Concept 6

Maintain parallel structure in lists, comparisons, and paired constructions.

Core Idea

Items that do the same job in a sentence should share the same grammatical form.

Understanding

Rule: Parallel structure helps the reader see a pattern immediately. If one item in a list starts with a verb, the other items should usually do the same.

ACT often hides the error in long lists or in paired constructions like "not only ... but also." Read the pieces side by side and compare their forms.

Question

Worked Example

The internship taught Maya how to collect survey data, analyze interview notes, and _____.

Select an answer to see the explanation