Which description best defines parallelism in sentence structure?

Which description best defines parallelism in sentence structure?

• A. Subjects, objects, verbs, and modifiers are balanced in similar grammatical patterns.
• B. A sentence that expresses a command.
• C. A sentence that asks a question.
• D. A sentence that shows strong emotion.

Answer: (A)

Parallelism is keeping the same grammatical form for parts of a sentence that go together, so the sentence has a smooth, balanced rhythm. The description that subjects, objects, verbs, and modifiers are balanced in similar grammatical patterns captures this idea: when you list actions or compare ideas, each item should follow the same pattern. For example, “She enjoys reading, writing, and presenting” uses the same form (gerunds) for all parts, creating a clean, easy-to-follow rhythm. If one item used a different form—like “reading, to write, and presenting”—the sentence would feel off because the elements don’t match. The other descriptions describe the sentence’s purpose or mood (a command, a question, or strong emotion) rather than how its parts are structured, so they don’t describe parallelism.

Parallelism is keeping the same grammatical form for parts of a sentence that go together, so the sentence has a smooth, balanced rhythm. The description that subjects, objects, verbs, and modifiers are balanced in similar grammatical patterns captures this idea: when you list actions or compare ideas, each item should follow the same pattern. For example, “She enjoys reading, writing, and presenting” uses the same form (gerunds) for all parts, creating a clean, easy-to-follow rhythm. If one item used a different form—like “reading, to write, and presenting”—the sentence would feel off because the elements don’t match. The other descriptions describe the sentence’s purpose or mood (a command, a question, or strong emotion) rather than how its parts are structured, so they don’t describe parallelism.