Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure

1. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure Parallel Structure Review A Review B

2. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure What would you think if your friend said this to you? My favorite pastimes are playing soccer, listening to music, and TV. My favorite pastimes are playing soccer, listening to music, and watching TV. Would you wonder if he really liked listening to TV? Look how we make the sentence clearer by expressing the pastimes in the same way.

3. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure Expressing related ideas in similar forms keeps writing on track. Like railroad tracks, these similar forms are said to be parallel. Parallel structure is the arrangement of corresponding parts of a sentence, or group of sentences, in similar grammatical forms.

4. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure Let’s look at some key sentences from President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address. Here President Kennedy explains both the promise and the threat of modern technology. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of humanpoverty and all forms of humanlife. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. Note the parallel grammatical forms joined by and: adjective + noun + prepositional phrase The repetition of key words adds to the sense of order in the passage.

5. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure As this example shows, sentences can contain multiple levels of parallel structures. We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom — symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning —signifying renewal, as well as change. noun + prepositional phrase participial phrase nouns joined by as well as

6. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure Speakers often use a series of parallel structures to emphasize a point. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. verb + any + noun Read this sentence aloud. What effect does the repetition have?

7. Writing with Concord: Parallel Structure On Your Own • Revise each sentence to create parallel structures. You may need to add or delete some words. • 1. The play ended tragically but predictable. • 2. We could see every star and the planets clearly. • 3. Wisdom and being cautious are what we need most. • Carrieis a true friend, a teacher who is patient, and an artist with talent. • 5. The forest has suffered unintentional harm, but it will now benefit from our kindness that we intend to give. [End of Section]

8. Review A Identify each group of parallel structures in this famous sentence from President Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address. • Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

9. Review B You have been asked to write an encouraging message to be posted on your class Web site. Write a short message to your classmates that includes at least three examples of parallel structure.

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