Parallelism and Triads

Parallelism refers to elements in a sentence that are cast in similar grammatical form. We find pleasure in reading a sentence that contains balanced phrases, or a string of adjectives, nouns, or adverbs. These stylistic devices come to English prose via the admired practices in Greek and Latin writing, what we call rhetoric—the art of using language effectively, persuasively, and beautifully. Groups of threes are particularly appealing in a sentence. The Greeks called this structuring device tricolon; in English prose it is more familiarly called a triad. Caesar's famous "I came, I saw, I conquered" is a prime example of a triad. So too is the motto of the Royal Military College, affixed above the Arch: "Truth, Duty, Valour."

Your writing will have more grace and style and clarity if you construct some of your sentences with words, phrases, and clauses in parallel and triadic form. This is especially so when you wish to give equal importance to each element in the sentence.

Here are several ways to construct parallel sentences. Examples are drawn from articles published in the Canadian Military Journal and from the Air Forces' handbook, Down But Not Out:

• Use words in pairs or threes that are the same part of speech:

  Military culture is an amalgam of values, customs, and traditions that has created a shared institutional ethos.
  [parallel use of nouns]

  Providing comprehensive, effective, and flexible air support for ground forces was one of the tactical riddles of the Second World War.
  [parallel use of adjectives]

The air strikes were closely controlled and highly predictable.
[parallel use of adverbs]

• Use similar kinds of phrases:

  Duty includes the concept of accountability to the chain of command, the civil authority, and the Canadian people.
  [parallel use of noun phrases]

  Air Forces tend to worship at the altar of technology. Armies, on the other hand, tend to emphasize the soldier over technology.
  [parallel use of verb phrases in adjoining sentences.]

Coalitions have historically been created to legitimize the use of force, to access the territory of other nations, and to provide money for very expensive military actions.
[parallel use of infinitive phrases]

• Use similar kinds of clauses:

Canadians determine through their votes how Canada will be defended, how many dollars will be spent on defence, what risks will be taken, and what vulnerabilities will be accepted.
[parallel noun clauses, two beginning with how and two with what]

For militaries to take advantage of the tremendous command potential resident in each of its members, they must encourage creativity and they must provide the opportunity for its expression.
[parallel independent clauses]

We need steadfast men and women who are mentally and physically prepared to overcome hardship and danger, and who are professionally trained and highly motivated.
[parallel relative clauses (who relates to "men and women")]

• Ensure that items on a list are in similar form:

(Instructions to pilots who are parachuting to safety over water)

Do not attempt to judge your height when approaching open water

(i) turn the quick release box so that the red mark is in the up position
(ii) place your hands over the quick release box, ready to depress it
(iii) keep your legs together and your head erect
. . . . . . . . . .
(vi) inflate your dinghy and get into it.

The underlined words are all verbs that begin imperative sentences.

There are many ways in which parallelism can be developed in a single sentence or within a group of sentences. You need not restrict yourself to similar words in similar form or to a series of similarly constructed phrases and clauses. The desired effect in the sentence is some form of balance among or between its parts.