The famous seventeenth-century American poet, Henry David Thoreau, used parallel structure for dramatic effect in several of his works. Now, let's take a look at parallel structure in clauses. Here, laughed, hummed, and shook are all simple past tense verbs*, making the list parallel. When you list actions, you must use parallel structure*. "Maeve laughed, hummed, and shook the handle as she prepared the old-fashioned stovetop popcorn." What about actions? Take a look at the following sentence: On a sheet of paper, craft a sentence that includes a list explaining that your friend sings well, is humorous, takes good care of animals, and excels in writing (A suggested example is located at the bottom of this section.).
We have a tendency to complicate our writing, but if we are aware of parallel structure, we can avoid unnecessary wordiness. Keep this in mind when you create sentences with lists. "The new principal promised to give all students longer lunch periods, allow students better access to technology resources, and keep the library open later."ĭo you see and hear how the first list flows more readily, and uses only one verb, allowing for parallel adjectives to be used throughout the list?."The new principal promised longer lunch periods, enhanced technology access, and extended library hours for all students.".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 as well. Whenever you include a list of actions or items, you must use equal grammatical units. Parallel structure in writing is simply using similar elements to create a balanced list, clause, phrase, or sentence. All the nouns used to define Margaret agree with one verb, "has." Parallel structure improves the clarity of your writing and keeps your writing concise. The second sentence is the better of the two because it has parallel structure. Which of the two sentences sounds more pleasing to ear? Why do you think so? Discuss your selection and reason with your parent or teacher. "Margaret has honesty, integrity, intelligence, and humor."."Margaret is honest, has integrity, intelligence, and she's funny.".Read the following sentences out loud and decide which sounds better. Crafting a well-written sentence is not different from creating a well-balanced architectural structure or displaying symmetry in a piece of art. How would the first picture sound in comparison to the second? Think for a moment about some of the terms used to describe the images: parallel, balance, structure, symmetry. Now, imagine each picture as a set of words. The second image, however, shows two unlike structures, slightly offset by form, light, material, and structure they do not mirror each other and are less pleasing to the eye because of the lack of balance.The first image shows two identical structures, perfectly aligned side-by-side they represent a sort of balance.We tend to find more appeal in symmetry than in the disjointed. You probably selected the first set of matching, or parallel, structures.
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