Source: TomatillosNecessaryDoorsNOLA, infrogmation, Wikimedia
Why make things parallel? Why line things up? Let’s start by talking about restrooms. Have you noticed at a restaurant that sometimes the signs on the restroom doors say something other than “men” and “women”? Sometimes the restroom labels follow the theme of the restaurant; sometimes they are a little goofy. The point is the two labels always line up or match. Whatever goofy theme is being used for the restrooms, the men’s label is always the parallel version of the women’s label.
Would it be strange to have restrooms marked “ladies” and “gentlemen”? Since the labels match, this seems OK. Having the restrooms marked “gentlemen” and “women,” however, would be strange. The difference here is subtle, but the two terms don’t go together or line up; they are not parallel. “Ladies” goes with “gentlemen,” and “women” goes with “men.”
Can you match the correct women’s restroom label to each of the men’s restroom labels below? To respond, select the parallel term from the pull-down menu on the women’s door.
Source: City Hall Park Fountain, pOps Harlow, Flickr
That probably wasn’t very hard, but it will get your mind primed to think in terms of parallels. In writing, the parallelism that we are interested in is not parallel labeling, but parallel structure. This kind of parallel structure emphasizes the similarity in the content. For instance, if you are writing about proposed improvements to a city park, you might write a first draft with a sentence such as this one:
The park improvements will include expanding the parking lot, building a new shelter, and the construction of several new trails.
When you revise, you could change the original sentence so the structure emphasizes that these three improvements are equally important. The revised sentence says the same thing, but it says it with a clearer and more authoritative voice.
The park improvements will include expanding the parking lot, building a new shelter, and constructing several new trails.
What was changed? The phrase “the construction of” was changed to the word “constructing.” Do you see why this is better? Look at the structure of the items in these two lists:
- Expanding the parking lot
- Building a new shelter
- The construction of several new trails
List 1
- Expanding the parking lot
- Building a new shelter
- Constructing several new trails
List 2
You can see that the first words in the second column line up in a way that the first words in the other column don’t. In the second column, the first word of each phrase ends with “ing” so that each phrase has the same grammatical construction. When items are parallel, they line up like the items in the second column.
See if you can revise the following passages by revising nonparallel constructions. Write the parallel revision using your notes. When you’re finished, check your understanding to see a sample response. 
Source: Appetizer, alanosaur, Flickr
What’s not to like about appetizers? They look good. Their smell is appealing. They taste good.
What’s not to like about appetizers? They look good. They smell good. They taste good.
Source: Blue Jeans, vandango, Flickr
This one is harder. Be careful. Be creative.
Before you buy a pair of jeans, you should make sure they’re the right size, you should try them on, and the price should not be too high.
Before you buy a pair of jeans, you should check the size, try them on, and make sure the price is not too high.
Source: Highway 1, Carlo Rainone, Flickr
Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway in California is dangerous because of the twists and turns, because of the narrow highway, and the scenery is so beautiful that drivers are tempted to watch the ocean rather than the road.
Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway in California is dangerous because of the twists and turns, because of the narrow highway, and because of the beautiful scenery that can tempt drivers to watch the ocean rather than the road.
Source: Cool, Texas City Limit Sign, fables98, Flickr
Sometimes parallels are at the sentence level rather than at the level of phrases.
Every city has something unique about it. Houston has its bayous. In San Antonio tourists can stroll along the River Walk. Austin has its music scene. Galveston has its beaches.
Every city has something unique about it. Houston has its bayous. San Antonio has its River Walk. Austin has its music scene. Galveston has its beaches.
When you know there will be similar content that will need to be structured in parallel form, revising for parallel structure isn’t too difficult. Reading through a longer passage, though, and identifying places where using parallel structures could improve the writing may be more challenging.
In the following passage, there are three opportunities to revise nonparallel constructions. See if you can identify these places in the essay by clicking each one. If you choose correctly, the sentence will highlight. Next, revise the sentences so that they are parallel in structure. Use your notes to write your new sentences. You only need to write the revised sentences, not the whole paragraph. When you’re finished, check your understanding to a see a possible response. 
Source: Donald Duck, janus, Flickr
Source: Mickey Mouse, web-superhero, Flickr
Source: Morty and ferdie, Lucasita, Wikipedia
Everyone knows that Donald Duck’s nephews are named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. But who knows the names of Mickey Mouse’s nephews? You may think, “Who cares?” Well, some of us really do care about such trivia. It’s fun to know, and talking about it is fun. The next time you are speaking with someone at a party, chatting with someone while waiting for a bus, or a friend talks with you before class, just ask them if they know the nephews’ names. Some people may not be interested in this trivia at all. (How could you not be interested?) You can give them some hints just to increase the suspense. Tell them that the nephews’ last name is Fieldmouse, and the first names start with “F” and “M.” The names both end in a long “e” sound, they are both two syllables long, and there are longer forms of both of the names. By now they will be dying to know what the names are. Who wouldn’t be? The names are Morty and Ferdie. You can also tell them that they are now among an elite group of people who know this information. How awesome is that?
It’s fun to know and fun to talk about it.
The next time you are speaking with someone at a party, chatting with someone while waiting for a bus, or talking with a friend before class, just ask them if they know the nephews’ names.
The names both end in a long “e,” contain two syllables, and come from longer forms.
Source: Buy Liberty Bonds. “That government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”... – NARA- 512623, National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons
It’s not just that parallel structure makes writing stronger, but also that nonparallel structure makes writing seem weak. If Lincoln had written “government of the people, by the people, and serving the people,” he might have been laughed off the platform at Gettysburg.
The best way to become sensitive to parallel structure is to read your writing out loud. Listen to your own writing for places where it sounds awkward. Then check to see if the writing could be improved by making words or phrases parallel.