Parallel Structure
Concepts
The term parallelism or parallel structure refers to a style in which items with a
similar function in a sentence have, as much as possible, the form of a list of
similar items.
Read the following example which was narrated at the beginning of Rod
Sterling’s “The Twilight Zone.”
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a
dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between
the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of
imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”
Notice the grammatical rhythm of the underlined words. This subtle cadence is
created through the use of parallel structure which refers to identical
grammatical structures that add rhythm and balance to images.
There are two categories of sound devices: literal repetition and grammatical
repetition.
Literal Repetition: When using the parallel structure of literal repetition, you repeat
the exact same words to create an echo. Read the following from “The Tell-Tale Heart”
by Edgar Allan Poe. Notice the underlined phrases.
“I talked more quickly, more vehemently but the noise steadily
increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with
violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why WOULD
they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if
excited to fury by the observations of the men, but the noise steadily
increased.”
Here is another example of literal repetition. Again, look at the underlined words.
“They march of so victoriously, or so they say. They die so victoriously, or so they think.
But how victorious is it to bid good-bye to the sentiments they once knew?” (Parker).
Grammatical Repetition: The most common repetition used by writers, it repeats identical
grammatical structures but with different words. Take into consideration the following passage
from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate
-- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power
to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember
what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
There are three simple grammatical categories when using the parallel concept:
1. Structures connected with conjunctions (coordinating and correlative)
2. Structures created with repeated phrases (infinitive, participle, gerund, prepositional)
3. Clauses (dependent and independent)
Look at the following drafts written by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, and
note the differences between his two drafts of an article for the New Yorker. In the second draft he
incorporates parallel structure.
First Draft:
“The moon still influences the tides and the tides lap on every shore, right around the globe.
The moon still belongs to lovers, and lovers are everywhere-not just in America.”
Final Draft:
“Like every great river and every great sea, the moon belongs to none and belongs to all. It
still holds the key to madness, still controls the tides that lap on shores everywhere, still
guards the lovers who kiss in every land under no banner but the sky."
Your Turn: Look at the image on the screen, and refer to the following sentence:
“The old cabin made me feel close to nature.”
Your assignment is to expand this basic sentence by adding details created with parallel devices:
repeated prepositions, conjunctions, pronoun, repeated phrases, etc. An example is provided on the
screen after the picture.
Cabin:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Next: Look at the next image on the screen, and create a sentence in which you use parallel
structure. Add sensory details that are not necessarily represented in the photograph- sounds,
smells, or any related images.
For this, I want you to use prepositions to create parallel structure. Here is a list:
about, above, according to, across, after, against, ahead of, along, alongside, along with, amid,
around, as well as, at, before, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, by, but (except),
concerning, despite, down, due to, during, except, for, from, in, in addition to, in between, in front
of, inside, instead of, in spite of, into, like, minus, near, of, off, on, onto, opposite, out, outside, over,
past, plus, prior to, since, through, throughout, till, to, together with, toward, under, underneath,
up, upon, until, via, with, within, without
Dog in Blanket:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
For five bonus points, find a picture in a magazine or print one from online, and do the same
exercise. Attach your sentence and picture to a sheet of either computer paper or construction
paper. Use both prepositions and conjunctions to create parallel structure. Underline all examples
of parallel structure. This is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.
The creation of parallel structure applies not only to prose but also to poetry. Read the following
children’s poem by Jack Prelutsky entitled “The Werewolf.” Note the parallel structure.
The full moon glows, foreboding,
And I quake from head to feet.
For this night I know, in the town below,
A werewolf prowls the street.
He stalks with stealth and cunning
In his search for a soul to eat.
With matted hair, and jaws that tear,
A werewolf prowls the street.
His face is filled with fury
As his brain cries out for meat.
And, oh, his prey shall not see day
For the werewolf prowls the street.
So I shake beneath my covers
And I shiver in my sheets,
And I cower in my bed, with a pillow on my head,
As the werewolf prowls the street.
Prelutsky’s other poems in his book are of similar themes and include titles such as “The Troll,”
“The Witch,” “The Ogre,” “The Wizard,” “The Ghoul,” “The Mummy,” “The Thirteen
Skeletons,” “The Spectre on the Moors,” “The Zombie,” “The Kraken,” “The Headless
Horseman,” and “The Vampire” (to name a few). For fifteen points in the bonus column, write a
brief poem (minimum of twelve lines/four quatrains) with one of the aforementioned titles. Use
several examples of parallel structure. Type the poem, and underline all example of parallelism.
Print and mount the poem, and include an illustration (children themed) which shows the main
character from your poem. Make sure you capitalize the first word of each line. This is due no
later than next Monday.