Parallel structure, also known as parallelism or parallel construction, is a grammatical structure that involves using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Parallelism can occur at the word, phrase, or clause level, and it involves balancing similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure within one or more sentences). The use of parallelism affects readability and can make texts easier to process).
Parallelism can be accompanied by other figures of speech such as antithesis, anaphora, asyndeton, climax, epistrophe, and symploce). Examples of parallelism include:
- "Reece likes reading, writing, and eating"
- "My shopping list for the party includes: balloons, desserts, streamers, and chips"
- "I have to eat breakfast quickly and efficiently so I can get to class on time"
Parallel structures make sentences easier to read and show that every listed word or idea is equally important. When writing a sentence, particularly one with some sort of list, the words, phrases, or clauses should be similar to one another. Parallel structures are often used as a rhetorical device and can be found in famous sayings and proverbs.
