Parallel Structure

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Parallel Structure
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What is parallel Structure?

• Parallelism is the repetition of words and/or
  grammatical structures in order to add rhythm and
  balance to text.

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Thats great, Mr. P, but what is parallel
structure for?

• A good writer uses parallelism to create clear
  and concise sentences, and also to reduce the
  work that the reader must do to understand the
  author's meaning.

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Example

• For example
• Doris went shopping and bought a pair
  of high heels, a new CD and a new pair of
  glasses.
• Because each item on Doris' list is presented in
  the same form, the reader perceives that each
  item is of equal importance. If, on the other
  hand, the sentence were to read as follows, the
  reader would have difficulty following the
  writer's ideas
• Doris went shopping and bought a pair of high
  heels, a new CD, and she found a new pair of
  glasses.
• -Here, the balance is thrown off and
  the sentence becomes more difficult for the
  reader to process.

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Another Example

• Having parallel structure becomes even more
  significant when two or more ideas are to be
  presented as having equal importance. For
  example
• Dorothy survived a tornado, crash-landed in
  a foreign land, traveled across a vast
  countryside, and defeated an evil witch.
• With parallel structure, the reader can
  quickly process information and see relationships
  between ideas. Strong writers use parallel
  structure to organize words, phrases, clauses,
  and even whole essays to guide readers through
  their ideas.

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Give it a shot!

• The following sentences are incorrect. Re-write
  using proper parallel structure.
• 1. Dante became lost in the woods, was threatened
  by three animals and he felt overcome with fear.
• 2. The leopard represents malice, the lion
  represents violence, unchecked passions are
  symbolized by the she-wolf.
• 3. Dante was terrified of the dark wood, the
  three beasts, and to see the swarming insects.
• 4. Virgil is a symbol of reason and Beatrice has
  the function of representing divine love.
• 5. The sinners in the Vestibule are pursued by
  wasps, maggots and a lot of bees follow them.
• 6. Dante also employs the character of Beatrice
  in the poem. She symbolizes the divine love of
  God, the power of faith, and hoping.
• 7. The sinners in the Vestibule are tortured by
  insects who chase them, sting them, and are
  sucking the pus out of their sores.

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Answers

1. Dante became lost in the woods, was threatened by
   three animals and was overcome with fear.
2. The leopard represents malice, the lion
   represents violence, and the she-wolf represents
   unchecked passions.
3. Dante was terrified of the dark wood, the three
   beasts, and the swarming insects.
4. Virgil is a symbol of reason and Beatrice is a
   symbol of divine love.
5. The sinners in the Vestibule are pursued by
   wasps, maggots and bees.
6. Dante also employs the character of Beatrice in
   the poem. She symbolizes the divine love of God,
   the power of faith, and comfort of hope.
7. The sinners in the Vestibule are tortured by
   insects who chase them, sting them, and suck the
   pus out of their sores.