In 1946, Winston Churchill traveled to Fulton, Missouri, to deliver a speech and to be present at the dedication of a bust in his honor. After his speech, an attractive and ample woman approached the wartime prime minister of England and said, “Mr. Churchill, I have traveled over a hundred miles for the unveiling of your bust.” Churchill, who was known far and wide for his quick wit, responded, “I assure you, in that regard, I would gladly return the favor.”

        Parallel structure means putting ideas of the same rank in the same grammatical structure. In the above anecdote, the italicized words and phrases show parallel structure. Your writing and speech should have parallel words, phrases, and clauses. Parallel structure gives your writing many admirable strengths, including tempo, stress, balance, and conciseness.