Parallelism in Grammar | Definition, Types, Rules, and Examples
Lesson Overview
- What Is Parallelism in Grammar?
- Parallelism Rules
- Types of Parallelism
- Relation Between Parallel Structure and Parallelism
- Parallelism Example
- Parallelism Assessment
What Is Parallelism in Grammar?
Parallelism in grammar means using the same pattern of words or phrases to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. It helps make sentences easier to understand and more pleasant to read.
For example, when you list actions, using the same verb form helps create a parallel structure.
- Correct: I like reading, writing, and drawing.
- Incorrect: I like reading, writing, and to draw.
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Parallelism Rules
Parallelism ensures that ideas are connected properly in sentences. Here are some essential rules for using parallelism correctly.
Rule 1: Keep Similar Structures in Lists
When making a list or series of items, make sure each item has the same grammatical structure.
| Example: Correct: She likes swimming, biking, and running.Why? All verbs are in the same form (gerund: swimming, biking, running). Incorrect: She likes swimming, biking, and to run.Why? "To run" is an infinitive, while the others are gerunds. |
Rule 2: Use the Same Tense in Parallel Ideas
If you are talking about actions that occur at the same time or are related, make sure they are in the same tense.
| Example: Correct: He studies hard and works late.Why? Both verbs (studies and works) are in the present tense. Incorrect: He studied hard and works late.Why? "Studied" is past tense, and "works" is present tense. They don't match. |
Rule 3: Maintain Consistency in Comparative Structures
When comparing two or more things, use the same grammatical structure for both items.
| Example: Correct: The test was harder than the quiz.Why? Both the test and the quiz are compared using adjectives ("harder"). Incorrect: The test was harder than the quiz was.Why? "The test was harder" uses a comparative adjective, but "the quiz was" adds an unnecessary verb, making it unbalanced. |
Rule 4: Parallel Phrases with Conjunctions
When joining phrases with conjunctions (like "and," "or," "but"), make sure the phrases follow the same grammatical pattern.
| Example: Correct: He likes to swim and to dive.Why? Both actions ("to swim" and "to dive") are in the same infinitive form. Incorrect: He likes to swim and diving.Why? "To swim" is an infinitive, while "diving" is a gerund. They don't match. |
Rule 5: Use Parallel Structures with Correlative Conjunctions
When using correlative conjunctions (like "either...or," "neither...nor," "not only...but also"), make sure the elements they connect are parallel.
| Example: Correct: She is not only a good singer but also a talented dancer.Why? Both parts ("a good singer" and "a talented dancer") are noun phrases, making the sentence parallel. Incorrect: She is not only a good singer but also singing well.Why? "A good singer" is a noun phrase, while "singing well" is a verb phrase. They don't match. |
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Types of Parallelism
Parallelism can appear in different structures depending on how ideas are connected. Let's explore the types of parallelism based on sentence structure.
1. Word-Level Parallelism
This type of parallelism occurs when words of the same type (nouns, adjectives, or verbs) are used in a balanced way.
| Example: Correct: She is smart, creative, and hardworking.Why? All the words used are adjectives describing the subject. Incorrect: She is smart, creative, and works hard.Why? "Smart" and "creative" are adjectives, but "works hard" is a verb phrase. They don't match. |
2. Phrase-Level Parallelism
This occurs when phrases in a sentence follow a parallel structure. The phrases may be noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, etc.
| Example: Correct: He enjoys reading books and writing essays.Why? Both "reading books" and "writing essays" are gerund phrases. Incorrect: He enjoys reading books and to write essays.Why? "Reading books" is a gerund phrase, but "to write essays" is an infinitive phrase. They don't match. |
3. Clause-Level Parallelism
In this type, clauses (which have both a subject and a verb) are balanced in a sentence.
| Example: Correct: She loves to sing, and he loves to dance.Why? Both clauses have the same structure: subject + verb + infinitive verb. Incorrect: She loves to sing, but he is dancing.Why? "She loves to sing" is a verb phrase, while "he is dancing" is a present continuous tense verb phrase. They do not match. |
4. Compound Parallelism
This type occurs when two or more elements (clauses, phrases, or words) are connected by a correlative conjunction, such as "either...or," "neither...nor," "not only...but also," etc. Each part must be parallel in structure.
| Example: Correct: You can either stay here or leave now.Why? Both parts are verb phrases ("stay here" and "leave now"). Incorrect: You can either stay here or leaving now.Why? "Stay here" is a verb phrase, but "leaving now" is a gerund phrase. They don't match. |
5. Balanced Parallelism
This type of parallelism occurs when two clauses or phrases are balanced in terms of their structure and length.
| Example: Correct: The dog ran quickly, and the cat followed silently.Why? Both clauses are balanced, with each clause containing a subject + verb + adverb. Incorrect: The dog ran quickly, but the cat, being tired, followed slowly.Why? The second part is not parallel as it introduces extra words ("being tired") that make it unbalanced. |
Relation Between Parallel Structure and Parallelism
Parallel Structure is the Technique, Parallelism is the Outcome
Parallel structure is the grammatical tool used to achieve parallelism. It ensures that the elements of a sentence match in terms of their form and function. When you use parallel structure correctly, you create parallelism.
Both Improve Clarity and Rhythm
Using parallel structure helps to create parallelism, which improves sentence clarity and makes the ideas flow better. When sentences are balanced, they are easier to read and understand.
Consistency in Grammar
Parallel structure ensures that the same grammatical pattern is followed, whether it's in a list of nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Parallelism happens when that structure is applied consistently throughout a sentence or group of sentences.
Example Showing Both Concepts
| Incorrect Sentence | Explanation | Corrected Sentence (Parallel Structure) |
| She likes dancing, singing, and to swim. | "Dancing" and "singing" are gerunds, but "to swim" is an infinitive. | She likes dancing, singing, and swimming. |
| I went to the store and bought books, pencils, and a pen. | "Books" and "pencils" are plural, but "a pen" is singular. | I went to the store and bought books, pencils, and pens. |
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Parallelism Example
| Type | Incorrect Sentence | Correct Sentence | Explanation |
| Lists | She likes swimming, to bike, and hiking. | She likes swimming, biking, and hiking. | Use the same verb form (-ing) in the list. |
| Comparisons | He is faster, stronger, and runs farther. | He is faster, stronger, and farther. | Keep all adjectives in the same form. |
| Phrases | I will either go to the mall or visiting. | I will either go to the mall or visit. | Match the verb forms ("go" and "visit"). |
| Clauses | She likes to read books and watching TV. | She likes to read books and to watch TV. | Begin both clauses with "to" + verb. |
| Correlative Pairs | Either you clean or go to bed early. | Either you clean or you go to bed early. | Use "you" in both clauses for balance. |
Parallelism Assessment
Here is an exercise for you to check your understanding of parallelism:
- Identify if the sentence follows parallel structure or not.
- The teacher is friendly, helpful, and teaches well.
- The teacher is friendly, helpful, and a good teacher.
- Correct the following sentence:
- She likes reading, to swim, and running.
- Choose the sentence with proper parallelism:
- a. She loves playing, to jump, and running.
- b. She loves playing, jumping, and running.
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