Overview
This lecture discusses parallelism in English grammar, explaining its definition, importance, and rules for maintaining parallel structure in sentences.
Definition of Parallelism
- Parallelism (parallel structure) means using similar grammatical forms within a sentence.
- It provides balance, clarity, and rhythm to phrases by repeating grammatical forms.
Identifying and Correcting Non-Parallel Structures
- Verbs in a list should have the same form (e.g., all in base form or all in -ing form).
- Nouns should be grouped with nouns, adjectives with adjectives, and so on.
- Mixing verb forms or grammatical types breaks parallelism.
Examples and Exercises
- Correct: "dig, cook, dance, sing" (all base form verbs).
- Correct: "locked, ate, took, looked, waited" (all past tense verbs).
- Correct: "beautiful, simple, intelligent, active, lazy" (all adjectives).
- Correct: "I like to jog, bake, paint, and watch movies." (all verbs in base/infinitive form).
- Incorrect: Mixing "jog, bake, paint, and watching" (mixes infinitive and -ing forms).
Parallelism in Phrases and Clauses
- Lists after a colon should be parallel (e.g., all noun phrases or all verb phrases).
- Clauses joined with coordinating or correlative conjunctions must have similar structure.
- Headings and outlines should use parallel structure, commonly noun phrases.
Importance of Parallel Structure
- Parallel structure creates easier-to-read, balanced, and grammatically correct sentences.
- Though not always strictly incorrect, lack of parallelism weakens writing clarity and style.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Parallelism — using the same grammatical structure in related parts of a sentence.
- Infinitive verb — base form of a verb, sometimes preceded by "to" (e.g., to sing).
- Adjective — word describing a noun or pronoun.
- Adverb — word describing a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
- Clause — group of words with a subject and predicate, can be dependent or independent.
- Correlative conjunction — paired conjunctions like either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice revising sentences to use parallel structure.
- Complete related exercises or homework as assigned.
- Review textbook sections on parallelism for further examples.