PARALLELISM

Definition Two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length and grammatical form. Also called parallelism. By convention, items in a series appear in parallel grammatical form: a noun is listed with other nouns, an -ing form with other -ing forms, and so on. Failure to express such items in similar grammatical form is called faulty parallelism.

Examples My favourite activities are running, jumping and dancing. 2. My favourite activities are to run, to jump and to dance.

Examples The character of Bob shows determination, courage and respect. The character of Bob shows that he is determined, courageous and respectful.

Examples Bob shows determination when he calls his long-lost sister, rescues the cat from the tree, and escapes the burning building. Bob demonstrates his courage through interactions with dangerous animals, relationships with his family, and escapades with circus performers.

Fixing Faulty Parallelism Josie loves to sing, canoeing and when she eats chocolate. Parallelism: Josie loves singing, canoeing and eating chocolate. Josie loves to sing, to canoe and to eat chocolate.

Fixing Faulty Parallelism Faulty Parallelism: The teacher displays her amazing teaching skills through communicating well with students, when she marks fairly, and her strong patience. Parallelism: The teacher displays her amazing teaching skills through communicating well with students, marking fairly, and showing patience.

Fixing Faulty Parallelism Faulty Parallelism: Some of my favourite foods are delicious cupcakes, fruit that is juicy, and the kind of bread that is just baked. Parallelism: Some of my favourite foods are delicious cupcakes, juicy fruit, and fresh bread.