1. Parallelism
“There never were, since the creation of the world, two cases exactly parallel.” – Lord Chesterfield, 1694 – 1773
“Obviously Lord Chesterfield didn’t take Expository Writing.” – Mrs. Manny Brown,

2. Definition: Parallelism
Parallel structures use a repeating pattern of words to indicate that the words, phrases, or clauses are of the same level of importance.
The most common way to join parallel structures is with a coordinating conjunction like “and” or “or.”

3. Parallelism: Words
The Ironman includes swimming, bicycling, and running.
Be sure to bring with you a book, pen, calendar, and binder.
In these sentences, the repeating structure – the parallel element – is in the form of a single word.
Notice the use of the coordinating conjunctions to join the final word to the list.

4. Parallelism: Phrases
The homebuyers were told to pay the earnest money, to get an inspection, and to talk to their mortgage broker.
Hooked on romance novels, I learned that there is nothing more important than being rich, looking good, and having a good time.
Here, the repeating pattern includes phrases.
Notice that where verbs appear in the parallel structure, they are identical in form, and when gerunds are used, they are consistent throughout the structure.

5. Parallelism: Clauses
The salesman expected that he would present at the meeting, that there would be time for his slide presentation, and that prospective buyers would ask questions.
In this sentence, the parallel structure includes clauses.

6. Parallelism: Lists
Abused children commonly exhibit one or more of the following symptoms: withdrawal, rebelliousness, restlessness, and depression.
A thesaurus can be used to find: synonyms, antonyms, connotations, and denotations.
All items that appear in a list after a colon must take the same form.

7. Parallelism: Items in Pairs
At Lincoln High School, vandalism can result in suspension or expulsion.
Thomas Edison was not only a prolific inventor, but also a successful entrepreneur.
It is easier to speak in abstractions than to ground one’s thoughts in reality.
Each of these sentences uses a different technique to join two items in a parallel pair.
The first sentence uses the coordinating conjunction “or;” the second uses a correlative conjunction, “not only but also;” the third uses the preposition “than.”

8. Parallelism: Function Words
To stop smoking, many smokers try switching to a brand they find distasteful or to a low tar and nicotine cigarette.
Riley told me that she was late, that she couldn’t be bothered to get a pass, and that I’d just have to deal with it.
Repeat function words to clarify parallels.
Function words could include prepositions like “by” or “to,” or subordinating conjunctions like “that” or “because.”

9. Grammar Girl on Parallelism
The False Series!