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SpringBoard Lesson 1.4: Language and Writer’s Craft: Parallel Structure
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Learning Targets
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Identify parallel structure
Identify and revise instances of faulty parallelism
Use parallel structure in writing
Syntax and Parallel Structure
Whether creating narratives or other forms of writing, writers use sentence structure (syntax) to create the
effects they want. Using parallel structure is one way of creating balanced sentence structure by creating a
series at the word, phrase, or clause level.
 Words: simple nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, gerunds; e.g., “My guinea pig eats nuts, seeds,
and lettuce leaves.”
 Phrases: prepositional phrases (prepositions followed by nouns); e.g., “My cat raced in the door, onto
the table, and into my lap.”
 Clauses: parallel subject and verb; e.g. “We swept the floor, we dusted the mantle, and we cooked a
hot meal to welcome our guests.”
1. Look at the sentences below that use parallel structure (from “The Gettysburg Address by Abraham
Lincoln). Identify and highlight the parts that can be described as parallel.
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“But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”
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“. . . government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
2. Which of the sentences above uses parallel prepositional phrases and which uses parallel clauses?
Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words in a series or in a compound structure to show that
two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Just as importantly, this syntax creates balanced
sentences that are powerful in their effect on readers and listeners.
Parallel structure is typical of powerful speeches. Following are more examples; these sentences are from
Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address:
 “To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest [slavery] was the object for which the insurgents
would rend the Union, even by war . . .”
 “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the
right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in . . .”
3. Describe the parallelism used in the previous examples (as parallelism with words, phrases, or
clauses).
4. Highlight and mark the parallelism in the sentences below from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address.
 “The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans— born in this century, tempered by
war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage....”
 “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden,
meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of
liberty.”
5. Martin Luther King, in his “I Have a Dream” speech, takes parallelism one step further to create a
memorable form of repetition called anaphora. How would you describe this form of parallelism?
 “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.”
When similar elements do not have the same form, they are said to have faulty parallelism. Faulty parallelism
can easily be detected by looking for the pattern; it can be corrected by repeating the pattern.
Check Your Understanding
Rewrite the following sentences with correct parallelism.
1. Mary likes hiking, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
2. The teacher said that he was a good student because he took good notes, he studied for tests early,
and his labs were completed carefully.
3. The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and
to do some warm-up exercises before the game.
4. The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations, correct
spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.
5. Write your own example of parallel structure at the following levels:
 words:
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phrases:
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clauses:
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anaphora: