Parallel Structure
Parallel structure is a tool to create a series of words, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same
grammatical form. The pattern created by the series—it parallel structure—emphasizes the
similarities or differences among the items, which may be things, qualities, actions, or ideas.
Properly used, parallel structure is the mark of the sophisticated writer.
Consider the following sentences:
My favorite foods are roast beef, deep-dish apple pie, and linguine with clam sauce.
Louise is charming, witty, intelligent, and talented.
Jeff likes to swim, ride, and run.
Dave likes movies that scare him and books that make him laugh.
Each series is a perfect parallel construction, composed of equivalent words: nouns in the first
example, adjectives in the second, verbs in the third, and adjective clauses in the fourth.
In a series linked by a coordinating conjunction, keep all elements in the same
grammatical form.
Whenever you connect items with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, so, and yet),
you cue the readers to expect a parallel structure. Whether your series consists of single words,
phrases, or clauses, its parts should balance one another.
Awkward: The puppies are tiny, clumsily bumping into each other, and cute.
Two elements in this series are parallel one-word adjectives, but the third is a verb phrase. The
writer can improve this awkward sentence by making the series consistent.
Parallel: The puppies are tiny, clumsy, and cute.
Do not mix verb forms in a series. Avoid, for instance, pairing a gerund and an infinitive.
Awkward: Switzerland is a good place for a winter vacation if you like skiing and to
skate.
Parallel: Switzerland is a good place for a winter vacation if you like skiing and
skating.
Parallel: Switzerland is a good place for a winter vacation if you like to ski and to
skate.
In a series of phrases or clauses, be sure that all elements in the series are similar in form, even if
they are not similar in length.
Awkward: The fight in the bar happens after the two lovers have their scene
together but before the car chase. (The clause starting with “after” is not
parallel to the phrase starting with “before.”)
Parallel: The fight in the bar happens after the love scene but before the car
chase.
