Parallelism

Many sentences we write have elements in them that are balanced with one another. A simple example is: Fred likes ice cream and candy. Ice cream and candy are balanced - the and serving as the center of this grammatical seesaw. The rule of parallelism demands that the seesaw be balanced, that the grammatical constructions on either end of the seesaw be the same. In this simple example two nouns balance one another. If, however, I write, Fred likes to swim and candy, then I have an infinitive on one side and a noun on the other. This new sentence is not parallel. When fixing problems in parallelism, we must choose which of the grammatical constructions we want to maintain. This is a question of style since either choice will make a grammatically correct sentence. This new sentence can be corrected to either - Fred likes to swim and to eat candy - or to - Fred likes swimming and candy.

In this simple example I balanced nouns and brief infinitives and joined them with the coordinating conjunction and. However, any two or more grammatical constructions can be parallel: words, phrases, subordinate clauses, or main clauses. Moreover, these constructions can be joined not only by coordinating conjunctions but also by correlative conjunctions, by conjunctive adverbs, or by punctuation. The trick is to be familiar with what any balanced construction sounds like and to be sensitive to whether or not the elements are of the same type. What follows are samples of correctly balanced parallel constructions. In each sentence I underline the conjunction and italicize the balanced elements.

I. Parallel Constructions using Coordinating Conjunctions:

• A. Words: Joe found the new jacket light yet firm.
• B. Phrases: Spencer was not fond of sleeping on the hard ground or of eating freeze dried dinners.
• C. Subordinate Clauses: Fred knew that Mabel was the best swimmer on the team and that Jason didn't have a chance against her.
• D. Main Clauses: I was concerned about the weather; moreover, I was worried that the car didn't have enough gas.

II. Parallel Constructions using Correlative Conjunctions:

• A. Words: Joe found the new jacket not only light but also firm.
• B. Phrases: Spencer was fond neither of sleeping on the hard ground nor of eating freeze dried dinners.
• C. Subordinate Clauses: Fred knew both that Mabel was the best swimmer and that Jason didn't have a chance against her.
• D. Main Clauses: Either you do something about the backlog or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands.

III. Parallel Constructions using Punctuation: Semicolons can be used to balance main clauses closely associated with one another.

George liked hunting with a rifle; Fred liked hunting with a bow.
Napoleon had his Waterloo; I, my grammar test.
[Note that in this construction the comma stands in for the verb. The reader knows that the verb of the first clause is the verb of the second.]

Two Final Notes:

• 1. The most common parallelism error is not completing the second construction. Too often we write sentences such as: Fred likes to run and dance. That sentence ought to be: Fred likes to run and to dance.
• 2. Parallelism demands consistency in the pronouns and in the verbs of balanced constructions. Don't write, "As we neared the airport, you could hear the jets." Choose either we or you, but be consistent. The same ideas holds for verbs. Don't write, "Fred wanted a hot dog, but the last one was had by Joe." Keep the verbs consistent. Make it, "Fred wanted a hot dog, but Joe had the last one." [Of course, you know you should use passive verbs rarely.]

Quiz