Parallelism

What is parallelism?
Parallelism involves writing balanced sentences. Two or more ideas that are logically related
should be expressed in grammatically similar constructions.

Parallelism is the practice of using the same pattern of words, phrases, or sentences to show that
the ideas presented have the same level of importance.

The application of parallelism in sentence construction can sometimes improve writing style,
clearness, and readability.

When is parallelism required?

Parallelism is required whenever its absence interferes with clarity. When the phrase, sentence or
paragraph sounds awkward, lacks flow and creates confusion, then parallelism is probably
grammatically necessary.

Example

Not Parallel:

Vicky likes hiking, the rodeo, and to take afternoon naps.

Parallel:

Vicky likes hiking, attending the rodeo, and taking afternoon naps.

Maintaining parallel balance helps the reader to connect, to coordinate, to compare, or to contrast
ideas. Composing balanced parallel constructions contributes unity, coherence, and clarity to
sentences. The repetition present in longer parallel constructions also adds a stylistically pleasing
symmetry and rhythm.

Parallelism for Ideas Presented in Pairs:

The relationship between paired ideas is reinforced and made clearer when the elements are
presented in parallel balance. Parallel pairings can be used to make comparisons or to establish
contrasts. The three primary methods of connecting paired ideas are with a coordinating
conjunction such as and, but, or; with a pair of correlative conjunctions such as not/but, not
only/but also, whether/or, either/or; with a word signaling a comparison such as than or as.

More specifically, antithetical parallelism is defined as text where the meaning in the first part of
the couplet contrasts with an opposite theme contained in the second part (see above). The use of
opposites clarifies both extremes. In poetry the use of opposites can bring a sharper contrast to an
image and provide a greater focus to the desired message. It is often marked by the use of the
conjunction ‘but’, placed between two statements to juxtapose them and helps the reader or to
view both the positive and negative perspectives of the text.

Parallelism for Ideas Presented in a Series:

When three or more grammatical elements are presented in a series, the writer must take care to
maintain parallel balance. The parallel construction can occur in the subject or the predicate of
the sentence and can involve nouns, adjectives, verbs, infinitives, prepositional phrases,
participial phrases, and subordinate clauses, to name a few. Parallelism can even extend through
an entire paragraph.

Here are some paragraphs of which have parallelisms:

Paragraph No. 1
Who are you? I’m sure many people know who you are, where you live, and that you work very
hard. But who are you, really? I guess that depends on who you ask or whether you feel good
about yourself. Of course, few people really know what you do in the morning, how early you
wake up, if you are eating well, where you go, who you admire, whether you feel good about
them, and so on. But, it is amazing how much information is available and how we can now surf
a website to Google somebody, isn’t it? Think about how much a detective could discover about
how you live, if you are working legally, or what you do in your free time. How much
information the Internet can provide is amazing, extensive, and unlimited with possibilities.
From the information on your credit card bill alone, anybody can see where you shop, whether or
not you dine and travel, what your budget is and, whether or not you have a lot of money or
make a high salary. Who cares how much money you make, whether you are saving money, or
whether you are spending much or not? How much money you make is really nobody else’s
business. In America, how much you earn, spend, and save is personal, so you should not ask an
American how much he earns. Clearly, how you live your life also depends on the attitude you
grow up with. How people judge politeness, what people consider a lie, how people deal with
their problems and consider the differences of others are what make the biggest
misunderstanding between cultures.

How you live, plan for the future, and want to retire depends quite a bit on what chances
you have had and what choices you make. How well an immigrant speaks, reads, and listens to a
foreign language, for example, is a direct result of how much that person has practiced, how hard
he or she has studied, and whether or not that student could concentrate and get a chance to
speak often. Whoever really wants to succeed speaking English will almost always get more
opportunities, have a better lifestyle, and appreciate American culture much more.
Unfortunately, how much time recent immigrants have to read and speak English depends on
how often they are able to speak at work, use English at home, and chat with friends about
anything whenever they get a chance.

