Parallelism Another aspect of syntax! 1

Parallel structure appeals The human eyes and ears favor balance and harmony. We tend to like things that match! 2

Parallelism in writing Parallel structure balances…  Words with words  Phrases with phrases  Clauses with clauses  This is one of the most basic stylistic devices – an easy one to add to your own writing to elevate style.  Parallelism may or may not include repetition of words. 3

Parallel structure  Parallelism is a similarity of grammatical form between two or more elements. The air is dirtied by factories belching smoke and cars spewing exhaust.  This structure reinforces and highlights a close relation between compound sentence parts: words, phrases or clauses. It implies a certain equality between them. 4

Examples of parallelism  “…a new generation of Americans born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of their ancient heritage…” (Kennedy)  Parallel phrases all modify Americans  “Robert E. Lee was a foe without hate, a friend without treachery, a soldier without cruelty” (Canton).  Parallel noun phrases functioning as predicate nominatives  “God have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. White man have mercy upon us” (Paton 89).  What is the effect of parallelism here? 5

Balanced sentences – a type of parallelism  When a parallel sentence combines contrasting ideas, but uses similar structures to do so Examples:  “ Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” (John Kennedy).  “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens). 6

Something just to make you happy, which has nothing to do with syntax or parallelism! Smiles 7

Question 13: Let’s think about parallelism and its effect Sample “What we did when we came to South Africa was permissible. It was permissible to develop our great resources with the aid of what labour we could find. It was permissible to use unskilled men for unskilled work. But it is not permissible to keep men unskilled for the sake of unskilled work.” Reminders  Parallel structure balances: words with words, phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses  Parallelism is a similarity of grammatical form between two or more elements.  When a parallel sentence combines contrasting ideas, that leads to balance. 8

Question 14: Remember, syntax means… 9  Sentence lengths  Sentence types (loose, periodic, imperative, exclamatory, etc.)  Sentence placement within a paragraph  Sentence structure: simple, compound, etc.  Sentence structure: parallelism, balance “Call oh small boy, with the tremulous cry that echoes over the hills. Dance oh small boy with the small steps of the dance that is for yourself…Strange things will be woven into it, by men you have never heard of in places you’ve never seen. It is a life you are going into, you are not afraid because you do not know. Call and dance, call and dance. Now, while you may.”

Analysis practice From George Bernard Shaw: “Cunning and attractive slave women…” 10

Here’s a cool example: The cunning and attractive slave women disguise their strength as womanly weakness, their audacity as womanly timidity, their unscrupulousness as womanly innocence, their impurities as womanly defenselessness; simple men are duped by them and subtle ones disarmed and intimidated. It is only the proud, straightforward women who wish, not to govern, but to be free. Bernard Shaw 11

Let’s Analyze!!  Identify the subject and predicate in this first independent clause.  The phrases that follow the subject and predicate function as what part of the sentence? Any ideas? The cunning and attractive slave women disguise their strength as womanly weakness, their audacity as womanly timidity, their unscrupulousness as womanly innocence, their impurities as womanly defenselessness; 12

Remember, repeated grammatical structures create parallelism SUBJECT/PREDICATE DIRECT OBJECT PHRASES WOMEN/DISGUISE: their strength as womanly weakness their audacity as womanly timidity their unscrupulousness as womanly innocence their impurity as womanly defenselessness 13

The parallelism doesn’t end there! Simple men are duped by them, and subtle ones disarmed and intimidated. Simple men areduped by them Subtle ones [are]disarmed [by them] intimidated [by them] 14

The independent clauses are parallel in another way too! The verb in 1 st clause: slave women disguise The verbs in the 2 nd clause: men are duped, are disarmed, are intimidated Disguise active voice Are duped… passive voice 15

SO WHAT??? Strong, aggressive women are balanced with passive men… What does the balanced structure suggest? 16

And finally, the second sentence: It is only the proud, straightforward women who wish, not to govern, but to be free. Diagram it! 17

Did you get it? not to govern …women who wish but to be free 18

Compare the adjectives in the two sentences! Cunning and attractive slave women Proud, straightforward women How does Shaw suggest a difference and an inequality between these 2 types of women? Hint: think about punctuation 19

Reflection  The analysis of just two sentences suggests the concentration and range of effects a writer can create by using parallel structures.  Parallelism compares and contrasts, affirms and negates. Wait, did I just use parallelism??? 20