Parallel Structures and Clauses
By: Miles, Joon, and Jared.
What is Parallel Structuring?
Using a pattern of words to make the reader understand that the words have the same level of importance. For example "She's eating, drinking, and spitting at the same time." This conveys that eating, drinking, and spitting are all at the same level of importance to the person watching her eat like a pig.
What are Parallel Clauses?
Parallel Clauses are basically the same thing, except in this case you use clauses. For example: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game. The bold phrases show that each holds significance, like parallel structuring, but you must repeat the phrase.
How to use Parallel Structures.
Parallel Structures should be used commonly if you're not a complete idiot. When you are listing out ideas, things, anything at all, and they all share some sort of significance you use the parallel structures and clauses. In fact, I just used parallel structuring when I listed out the things that you could list out using Parallel structuring.
Examples of Good Parallel Structuring.
Kim Jong Un is a great leader for the following reasons: he cares about his country, he conserves food, and he has absolute dictatorship over everything.
Vladimir Putin is amazing because of the following reasons: he has a Russian accent, he has a ridiculous amount of power, and his country has lots of Vodka.
School is horrible for the following reasons: students do not get enough sleep, there are mondays, and we have to spend 8 hours in a public building with smelly kids when we could learn everything online.
What not to do:
Jimmy likes swimming, running, and to dive.
The to dive stands out because swimming and running both have the same suffix, which to dive does not.
The End
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