , for example, provide a simple way to grasp the concept of parallel structure. ThoughtCo. 1. In English grammar, parallel structure involves two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length and grammatical form. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/parallel-structure-grammar-1691570. Follow the instructions after each sentence to correct the sentences. The teacher told the students that they need to get up early in the morning, that they need to sleep properly, and that they need to eat properly. Guidelines for Creating Parallel Structure. We will miss having Paige as a contributor to the Grammar Team. Parallel structure in a sentence should be used when you connect clauses with a coordinating conjunction such as: for, and, nor, or, but, so, or yet. 359 340 chapter 17 writing about those cameras. The writer used interesting adjectives, good transitions, and proper punctuation. When creating lists, the items in the list should be parallel. 'Louise will swim, bike, and run this weekend at her triathlon.' Tahoe's increased pollution must be addressed before anything else, targeting the lake's invasive species, the pesticides being used near the lake, auto emissions, and run-off from roads. She created me, and when she was done we broke up in a formal sense, but she kept calling me. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. In her spare time, Wei collects old coins and volunteers at the community food bank. Make each item in the list a prepositional phrase that … To make them parallel, the sentences should be rewritten with just gerunds … The rule of parallel construction forbids the joining of a verb with a noun. It looks like your browser needs an update. Start studying Parallel Structure. The teacher told them that the… If you don't, you destroy the rhythm you've tried to establish. "(Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker, 1980), "When success happens to an English writer, he acquires a new typewriter. Not only can this add clarity to our statements, but it can also make our words a lot easier to understand. Definition and Uses of the Definite Article 'the' in English, Constructing Parallel Sentences and Phrases, What Is a Phrase? "(Attributed to Albert Camus), "I had been short, and now I was tall. In some cases, parallelism involves the exact repetition of words, but all that is required to fit the definition of perallelism is the repetition of grammatical elements. Nordquist, Richard. You may also check out complete and incomplete sentences examples.That being said, here are some everyday examples of a parallel structure: 1. This grammatical form can be used with a variety of structures including infinitives, words, clauses and lists. "Definition and Examples of Parallel Structure." Another word for parallel structure is parallelism. The rapacious excesses of capitalism, the audience for the enjoyment of others. Take up the test below and get to test out what you understand about parallel structure. It's possible -- and sometimes advantageous -- to blend a bureaucratic structure with a parallel structure. "Definition and Examples of Parallel Structure." If the first item is a noun, then the following items must also be nouns; if the first action is a simple past tense verb, then make the other items simple past tense verbs too. Definition and Examples in Grammar, Relative Clause Definition and Examples in English, Definition and Examples of Postmodifiers in English Grammar, Nominal: Definition and Examples in Grammar, Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York. Definition and Examples of Parallel Structure. White, 1952), "It is by logic we prove, but by intuition we discover. "(Charlotte's advice to Wilbur in Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. Parallelism involves using similar structures for two or more parts of a sentence or sentences to create a comparison or pattern. Many students fear falling behind, failing, and to get bad marks. JAGUAR. This could be the verb form or the way infinitives are used.