Now let's look at how parallel structure can create clarity in different forms of technical writing. Why is it important to use parallel structure? While writers and poets may choose to use parallelism for positive effect, academic writers should follow the rules to ensure that their writing doesn’t underestimate the importance of parallelism in basic sentence structure. (When there are enumerated items or parts, technical writing uses the number, as in this example. Lack of parallel structure can disrupt the rhythm of a sentence, leaving it grammatically unbalanced. Consistency in the use of adjectives or noun phrases, as in the example of the geography teacher above, can be easy to spot and to correct. Getting Indexed in International Citation Databases. What is parallelism? To keep your writing lined up straight, don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for these elements: Matching parts of speech Noun number Subject matter Rhetoric. Publish. What does parallelism mean? While faulty parallelism may seem like a minor transgression when compared to other more glaring grammatical errors such as incorrect spelling, it’s important to respect your reader here. Parallel structure in writing means that sentences or elements within sentences have a similar grammar pattern. Paired ideas are usually connected in one of three ways: With a pair of correlative conjunctions such as, With a word introducing a comparison, usually, Merging two corporate companies is much more complicated than a, Merging two corporate companies is much more complicated than, For a detailed worksheet and another 6 exercises – buy the parallelism. Technical Writing Example 1. Read More, Copyright © 2020 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us, By clicking this checkbox you consent to receiving newsletters from Enago Academy. is used.) Parallelism helps make your writing as neat as a geometry equation. To put each item in a list or group of words in the same grammatical form (verb+ one or more nouns). Compare the following. In this speech, U.S. President Barack Obama uses structural parallelism in the bold phrases, giving his speech beauty. A common form of technical writing is known as end-user documentation. Level: ***** [B1/B2/C1]  TEACHER MEMBERSHIP, £0.60 – Add to cart Checkout Parallelism is essential to proper writing (and speaking, for that matter). When Charles Dickens wrote the opening sentence to A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he was employing a literary tool called parallelism that seeks to balance the sound, meaning, or meter of a sentence for deliberate effect. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the newsletter. An awareness of this writing element really helps establish unity and readability in sentence structure. The purpose of parallelism is to achieve balance in your writing. Nouns should be listed with other nouns, verbs with an –ing form should be balanced with other –ing verbs. Failure to maintain this balance is called faulty parallelism: Sally likes line dancing and to write poetry = faulty, Sally likes line dancing and writing poetry = balanced verb –ing, My first year geography teacher was informative, funny, and a source of inspiration = faulty (two adjectives and a noun), My first year geography teacher was informative, funny, and inspiring = balanced (all three adjectives). Parallelism is a similarity of grammatical form for similar elements of meaning within a sentence or among sentences. It is important to be consistent in your wording in professional writing, particularly in employment documents; this is called parallelism. The problem is located in piston number 6. Parallel structureis the use of the same grammatical form in a sentence, paragraph, or list when including more than one idea. When you are expressing ideas of equal weight in your writing, parallel sentence structures can echo that fact and offer you a writing style that uses balance and rhythm to help deliver your meaning. Although parallelism is just one aspect of writing, it can have remarkably positive effects on technical documentation, including design, content reuse, and translation. Using the same words (“of times”) adds balance and rhythm that can make the words more persuasive and impactful. Paired ideas are usually connected in one of three ways: With a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or, nor, yet, With a pair of correlative conjunctions such as either . The signal occurs in … Other examples include: While writers and poets may choose to use parallelism for positive effect, academic writers should follow the rules to ensure that their writing doesn’t underestimate the importance of parallelism in basic sentence structure. To correct it, you could use “that” on both sides of the sentence: My English professor told me that I should revise my assignment and that I should pay particular attention to faulty parallelism. Full access to everything: NO restrictions. Proper parallel structure helps to establish balance and flow in a … This worksheet provides an explanation of the key concepts of ‘parallelism’ and provides an error correction exercise to practise the key concepts. Enago Academy also conducts workshops primarily for ESL authors, early-stage researchers, and graduate students. An awareness of this writing element really helps establish unity and readability in sentence structure. 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In short: one small step for technical writing, one great leap for technical communication (3). In other words, parallelism refers to making sentences have the same, or parallel, structure. Technical Writing Example 1. Although parallelism is just one aspect of writing, it can have remarkably positive effects on technical documentation, including design, content reuse, and translation. Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including: We hate spam too. Parallel structure is established when words within a sentence are united by consistent use of grammatical forms. Parallelism in Technical Writing What is parallelism? Learn more about our. What is parallelism? If you are interested to learn more concepts read our complete syllabus. Definition of Parallelism. but also, With a word introducing a comparison, usually than or as. . But notice that no "#" or "No." Our advanced workshop modules cater to the needs of researchers who want to know more about the issues pertinent to successful publication. or . ‘BIG 10’ Ways Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Life Sciences, The Company of Biologists Commits to the Transformative Journal Approach, Insights from an Open Science Expert on How Publishing in Data Journals Can Benefit Researchers. This worksheet provides an explanation of the key concepts of ‘parallelism’ and provides an error correction exercise to practise the key concepts. End-user documentation is a product manual designed for the end user, or customer, who purchased the product. Added to cart, AEUK is committed to Data Protection: Read our full policy. In literature, it is often a means to draw a reader's attention to a particular situation, certain ideas. You know what they say: you win some, you lose some. Parallelism is a similarity of grammatical form for similar elements of meaning within a sentence or among sentences. How to Survive Peer Review in Social Sciences and Humanities? Parallelism in Technical Writing. For a detailed worksheet and another 6 exercises – buy the parallelism download below. Parallel structure helps the reader understand that every presented idea is equal in importance, even though one idea may be placed before the other. Similar information is treated in a similar manner. Let's look at an example of a sentence to better understand how parallel structure i… Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and share their experience about research and publishing. Parallelism means being consistent in how you structure your writing. Your email address will not be published. It is important to be consistent in your wording in professional writing, particularly in employment documents; this is called parallelism. When you are expressing ideas of equal weight in your writing, parallel sentence structures can echo that fact and offer you a writing style that uses balance and rhythm to help deliver your meaning. Specifically, one with parallel lines. Rules of parallelism are also described in the Microsoft writing style guide. In short: one small step for technical writing, one great leap for technical communication (3). Parallelism in Sentences. In English grammar, parallelism refers to the similarity of structure between the components of a sentence. When pairing ideas, underscore their connection by expressing them in similar grammatical form. . Parallel construction prevents awkwardness, promotes clarity and improves writing style and readability. Share Your Experiences With 2 Million+ Researchers! That's a pretty common and … Once you establish a pattern, use it. Fixing faulty parallelism often requires deconstructing the sentence into its component parts to verify the balance (or lack thereof). Faulty Parallelism Parallel structure, also called parallelism or parallel construction, is something you are likely to remember from school. How Should You Use It in Research Writing? This stylistic element is also referred to as parallelism or parallel construction. Compare the following. You can use parallel structure in any kind of writing that you do, whether that writing … The use of parallel structures in speech or writing allows speakers and writers to maintain a consistency within their work, and create a balanced flow of ideas. Discuss. Information is more readily absorbed in parallel form, and since the provision of information is typically the purpose of your writing, doesn’t it make sense to take the extra time to make sure that your writing is presented in a form that best achieves that objective? Plain English prefers parallelism because it makes reading faster and easier. Examples of Parallelism: Compound or complex sentences that use coordinating or subordinating conjunctions can be a little tougher to catch: My English professor told me to revise my assignment and that I should pay particular attention to faulty parallelism. Parallelism in Technical Writing. . Getting Your Manuscript Edited by Professional Editors: Why is it Beneficial? Function of Parallelism. by AEUK | Jul 26, 2018 | Grammar | 0 comments. By definition, items in a series should appear in parallel grammatical form. Or, a more concise and elegant solution would be to balance the infinitive (to + verb) on each side as follows: My English professor told me to revise my assignment and to pay particular attention to faulty parallelism. Now let’s look at how parallel structure can create clarity in different forms of technical writing. Write in parallel ways whenever possible. Compare the following. Parallelism is also called parallel structure or parallel construction. References: Joseph Addison; Definition 2 a (1) from Merriam-Webster Parallelism is a grammatical term for arranging words with syntactically accurate structure. (These are exact values here; in technical writing, use the numeral even if it is below 10.) To put each item in a list or group of words in the same grammatical form (verb+ one or more nouns). not only . What Is Parallelism? . In the above sentence, the incorrect use of the subordinating conjunction that leaves the sentence out of balance. See Example worksheet. Share. How to Avoid Faulty Parallelism in Academic Writing. To put each item in a list or group of words in the same grammatical form (verb+ one or more nouns). Such repetition serves several purposes. . It also makes your writing clearer and more concise, which makes it easier to read.

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