Curriculum

Course I: Writing Correctly

Module I: Punctuation

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- Commas -

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- Semicolons -

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- Colons -

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- Dashes -

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Apostrophes

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- Punctuation Review -

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Module II: Sentence Problems

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- Fragments -

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- Run-on Sentences -

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- Subject-Verb Agreement -

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- Dangling Modifiers -

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- Parallel Construction -

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- Sentence Problems Review -

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Module III: Words That Are Similar and Often Confused

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Final Course I Review

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Text lesson

Parallelism

As the final part of Course I, we will review parallelism. Parallelism is the repetition of the same word forms (nouns, verbs, infinitives) in the same order. We will review some examples to help clarify.

These famous statements are memorable because to their effective use of parallelism:

“One if by land, two if by sea.” – Longfellow

“To be, or not to be.” – Shakespeare

“Give me liberty, or give me death.” – Patrick Henry

In each of these examples, the striking effect results from the repetition of the same word forms (nouns, verbs, infinitives) in the same order. The structure of the second half intentionally mirrors that of the first half in order to achieve emphasis and to show the connection between the ideas in a memorable way. Such parallelism can occur between words, between phrases, or between clauses. Here is an example in which parallelism occurs between clauses:

“I came; I saw; I conquered.” – Julius Caesar

Parallelism also exists when there are just two elements, as in the following example:

The board of directors did not provide adequate direction to the planning process or specify the types of reports it expected from management.

The parallel elements are the verbs provide and specify, as can be seen when we visually display the structure:

The board of directors did not
provide adequate direction to the planning process or
specify the types of reports it expected from management.

As a grammatical device, parallelism combines, equates, and clarifies ideas; as a rhetorical device, it strikes the ear with a deliberate rhythm and emphasizes the repeated elements. The symmetrical design, in which equal ideas are placed in equal structures, draws the readers’ attention to the similarity between the ideas, as in these examples:

“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Principles, not policy; justice, not favor; men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.” (motto of The Revolution, a periodical published by Susan B. Anthony)

In the following slideshow, we will review examples of how to revise sentences to create parallelism.

Presentation

Carefully review the presentation below. Core details on the above content are explained in further detail, along with relevant examples.

Access video version of the presentation. (Optional, voiced-over version of the above presentation)

PRESENTATION TRANSCRIPT

Consider the following sentence.

The purpose of this examination is to determine the financial condition of the association, to evaluate the adequacy of earnings capacity, and whether the board needs to take further actions.

Is parallelism present in this case? No, the beginning elements of the series are not structurally similar. The first two elements begin with infinitives, to determine and to evaluate, but the final element begins with a conjunction, whether.

To make the sentence grammatically correct, the writer should introduce the final element with an infinitive as well. One option for revising the sentence is:

The purpose of this examination is

to determine the financial condition of the association,
to evaluate the adequacy of earnings capacity, and
to ascertain whether the board needs to take further actions.

Another way to signal parallel ideas and structure is to use paired words called correlative conjunctions, including:

either . . . or
neither . . . nor
not only . . . but also
both . . . and

With correlative conjunctions, you must be careful to position the correlative so that the word form following the second correlative conjunction is the same form as that following the first correlative conjunction. For example:

The association not only failed to notify board members of the situation, but also attempted to conceal the magnitude of the problem once it became apparent.

This is an effective and grammatically correct use of a correlative conjunction because the not only is followed by a verb (failed) and the but also is likewise followed immediately by a verb in the same format (attempted).

Parallel constructions are handy devices not only for emphasis, but also for clarity and economy. They allow us to organize into one sentence related ideas that otherwise would take two or three sentences. In one sense, then, parallelism is a packaging device. Look at the following paired statements:

There is nothing so easy to learn as experience. There is nothing so hard to apply as experience. (18 words)

Now look at two possible revisions using parallelism.

REVISION 1:
There is nothing so easy to learn or so hard to apply as experience. (14 words)

REVISION 2:
Nothing is so easy to learn or so hard to apply as experience. (13 words)

In the process of knitting together similar ideas into one sentence, we usually can eliminate common words and thus achieve economy of expression.

Final Recap: Parallelism

So remember: items in a series should be grammatically parallel. That is, each item that starts a series should be of the same word form, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so forth.

Complete the following self check to test your knowledge of parallelism.

GREAT WORK!

PROGRESS TO THE SECTION SELF CHECK.