Parallel Structure – Parts of a sentence are parallel when they share the same grammatical pattern.

Parallel Words

Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, with the agony and the sweat. – Faulkner

Parallel Phrases

Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians. – Sherman Alexie

Parallel Clauses

If the stakes ever became high enough – if the evil were evil enough, if the good were good enough – I would simply tap a secret reservoir of courage that had been accumulating inside me over the years – Tim O’Brien

"Itwas the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age offoolishness . . ." - Charles Dickens

Parallelism is most often found within sentences at the level of the word, phrase, or clause, but sometimes parallelism can extend across sentences as in these three parallel sentences from MLK, Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was incited here. I am here because I have organized ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.

Non-parallel / Parallel
The best way to combat juvenile delinquency is not to set up more social agencies but by restoring old-fashioned discipline in the home. / The best way to combat juvenile delinquency is not to set up more social agencies but to restore old-fashioned discipline in the home.

Identify the parallel structure in words, phrases, or clauses in each of the following sentences.

  1. “A penny saved is a penny earned.” - Ben Franklin
  2. Was this act the work of a genius or a lunatic?
  3. This situation is a problem not only for the students but also for the teachers.
  4. Heather learned to work fast, ask few questions, and generally keep a low profile.
  5. After you finish your homework and before you check your texts, please do your chores.

Correct the faulty parallelism in the following sentences.

  1. My new exercise program and going on a strict diet will help me lost the weight I gained over the holidays.
  2. As part of his accounting business, Rick has private clients, does some pro bono work, and corporations.
  3. Try not to focus on the mistakes you’ve made; what you’ve learned from them should be your focus instead.
  4. A new job is likely to cause a person anxiety and working extra hours to make a good impression.
  5. A competent doctor will assess a patient’s physical symptoms, and mental attitude will also be considered.

Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of writing or speech. It can be used in novels and short stories, but it's most commonly seen in poetry, essays, and formal speeches.

Anaphora appeals to the feelings, or pathos, of your audience. By repeating a word or phrase, your readers or listeners start to anticipate the next line. Anaphora is also used to emphasize a main idea in an argument.

'Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.' – MLK, Jr

"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air” - Churchill