Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical forms. It is a powerful tool
in public speaking and writing.
You may have heard this quote attributed to
Julius Caesar:
I came, I
saw, I conquered.
The repetition of I followed by
a verb makes this an example of parallel structure. Parallelism helps make an
idea or argument clear and easy to remember. It also shows that each repeated
structure is of equal importance. And, it is a powerful tool for public
speaking.
Throughout history, many famous leaders have
used parallel structure to communicate with the public. Here is a famous saying
by Abraham Lincoln:
You can fool all the people
some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all
the people all the time.
Lincoln repeats people and time in
all three clauses. But he changes the order of the words some and all.
The 28-word quotation is easy to memorize because of its rhythm and parallel
structure.
Abraham Lincoln
was the president of the U.S. from 1861 until he was assassinated in 1865.
Antithesis
One common type of parallelism is called antithesis.
Antithesis simply means the “opposite” of something. Let’s take a look at the
first two lines of the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .
Notice how Dickens uses pairs of opposite words: best and worst; wisdom andfoolishness.
Writers and poets have long used antithesis to show the paradoxical –
or opposing – nature of life.
English poet John Milton contrasted heaven and hell in
this passage from Paradise Lost:
The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell
of heaven.
“I Have a Dream”
Some of the most famous speeches in history also
have examples of parallelism.
Martin Luther King fought for racial equality in
the United States in the 1950s and 60s. In 1963, he gave an unforgettable
speech on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. King and his supporters were
pushing the U.S. Congress to pass a civil rights law. In his famous “I
Have a Dream” speech, King uses several forms of parallel structure to
communicate an uplifting message. Listen for repetitions and
opposites.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
In the speech, King made many contrasts. King contrasts the sons of slaves and thesons of slave owners. Those were the people who made up most of his audience that day. He also contrasts heat with oasis, and injustice and oppression with freedom and justice.
Martin Luther King giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in
1963.
The speech led major to
changes in U.S. laws. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act the following year,
which outlawed racial discrimination.
Parallelism in Academic
Writing
Parallel structure is a useful
tool for student writers. College professors expect a student paper to have a thesis
statement. A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of a paper’s main
argument. A first-year student might write something like this:
Proposal X is not good.
A better thesis, using
parallel structure, might look like this:
Voters should reject Proposal X because it is unfair
to minorities, impossible to enforce, and unnecessary.
In this parallel thesis
statement, the writer has set up a series of three adjectives:unfair,
impossible, and unnecessary. These three adjectives can
organize the structure of the entire paper — with one section for each adjective.
A strong parallel thesis statement makes it easier for students to organize
their thoughts and write their papers.
Problems with Parallelism
English learners and native
speakers alike have difficulty with parallelism. Some writers mix different grammatical
structures. For example,
I like running, biking and to swim.
The gerunds running and biking are
mixed with the infinitive to swim. The mix breaks the
rhythm of parallel structure. This is known as false parallelism. A
better choice, then, is to use three gerunds in a series.
I like running, swimming and biking.
Another option is to use three
infinitives in a series.
I like to run, to swim and to bike.
Let’s look at an example of a
more complex sentence.
My supervisor asked me to write my report quickly, in
way that is accurate and he also wants plenty of details.
To improve this sentence, try
to use a series of adverbs ending in –ly. Do not be too attached to the
original words. Here is an improved version of the sentence:
My supervisor asked me to write my report quickly,
accurately, and thoroughly.
The original phrase “with
plenty of details” was changed to “thoroughly” with no change in meaning. The
change creates a smooth series of three adverbs ending in –ly.
Keep in mind that most people
do not use long parallel structures in casual conversation. It would sound a
bit unnatural and overly formal. But in writing and speeches it is hard to go
wrong with parallel structure. It is the best way to make your writing more concise,
clear, and memorable.
I’m John Russell.
I’m Ashley Thompson.
And I’m Adam Brock.
["Turn, Turn, Turn"
by The Byrds]
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
parallelism – n. the use of successive verbal
constructions in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure,
sound, meter, meaning, etc.
attribute – v. to say that (something) is
because of (someone or something)
clause – n. a part of a sentence that has
its own subject and verb
antithesis – n. the state of two things that
are directly opposite to each other
contrast – n. to compare (two people or
things) to show how they are different
paradoxical – adj. a statement that seems to say
two opposite things but that may be true
sweltering – adj. very hot
oasis – n. an area in a desert where there is
water and plants
thesis statement – n. a statement that someone wants
to discuss or prove
false parallelism – n. the incorrect use of successive
verbal constructions
concise – adj. using few words : not including
extra or unnecessary information
gerund – n. an English noun formed from a
verb by adding -ing
infinitive – n. the basic form of a verb
preceded by to