SAT Writing: Parallelism Solved Examples | Grammar for Digital SAT PDF Download

If you enumerate two or more items in a sequence, they must be in PRECISELY the same grammatical structure, or they will NOT BE PARALLEL.

• Wrong: I took the job for the extra money and to increase my status.
• If you’re listing even two things in a sentence, they need to be identically formatted.
• Correct: I took the job for the extra money and for the improved status

Important guideline: When listing or comparing items, ensure that the language used to describe them is as parallel as possible.

• Wrong: I like Melissa because she seems so sweet and for her beautiful eyes.
• Correct: I like Melissa because she seems so sweet and because she has such beautiful eyes.

Example 1
To complete the music program, a student must present one vocal performance, one instrumental performance, and composing one original work.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) and one original composition
(c) with one original composition
(d) and to compose one original work

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The phrase “and composing one original work” is one of three things that a student must present to complete the music program. We want the last item in the list to match the other two items as closely as possible. The answer is B. The phrase “and one original composition” matches the construction. ‍

Another Rule: When making lists of any kind (pretty much any time you use the word ‘and’), try to make your sentences as parallel as possible.

• Wrong: I like you because you’re a great guy and good at pool.
  Correct: I like you because you’re a great guy and because you’re good at pool.

If this sounds unnatural, it’s because people rarely speak like this anymore. But, it is grammatically correct.

Example 2
Changes in wind circulation, runoff from sewage, and they accumulate chemical fertilizers can lead to the creation of ocean waters low in oxygen and inhospitable to marine life.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) Changing wind circulation, runoff from sewage, and accumulating chemical fertilizers
(c) Changing wind circulation, having runoff from sewage, and to accumulate chemical fertilizers
(d) Changes in wind circulation patterns, runoff from sewage, and accumulation of chemical fertilizers

Correct Answer is Option (d)  is the only answer that contains three nouns. The other options contain various combinations of nouns, verbs, and gerunds and are therefore not parallel.

‍Example
It was like standing on a bridge that must be crossed, leaving behind the carefree days of youth and [3] stepped into a life of responsibilities, business meetings, and [4] paying bills.

Ex.3.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) to step
(c) stepping
(d) we stepped

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The word ‘and’ is the clue that acts like a parallel marker. The phrase “leaving behind the carefree days of youth” needs to be parallel with “stepped into a life.” Therefore, stepped should be changed to stepping. The correct answer is C.

Ex.4.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) bills that have to be paid.
(c) having to pay bills.
(d) bills.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
“Responsibilities” and “business meetings” are nouns, which means the correct answer will also be a noun bills. The correct answer is D.

Parallel Structure with Multiple Sentences

Up until now, we have examined parallel structure within a single sentence. However, the SAT exam may evaluate your proficiency in identifying and constructing parallel structure when multiple sentences are involved. Although such questions may appear intricate at first glance, they can be quite straightforward to answer if you concentrate on the relevant information.

‍Example 5
An actor stands on the stage and delivers a monologue as an audience hangs onto his every word. A singer performs a ballad as listeners fall silent. As a group of spectators watch in awe, dancers glide across the stage.
Which choice best maintains the sentence pattern already established in the paragraph?
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) Watched by a group of spectators, dancers glide across the stage.
(c) Gliding across the stage, dancers are watched by a group of spectators.
(d) Dancers glide gracefully across the stage as spectators watch in awe.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Remember that the question is asking us to look at the pattern already established in the paragraph. That means we’re going to look at the preceding sentences before we consider the underlined sentence. Let’s start by considering just the beginning the first two sentences:

• Sentence #1: An actor...
• Sentence #2: A singer...

Each of those sentences begins with a noun. That means the third sentence must start with a noun as well. Only option D places a noun right at the beginning of the sentence, so D is the correct answer.

Parallel Markers

How can we determine whether parts of a sentence require parallelism? In many cases, we can utilize Parallel Markers - words that connect or differentiate items and enforce parallelism between them.

• Wrong: The college experience is not only an exciting time to meet new people and also a stressful one because of the level of independence required.
• Correct: The college experience is not only an exciting time to meet new people but also a stressful one because of the level of independence required.

Errors in pairs, like the example above, are easy points on the SAT exam, as long as you remember to double-check for them.

Example 6
James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan and other plays, is noted for portraying adulthood as unpleasant and childhood is glorified.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) childhood is being glorious
(c) childhood as glorious
(d) childhood glorified

Correct Answer is Option (c)
James Barrie is noted for portraying two things. The two things are connected by the conjunction “and.” The first thing he is noted for portraying is “adulthood as unpleasant.” Its construction is NOUN + “AS” + ADJECTIVE. The construction of the second phrase should mirror. The phrase “childhood as glorious” matches the construction and fixes the error in parallel structure. The answer is C. ‍

Comparisons

• Comparisons are a type of parallelism that requires extra attention. As the term implies, comparisons evaluate two parts of a sentence.
• To detect comparisons, you must initially learn specific signal words or phrases. Once you have located a comparison, pinpoint the two sentence components that are being compared to each other.

