Page 835 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Parallel Structure

1 Identify constructions that are not parallel.

In any famous speech, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a
Dream or Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, you hear the

regular, memorable rhythm of parallel structure—parallel words,

parallel phrases, and parallel clauses. You see it in good writing, too,

lending elegance to ordinary sentences. Once you are used to seeing

parallel structure, anything else seems awkward. Look at the following

lists to see examples of nonparallel and parallel structure.

Examples of Nonparallel and Parallel

Structure

Nonparallel:

eating at fast-food places

to snack on sweets and chips

avoiding exercise