Speakers often use parallel structure as a rhetorical device, as its innate pauses lend to dramatic tension. Abraham Lincoln in particular is noted for his use of parallel structure in his Gettysburg address, in which he said, "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground." Note that he arranged these concepts in order of increasing significance in that "dedicate" implies a secular formality whereas "hallow" denotes divine authority. Building up the level of intrigue by means of parallel structure can make a sentence climactic, convincing and memorable.
When dealing with concepts less overwhelming than war, parallel structure is a useful way to do away with simple lists. For example: I need to buy sugar, butter and salt. It has slightly more complex actions: We should finish cleaning up, eat at a restaurant and get to the restaurant on time. Parallel structure is ideal for academic, medical or legal writing, as it can accommodate lengthy descriptions while maintaining its elegant, flexible and useful form, as shown in "The Defense of Poesy" by Sir Philip Sidney : "So Herodotus entitled his history by the name of the nine Muses; and both he and all the rest that followed him either stole or usurped of poetry their passionate describing of passions, the many particularities of battles which no man could affirm, or, if that be denied me, long orations put in the mouths of great kings and captains, which it is certain they never pronounced."
While parallel structure can be beautiful and dramatic, it does not lend itself to visual displays. A PowerPoint presentation that displays long paragraphs of parallel structure and eloquent prose will bore even the most erudite audience. Parallel structure works best in complete sentences, so brevity is not always an option. Grammatically, all items listed in parallel structure must take on the same form (noun, verb, adjective or clause type) and even seasoned writers can have trouble forcing their words to comply with this rule. Finally, if you have a long series of items that need to be organized and elaborated upon, using parallel structure to accomplish this task is more likely to leave you with an essay to be deciphered rather than a useful list.
Cataloging is ideal for visual displays like advertisements, data tables or PowerPoint presentations, as it leaves plenty of empty space, urging the eye to look at the words. It will allow you to separate items into different categories and sub-categories. When working with data like monetary figures or measurements, cataloging can help to arrange information logically and to cross-index it with more detailed accounts or visual aides such as graphs or illustrations. Unlike parallel structure, cataloging can deal with pictures as well as words. Depending on the assignment, you can usually add a few paragraphs describing the items if necessary without subverting the catalog itself.
For all that it is an indispensable organizational tool, cataloging can sometimes make information incredibly difficult to retrieve for those unfamiliar with the organizational method. Think of the phone book as an example. If you were looking up a particular diner, it might be listed as a bistro, a diner, a cafe or an American restaurant, and wading through 100 pages of restaurant ads wouldn't make your search much easier. When cataloging, subject heads are not always as logical or straightforward as you think they are. This is especially important to remember when producing material for potential customers, who might be turned off by anything that isn't user friendly. Moreover, cataloging in and of itself isn't likely to inspire emotion, so you'll have to rely on descriptions or visual cues to draw in your audience.