1. Parallel Structure

2. What is parallel Structure? Parallelism is the repetition of words and/or grammatical structures in order to add rhythm and balance to text.

3. That’s great, Mr. P, but what is parallel structure for? A good writer uses parallelism to create clear and concise sentences, and also to reduce the work that the reader must do to understand the author's meaning.

4. Example * For example: Doris went shopping and bought a pair of high heels, a new CD and a new pair of glasses. Because each item on Doris' list is presented in the same form, the reader perceives that each item is of equal importance. If, on the other hand, the sentence were to read as follows, the reader would have difficulty following the writer's ideas: Doris went shopping and bought a pair of high heels, a new CD, and she found a new pair of glasses. -Here, the balance is thrown off and the sentence becomes more difficult for the reader to process.

5. Another Example Having parallel structure becomes even more significant when two or more ideas are to be presented as having equal importance. For example: Dorothy survived a tornado, crash-landed in a foreign land, traveled across a vast countryside, and defeated an evil witch. * With parallel structure, the reader can quickly process information and see relationships between ideas. Strong writers use parallel structure to organize words, phrases, clauses, and even whole essays to guide readers through their ideas.

6. Give it a shot! The following sentences are incorrect. Re-write using proper parallel structure. 1. Dante became lost in the woods, was threatened by three animals and he felt overcome with fear. 2. The leopard represents malice, the lion represents violence, unchecked passions are symbolized by the she-wolf. 3. Dante was terrified of the dark wood, the three beasts, and to see the swarming insects. 4. Virgil is a symbol of reason and Beatrice has the function of representing divine love. 5. The sinners in the Vestibule are pursued by wasps, maggots and a lot of bees follow them. 6. Dante also employs the character of Beatrice in the poem. She symbolizes the divine love of God, the power of faith, and hoping. 7. The sinners in the Vestibule are tortured by insects who chase them, sting them, and are sucking the pus out of their sores.

7. Answers 1.Dante became lost in the woods, was threatened by three animals and was overcome with fear. 2.The leopard represents malice, the lion represents violence, and the she-wolf represents unchecked passions. 3.Dante was terrified of the dark wood, the three beasts, and the swarming insects. 4.Virgil is a symbol of reason and Beatrice is a symbol of divine love. 5.The sinners in the Vestibule are pursued by wasps, maggots and bees. 6.Dante also employs the character of Beatrice in the poem. She symbolizes the divine love of God, the power of faith, and comfort of hope. 7.The sinners in the Vestibule are tortured by insects who chase them, sting them, and suck the pus out of their sores.