Parallelism is the repetition of grammatical elements in a piece of writing to create a harmonious effect. Parallelism, in rhetoric, component of literary style in both prose and poetry, in which coordinate ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording.The repetition of sounds, meanings, and structures serves to order, emphasize, and point out relations. Another word for parallelism. It is used to help organize ideas, but also to make the ideas memorable. Parallelism is matching of grammatical structures in a sentence. Parallelism or parallel structure of sentences can often be observed in literature and poetry. Let us analyze a few examples of parallelism in literature: Example #1: An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope. It is a powerful tool in public speaking and writing. You may have heard this quote attributed to Julius Caesar:. Parallelism—the repetition of grammatical elements—is key in good writing and effective public speaking. 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. One common way to create a... See full answer below. Use it wisely, and you will be rewarded with clear and compelling sentences that are fun to write and read! Parallelism refers to the use of the same pattern of words demonstrating that each idea has the same level of importance. In English grammar, parallelism (also called parallel structure or parallel construction) is the repetition of the same grammatical form in two or more parts of a sentence. Parallelism is considered as a greater perspective tool. Using the same words (“of times”) adds balance and rhythm that can make the words more persuasive and impactful. Parallelism is a rhetorical device that compounds words or phrases that have equivalent meanings so as to create a definite pattern. Parallelism is a rhetorical device that employs back-to-back verbal constructions in prose or poetry that corresponds in sound, structure, meter, meaning, etc. Parallelism remains a popular technique in poetry, prose, and plays. Besides adding certain symmetry to your writing, parallelism helps accentuate the main ideas and adds force to your expression. In general, parallelism is a rather broad term that can refer to a balance of parts of speech, verb forms, noun quantities, or subject matters. In grammar, parallelism, also known as parallel structure or parallel construction, is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure. verb, subject verb, subject subject, verb, subject, verb subject, verb, Parallelism wasn’t in the structure alone and "Several studies have shown that in conjoined structures, even without ellipsis, parallelism of many types is helpful to the processor, in that the second conjunct is easier to process if it is parallel to the first in some way . Reception is used to emphasize the similarity of objects or their differences. However, there is a distinct difference between repetition and parallelism. What Is Parallelism in Writing? Other articles where Synthetic parallelism is discussed: biblical literature: Psalms: Synthetic parallelism involves the completion or expansion of the idea of the first part in the second part. Parallelism in Hebrew Writing. In grammar, parallelism means that the words in a sentence or a paragraph are balanced and have a similar structure. Also parallelism in the literature is used to emphasize significance. Parallelism is a tool to employ carefully, not a way of life. IF Napolean had said… For example, on reading: Parallelism is a practice used by speakers or writers of structuring similar clauses, phrases, words, and sentences similarly in their prose or speech. Parallelism in literature is the repetition of a word or phrase within a sentence or group of sentences. for their rhythm and repetition. Martin Luther King Jr. packs his “I … By convention, items in a series appear in parallel grammatical form: a noun is listed with other nouns, an -ing form with other -ing forms, and so on. You can see from the above examples that parallelism uses the same sentence constructs like nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. This article has been viewed 14,127 times. Published on May 2, 2019 by Amy Luo. Parallelism. January 6, 2014, mason, 1 Comment. Parallelism in literature makes readers attracted to the sentences because of its repetitive nature. Parallelism is the usage of repeating words and forms to give pattern and rhythm to a passage in literature. Parallelism often either juxtaposes contrasting images or ideas so as to show their stark difference, or joins similar concepts to show their connection. Using parallel structure in writing. Parallelism is a literary device or grammatical term used to describe arrangement of words of identical or equivalent syntactical constructions in corresponding clauses This structure is particularly effective when "specifying or enumerating pairs or series of like things". Browse through our list of literary devices and literary terms with definitions, examples, and usage tips. Routledge, 2002) The application of parallelism affects readability and may make texts easier to process. What is its main role? One of the most famous uses of this device in literature is the opening sentence of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. Therefore, it is definitely a great tool in literature, which helps to increase the number of readers.For example the quote " I came, I saw and I conquered ". Revised on January 16, 2020. Parallelism in Literature Apart from everyday speech, parallel structures are also apparent in various forms of literature, such as short stories, famous novels, and other narratives. Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical forms. Parallelism. Parallelism impacts both the grammar of sentences as well as the larger presentation of ideas. . This concept can be heard in rhetoric, meaning it is a repetition or comparison. Parallelism is the term used to refer to the repetition of similar grammatical constructions in a sentence or over successive lines of prose or poetry.Parallelism helps to create coherence by adding rhythm and flow to sentences and lines of text. Often times, faulty parallelism is … Parallelism ‘ or parallel structure ‘ is described as using a pattern of words (such as verbs or adjectives) to demonstrate similar words in a sentence where all elements within the sentence are of equal importance. Here are some examples of parallelism in literature and popular culture. These "parallel" elements can be used to intensify the rhythm of language, or to draw a comparison, emphasize, or elaborate on an idea. parallelism definition: 1. the use of matching sentence structure, phrases, or longer parts so as to balance ideas of equal…. Parallelism is a literary and rhetorical technique in which a writer or speaker repeats and balances elements of grammar and meaning across sentences. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Repetition and Parallelism can be a tricky area in literature. Parallelism is a figure Substitute Personal Statement speech in which two or more elements of a sentence or series of Literature Review Parallelism have the same grammatical structure.. The main difference between repetition and parallelism is that repetition focuses more on the semantics whereas parallelism focuses more on syntax. Find more ways to say parallelism, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. It is also commonly used in poetry and literature to create balance and artistic embellishment. Many literature students find these two devices to be similar. In grammar, parallelism, also known as parallel structure or parallel construction, is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure. Check out these additional resources for diving into the specifics of parallelism: Another word for parallel structure is parallelism. Famous Examples of Parallelism. Explore each device in depth through literature. A scheme of balance, parallelism represents "one of the basic principles of grammar and rhetoric". Dennis Bratcher. Parallelism refers to placing similarly structured elements in apposition to one another in a given sentence, so as to make it sound better and easier to understand. Parallelism, the repetition of a phrase at the beginning of sentences, is a rhetorical tool employed throughout the speech. Learn more. It lends a rhythm, a refinement to what is being written and helps avoid repetition. A common literary feature of Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament is called parallelism, in which the words of two or more lines of text are directly related in some way. .." (Katy Carlson, Parallelism and Prosody in the Processing of Ellipsis Sentences. 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