Paragraph No. 2
But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to
think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus
an extremist for Love: ʺLove your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you.ʺ Was not Amos an extremist
for justice: ʺLet justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever‐flowing stream.ʺ
Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: ʺI bear in my body the marks of the Lord
Jesus.ʺ Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ʺHere I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me
God.ʺ And John Bunyan: ʺI will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my
conscience.ʺ And Abraham Lincoln: ʺThis nation cannot survive half slave and half free.ʺ And
Thomas Jefferson: ʺWe hold these truths to be self‐evident, that all men are created equal.

I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it
possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader, but as a
fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice
will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear‐drenched
communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will
shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Paragraph No. 3
I don’t believe you would so quickly commend the policemen if you would observe their ugly
and inhuman treatment here in the city jail; if you would watch them push and curse old Negro
women and young Negro girls; if you would see them slap and kick old Negro men and young
boys; if you will observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we
wanted to sing our grace together. I’m sorry that I can’t join you in your praise for the police
department. Once I was travelling to Islamabad I saw some policemen treating an old man in a
very inhuman manner I amazed at looking at this behavior. In another occasion I saw some
policemen hitting a person with stick because of his crime that he had not committed but was
still punished for that due to just the inhuman behavior of the policemen.

Paragraph No. 4 Computer Crimes

Children use cyberspace to talk with friends, complete homework assignments, and explore
museums, libraries and universities. While providing almost limitless opportunities to learn, this
“information age” has exposed children to supercharged versions of the old threats of child
molestation and child pornography. Child molesters and pornographers take full advantage of
Internet service providers (ISPs), Internet relay chat (IRC) (hundreds of thousands of electronic
“chat rooms” where users can “talk” to others by typing on their keyboards), and the Usenet
(tens of thousands of bulletin board-style discussion groups, often called “newsgroups”). These
provide to such predators abundant hunting grounds in which to find young victims. Moreover,
at nominal expense, and regardless of where they reside in the world, they can, and do, readily
view and trade or sell pictures and movies of young or very young children being sexually
molested by adults, snuff erotica , bestiality and the like. Contrary to common misconception,
individuals who post illegal material to the Usenet discussion groups may indeed be traced,
arrested and convicted. People who download child pornography from newsgroups may be
traced, but not as easily as those who post such material. Some system administrators
occasionally notice the downloading of files with unusual names and notify law enforcement.
Some ISPs merely give their customer’s access to the Internet.

Paragraph No. 5 Pollution

Pollution is nothing but "too much of something at wrong place" and environmental pollution is
generally defined as the unfavorable alternations of our surroundings through the various actions
of man himself. The undesirable and excessive substances that are released As., the by-products
of man's actions, can affect air, water and land and adversely and alter the natural quality of our
environment. Substances that are responsible for the alternations of environment are called
pollutants and the total chain of actions as "environmental pollution". Hence it is nobody else
than man himself is the real cause of environmental pollution. Environmental pollution can be
well understood if we study its sources and effects. There are pollutions of air, water, soil, noise
and radioactive wastes. The study of each type will give the real picture. Water is a unique
substance, because it can naturally renew and cleanse itself, by allowing pollutants to settle out
(through the process of sedimentation) or break down, or by diluting the pollutants to a point
where they are not in harmful concentrations. However, this natural process takes time, and is
difficult when excessive quantities of harmful contaminants are added to the water. And humans
are using more and more materials that are polluting the water sources that we drink from. In
nine of the last ten years, large blue-green algae blooms have appeared on the northern part of
Lake Winnipeg. These are caused by excess phosphorus in the water. Fertilizer use is 15 times
higher today than it was in 1945. Beach closures are becoming increasingly common. The list of
pollutants is long and the signs of water pollution surround us, but the point is this: we are
dumping contaminants into the small portion of water on the planet that is fit for drinking.