Parallel Bars
Archives: Copywriting
Consistency and coherence are hallmarks of good writing. This principle applies especially when you’re writing lists. The series of items that constitute a list should have a parallel structure.
Let’s say someone charged with the task of preparing a business report drafts the following passage…
The goals of the new product launch are:
- To increase revenues by $1 million annually.
- Expanding the company’s market share.
- Let’s ensure that brand recognition doubles among our target audience.
The above list has what grammarians call “faulty parallelism.” Each item begins with a different part of speech. But the problem can be fixed easily. For example, this list could be recast by structuring all the items in the infinitive…
The goals of the new product launch are:
- To increase revenues by $1 million annually.
- To expand the company’s market share.
- To double brand recognition among our target audience.
“The Grammar Curmudgeon” website (grammarmudge.cityslide.com/Home.html) has an excellent explanation of why parallelism is important:
“Parallel construction prevents awkwardness and promotes clarity. Balanced or symmetrical elements also tend to be more concise. Writers who face the challenge of stating several ideas… can often achieve this goal with remarkable clarity if they arrange these ideas in a balanced series. … The result is not only easier for the reader to follow, but it is also more pleasing aesthetically.”
Achieving these objectives may require some thought and effort. But that investment is rewarded by the result: powerful, effective, persuasive communication.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
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