Comparison Signals
The primary indicators of a comparison are Like, Unlike, As, and Than. Whenever you come across any of these four terms, pause and identify the two items being compared. Additionally, some other common comparison signals are provided below:

• Like
• Unlike
• More than
• Less than
• Faster than
• Different from
• In contrast to/with
• As
• As<word> as</word>
• As much as
• As little as
• As fast as
• The same as

Two general types of comparison errors can arise:

1. Terms Being Compared Must Be the Same

• When comparing two terms, they must be parallel to each other. In other words, they must compare similar things.
• For instance, consider the incorrect sentence: Frank's build, LIKE his brother, is broad and muscular. This sentence is comparing Frank's build directly to his brother, which is not a logical comparison. To correct the error, we need to modify the comparison.
• The revised sentence should be: Frank's build, LIKE his brother's build, is broad and muscular.
• Now, let's examine a more complicated example: Beethoven's music, which broke many established rules with its structure and melodic form, is considered more revolutionary than Bach.
• To identify the comparison, we look for comparison signals such as "more...than." Here, the comparison signal is "more revolutionary than."
• Next, we locate the two items being compared. In this case, the second item follows the comparison signal: "More revolutionary than Bach." However, the comparison is not parallel because it is comparing Beethoven's music directly to Bach.
• To correct the sentence, we need to make the comparison parallel by comparing Beethoven's music to Bach's music: Beethoven's music, which broke many established rules with its structure and melodic form, is considered more revolutionary than Bach's music. Notice that we don't have to repeat the word "music" as long as we have written "Bach's."

Example 7
One reason that an insect can walk on walls while a human cannot is that the mass of its tiny body is far lower than humans.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) far lower than that of a human’s body
(c) lower by far than humans
(d) far lower than is a human’s body

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The sentence is comparing “the mass of its tiny body” with “humans.” This is an illogical comparison – the comparison should be between the mass of an insect and the mass of a human. We can eliminate option A. Answer choice C contains the same error: it merely tweaks the word order. Answer D seems to fix the problem by adding “body,” but it’s still not correct to compare a human body with the mass of an insect body. The only answer that’s left is B, which correctly compares “the mass of its tiny body” and the mass of a human’s body. B is the right answer.‍

Example 8
Many people struggle to learn to type, but shouldn’t get discouraged if they find the process to be more difficult than anticipated. It is a more difficult task to learn to type than mastering a simple word-processing program.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) It is a more difficult task to learn to type than to mastering a simple word-processing program.
(c) To master a simple word-processing program is a more difficult task than to learn to type.
(d) Learning to type is a more difficult task than mastering a simple word-processing program.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
This sentence is comparing “to learn to type” with “mastering a simple word processing program.” These two terms need to be the same part of speech. We either need to change “mastering” to “to master” or “to learn” to “learning” so that parallel structure is maintained. The only answer choice that does that without introducing other errors is option D; B uses the ungrammatical “to mastering” and choice C inverts the logic of the sentence, claiming that mastering the word-processing program is the more difficult task. D is the correct answer.

2. Comparisons with Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

• This type of error occurs when there are possessive nouns or phrases (e.g. “the _ of _”) in the sentence.
• For example, consider the sentence: “Which is larger, the population of New York or Los Angeles?” The comparison in this sentence is not parallel because it compares “the population of New York” with the entire city “Los Angeles.” To correct this, we need to add “the population of” before “Los Angeles” or revise the sentence so that the information specifying population size appears before the comparison.
• Similarly, in the sentence “Wandering around the furniture store, she decided that while burgundy and taupe would work well in her living room, the bright aquamarine lampshade would probably hog the spotlight,” the comparison is not parallel because it involves the colors “burgundy” and “taupe” and the tangible item “the bright aquamarine lampshade.” To fix this, we need to adjust “the bright aquamarine lampshade” to refer to just a color (e.g. “bright aquamarine”) or change “burgundy” and “taupe” to specify tangible items (e.g. “the burgundy drapes” and “the taupe carpet”).

Example 9
As far as places to eat for lunch, I recommend going to the deli across the street. At that deli, the sandwiches are similar to the cafeteria, but they are slightly larger, a bit healthier, and definitely fresher. Plus, you can eat your sandwich on one of the benches in the nearby park and enjoy the weather.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) That deli’s sandwiches are similar to the cafeteria’s
(c) Deli sandwiches are similar to cafeteria sandwiches
(d) At that deli, the cafeteria sandwiches are similar to its sandwiches

Correct Answer is Option (d)
“Sandwiches” cannot be compared to “the cafeteria” - these are very different things. What the speaker seems to be comparing are the sandwiches at the deli and the sandwiches at the cafeteria.
B is the correct answer; it discusses sandwiches from the specific deli and sandwiches from the specific cafeteria and uses possessive punctuation to convey that the comparison is being made between the two. It is grammatically correct to omit the word “sandwiches” after “cafeteria’s” here; the structure of the sentence conveys that the comparison is being made between sandwiches from the two venues.‍

Example 10
The books of Agatha Christie, a popular writer of crime novels, have had a greater audience than any fiction author in history.
(a) No Change
(b) than have those of any fiction author in history
(c) in history as any other fiction author has had
(d) than those of any other fiction author in history

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Can the books of Agatha Christie, a fiction author, have had a greater audience than those of any fiction author in history?
She is a fiction author! The best she can do is tie herself; she cannot have more readers than even she does. So, the word “other” is crucial here. As a result, the correct answer choice must be D.