A writing piece becomes more exciting and more enjoyable to read when a variety of sentences are increased by using a mixture of sentence patterns and lengths. A strong sentence consists of well-adjusted parts with a similar structure, which can be achieved using parallelism. Parallelism is defined as the usage of the same structure in associated phrases, clauses, and words (Zhen 3). Parallelism forms a sense of balance and rhythm in a sentence (Al-Ameedi et al. 3). Most readers correct lack of parallel structure in writings due to unbalanced sentences sounding awkward and poorly constructed. Some sentences that contain faulty parallelism can be factually correct; however, their construction is confusing and clunky.
For instance, in a sentence like: Kennedy prefers tea to drinking porridge.
The sentence contains faulty parallelism, and the correct parallelism of its form can be written as;
Kennedy prefers drinking tea to drinking porridge.
A sentence that is written using parallelism sound more appealingly pleasing due to its balance. Repeating grammatical construction reduces the volume of work one needs to translate the sentence by concentrating on the significant ideologies in the sentence and not how to join the sentences (Zhen 3). Parallelism can be checked in writing by making sure that there exist paired nouns, preposition phrases with preposition phrases, and verbs with verbs.
A parallel structure can be created by coordinating conjunction (including so, yet, or, but, and) to connect two clauses. When using, it is essential to ensure that a similar grammatical structure is applied on every side of the conjunction. For instance;
Faulty parallelism: When I watch a movie, I like to eat popcorns and write notes.
Correct parallelism: When I watch a movie, I like eating popcorns and writing notes.
In the faulty parallelism sentence, two distinct forms of a verb are applied in the sentence (writing and eat), while in the correct parallelism sentence, parallel sentence is created on the respective side of and (Center for Writing). A similar technique is applied when joining lists of items in a series.
Furthermore, than or as are also used to create parallelism. A parallel structure should be made when relating two things to avoid confusion. Comparisons use words such as than or as, and the items on either side of contrast must be parallel. For example: Climbing a mountain is much tougher than climbing a tree.
Correlative conjunctions are used to create parallelism, and they entail paired conjunctions that link two identical pieces of a sentence to show their association (Center for Writing). They include:
- both—-and
- rather—-than
- whether—–or
- neither—-nor
- not only——but also
- either—–or
Creating a parallel sentence requires correlative conjunctions to follow similar grammatical structures. Example: Harvey can neither play soccer nor swim in a pool.
When writing a composition, parallelism is used within sentences and throughout paragraphs. Repeating certain essential phrases in the entire composition is an effective means of binding a passage together as a unified whole and developing a logic of standing. Any piece of writing can adapt the parallelism technique. Parallelism is used to emphasize meaning and perceived truth in a sentence (Zhen 3). Parallelism is used for creating rhythm and a sense of balance in a composition by using correct structure of grammar to express equal ideologies. Faulty parallelism results when there is an imbalance of sentence elements where it sounds awkward and clunky.
In an English composition, parallelism helps connect two clauses or use coordinating conjunctions to make a list; connect two parts of a sentence using correlative conjunctions; or compare two items using as or than (Center for Writing). Therefore, there are two most important benefits of incorporating parallelism into an English composition to create a relationship and sense of rhythm. When writing a composition, a group of sentences or a single sentence is compared or contrasted using parallelism to enhance its meaning.
Works Cited
Al-Ameedi, Riyadh T., and Razzaq N. Mukhef. “Aspects of political language and parallelism.” Language 8.34 (2017): 185-200.
Center for Writing: University of Minnesota. Web.
Zhen, Z. H. A. N. G. “English Writing Program for Students of Science and Technology.”.