English class - Parallelism

1. Parallelism

2. Parallelismmeans expressing similar parts of a sentence in a consistent way. In other words, the elements that are similar in their function should be alike in construction too.

3. Though the definition might seem a bit too sophisticated, the application of parallel forms in practice is very simple and rather ordinary. These examples from Wikipedia perfectly show what we mean: Example 1: • Lacking parallelism: "She likes cooking, jogging, and to read." • Parallel form: "She likes cooking, jogging, and reading." or “She likes to cook, jog, and read."

4. Example 2: • Lacking parallelism: "He likes to swim and running." • Parallel form: "He likes to swim and to run." or "He likes swimming and running." Parallelism in your writing serves as a key element in developing your style. It builds clarity and consistency. Take a look at another example:

5. Example 3: • Parallel form: “In the summer before college, I waited tables, sold magazines and even delivered pizzas.” • Non-parallel form: “In the summer before college, I was a waiter at a restaurant, pursued magazine sales and pizza delivery was my third job.” The parallel version here reads much more smoothly.

6. Please, remember to use parallel forms in your writing and feel free to read up on parallelism on-line.