The Power of Parallel Structure

Abstract

Parallel structure means presenting ideas that are similar in content or function using a similar grammatical form. Parallel structure creates a sense of logic and rhythm that can increase the power, persuasiveness, and readability of your writing. In this chapter, we identify two key sentence-level opportunities to incorporate parallel structure: (1) when presenting a series of related ideas, and (2) when using “joining words” to link two ideas within the same sentence. We also consider opportunities to inject parallel structure into paragraphs to strengthen the coherence of the ideas those paragraphs contain. Once writers begin to recognize where the opportunities for parallel structure lie, they can edit their work, and that of others, with purpose and style.