Digital SAT · Form, Structure & Sense
How to Solve Parallel Structure on the Digital SAT
When a sentence lists items or draws a comparison, the parts have to share the same grammatical form. If two items in a series are nouns, the third must be a noun too; if a pair uses -ing verbs, both must. The choices offer the same idea in mismatched forms, and you pick the one that matches the pattern the sentence already established. Read the items already in place, name their form, and make the blank follow it.
- per test
- rarely on a test per test
- typical difficulty
- Medium typical difficulty
- practice questions
- 84 practice questions
Frequency reflects how often this question type appears on a full-length Digital SAT. The difficulty mix reflects every question of this type across our bank.
What the question bank shows
The blank must take the grammatical form the earlier items already established.
The two parts of a comparison or correlative pair share the same shape.
A choice can fit the meaning yet break the pattern; match the form to be sure.
How to recognize parallel structure questions
- The sentence contains a list, a pair, or a comparison.
- The choices express the same content in different grammatical forms.
- Correlative words like not only or both may frame the parts.
- The prompt tests form consistency, not agreement or tense.
Why students miss these
The step-by-step method
- 1
Find the parts
Locate the list, pair, or comparison the sentence sets up.
- 2
Name the established form
Identify the grammatical form of the items already in place.
- 3
Match the blank to it
Choose the option whose form matches the rest of the series or pair.
- 4
Check correlatives
With not only or both, confirm the two paired parts take the same shape.
Worked examples
Easy example
Jonas spent nearly the entire summer training for his very first long-distance triathlon near the rocky coast. On most cool mornings his demanding routine included swimming in the cold lake, cycling along steep hills, and ______ several miles before a light breakfast.
A: Incorrect. The infinitive 'to run' does not match the gerunds 'swimming' and 'cycling.'
B: Correct. The gerund 'running' matches 'swimming' and 'cycling,' completing the parallel series.
C: Incorrect. The past-tense 'ran' breaks the gerund pattern established by 'swimming' and 'cycling.'
D: Incorrect. The present-tense 'runs' is not parallel with the gerunds 'swimming' and 'cycling.'
Explanation
The series uses gerunds (swimming, cycling), so the third item must be the gerund 'running.'
Easy example
Chef Amelia Rojas runs a small neighborhood bakery in Lisbon that is well known for its flaky, buttery pastries. Each morning she prepares the dough, shapes the loaves by hand, and ______ them in a wood-fired oven long before the shop opens.
A: Incorrect. The infinitive 'to bake' does not match the present-tense verbs 'prepares' and 'shapes' that establish the series.
B: Incorrect. The -ing form 'baking' breaks the parallel pattern set by the present-tense verbs 'prepares' and 'shapes'.
C: Correct. 'Bakes' is a present-tense verb that matches 'prepares' and 'shapes', keeping the three actions in the series parallel.
D: Incorrect. The past-tense 'baked' clashes with the present-tense verbs 'prepares' and 'shapes' in the same list.
Explanation
The sentence lists three present-tense actions joined by 'and': prepares, shapes, and ______. The blank must take the same present-tense form, so 'bakes' is correct.
Easy example
A small community choir prepares each winter for its very popular holiday concert at the historic town hall. During rehearsals the dedicated singers warm up their tired voices, review the difficult new harmonies, and ______ the proper order of the songs.
A: Correct. The present-tense 'memorize' matches 'warm' and 'review,' completing the parallel series.
B: Incorrect. The gerund 'memorizing' does not match the present-tense verbs 'warm' and 'review.'
C: Incorrect. The infinitive 'to memorize' breaks the present-tense pattern set by 'warm' and 'review.'
D: Incorrect. The past-tense 'memorized' is not parallel with the present-tense verbs 'warm' and 'review.'
Explanation
The singers 'warm up' and 'review,' so the parallel third verb is the present-tense 'memorize.'
The common traps
| Pattern | What it does | The tell |
|---|---|---|
| Broken series | One list item in a different form from the others. | Name the form of the earlier items and match it. |
| Mismatched comparison | The two compared parts take different shapes. | Both sides of a comparison must be parallel in form. |
| Correlative mismatch | not only paired with a differently formed clause after but also. | The words after each correlative must have the same structure. |
Try it: two real questions
The Highline Trail in Montana's Glacier National Park is especially popular among visitors who enjoy dramatic, sweeping mountain scenery. Along the route, hikers can photograph alpine meadows, spot mountain goats on the cliffs, and ______ glaciers that have endured for many centuries.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams influenced many celebrated musicians over the course of her long career. Over several decades she composed original songs, arranged music for big bands, and ______ younger artists who would shape the future of jazz.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
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Common questions
How do you fix parallel structure on the SAT?
Find the list or comparison, name the grammatical form of the items already in place, and choose the option that matches it. If the earlier items are nouns or -ing verbs, the answer must be the same.
What is parallelism in a sentence?
The principle that items joined in a series, pair, or comparison share the same grammatical form. Mixing a noun with a verb, or an -ing with a to phrase, breaks the parallel and is the error tested.
How do correlative pairs affect parallelism?
Pairs like not only ... but also and both ... and require the words after each half to take the same form. If not only is followed by a verb phrase, but also must be too.
Why is the mismatch hard to hear?
In a long list the first items sit far from the blank, and a form that fits the meaning can still break the pattern. Comparing the answer's form to the established items, not just the meaning, catches it.
Practice parallel structure the way it is tested
Start with the free 16-question diagnostic, then drill this type with step-by-step reasoning on every question.
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