Balance & Opposition
Parallelism
Using matching grammatical forms for related ideas: phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses. The shared structure invites comparison; an item that breaks the pattern stands out.
"…conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition…" — Lincoln
Don't confuse it with Antithesis, Isocolon. Isocolon adds equal length and rhythm; antithesis is parallelism put in service of contrast.
A similar example that does not qualify
She likes swimming, to cycle, and long runs.
The list mixes an -ing form, an infinitive, and a noun phrase; shared subject matter alone is not grammatical parallelism.
Counterexample written for practice.
Compare sentences using Parallelism →Examples
She likes walking by rivers, reading in gardens, and cooking for friends.
The three activities share the pattern of an -ing verb followed by a prepositional phrase.
of the people, by the people, for the people
Three prepositional phrases share the same structure and end in “the people.”
A possible effect: The repeated “the people” identifies who government comes from, who governs, and whom it serves.
Practice explaining this example →If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
Each sentence pairs an “If you” condition with a “do we not” question.
A possible effect: The repeated structure treats suffering and pleasure as successive tests of shared humanity.
Practice explaining this example →She likes swimming, cycling, and running.
All three activities now use the same grammatical form.
A possible effect: The matching verb forms present the activities as parts of the same list.
Practice explaining this example →To listen carefully, to question honestly, to answer plainly: these were her rules.
Three infinitives each pair a verb with an adverb.
A possible effect: The matching forms make the rules feel equally deliberate and repeatable.
Practice explaining this example →Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as parallelism.
Anaphora 20 Antithesis 17 Metaphor 14 Passive Voice 13 Personification 11 Polysyndeton 9 Asyndeton 8 Hyperbole 8
The rest of the family
Antithesis Isocolon Chiasmus Antimetabole Juxtaposition Oxymoron Paradox