United States
Hong KongParallel structure, and the pairs that demand it
The rule states it as "Apply knowledge of parallelism, including parallel expressions for parallel ideas". Three constructions demand it: items in a list, the two halves of a comparison, and correlative pairs such as not only and but also. Mismatch the grammatical form on either side and the sentence is wrong.
Parallelism has one rule. Ideas that sit in the same grammatical position take the same grammatical form.
That sounds abstract until you see it break. "She likes reading, hiking, and to swim." The first two are gerunds. The third is an infinitive. Nothing about the meaning is unclear, and the sentence is still wrong.
Where the exam looks for it
| Construction | What has to match | Broken example |
|---|---|---|
| Items joined by and or or | The form of every item | to plan, to draft, and revising |
| Comparison with than or as | Both sides of the comparison | Teaching is harder than to study |
| Correlative pairs | What follows each half of the pair | not only tired but also she was late |
| Verbs sharing a subject | Tense and voice across the series | She reviewed the data, wrote the report, and is presenting it |
Correlative pairs are the tested case
Five pairs, and each one has to be followed by the same kind of thing on both sides.
- not only ... but also
- either ... or
- neither ... nor
- both ... and
- whether ... or
Wrong: "She not only reviewed the budget but also the schedule." Not only is followed by a verb; but also is followed by a noun.
Right, two ways. Move the first half: "She reviewed not only the budget but also the schedule." Or extend the second: "She not only reviewed the budget but also revised the schedule." Both are correct, which is worth knowing because a question may offer you either.
Which sentence is correctly parallel?
- The workshop covered lesson planning, how to assess students, and classroom management.
- The workshop covered lesson planning, student assessment, and classroom management.
- The workshop covered planning lessons, assessment of students, and to manage the classroom.
- The workshop covered how to plan lessons, student assessment, and managing classrooms.
The gloss in the rule is doing work
The skill statement says "including parallel expressions for parallel ideas", and that phrase widens it beyond grammar. Two ideas presented as a matched pair should be expressed in matched language even when both versions are grammatical.
"The policy improved attendance and it was good for morale" is not ungrammatical. It is unbalanced. "The policy improved attendance and raised morale" says the same thing with the two halves in the same shape, and on a question that offers both, the balanced one is the answer.
How to check it in five seconds
Find the joining word: and, or, than, as, or one half of a correlative pair. Read the word immediately after it, then read the word immediately after whatever came before it. Same part of speech or not. That is the whole check.
For lists, a stronger version: read the stem of the sentence with each item on its own. "The workshop covered lesson planning." "The workshop covered how to assess students." The second reads wrong on its own, and that is the item that breaks the series.
Worth an hour, not an evening
Parallelism is one of four skills under a competency we estimate at about six of the 30 questions, and that estimate is ours rather than the state's. Learn the five correlative pairs, learn the read-each-item-alone trick, and stop. The marginal hour is better spent on the conventions competency, which carries twelve of the nineteen skills on this subtest.
Common questions
What is parallel structure on the FTCE?
Skill 2 under Knowledge of language structure: "Apply knowledge of parallelism, including parallel expressions for parallel ideas". Items in a series, both sides of a comparison, and correlative pairs all have to take the same grammatical form.
What are correlative pairs?
Two-part connectors that require matched forms on both sides: not only and but also, either and or, neither and nor, both and and, whether and or. Whatever follows the first half has to be the same kind of thing that follows the second.
How do I check a list for parallelism?
Read the sentence stem with each item on its own. "The workshop covered lesson planning" works; "The workshop covered how to assess students" does not sit in the same series. The item that reads wrong alone is the one breaking the pattern.
Can a sentence be grammatical and still fail parallelism?
Yes, and the rule anticipates it with the phrase "parallel expressions for parallel ideas". Two matched ideas written in unmatched forms can be perfectly grammatical, and the balanced version is still the correct answer where a question offers both.