ACT Parallelism: Lists, Comparisons, Correlative Pairs, and Balanced Structure

Master ACT parallelism by matching grammatical structure across lists, comparisons, paired constructions, and clauses. Includes worked examples, traps, and a fast balancing method.

Reviewed by Aakash S. · Cornell University '14 · Counselling Advisor, World ViralPublished 29 September 2026Last updated 29 September 2026

Parallelism means that ideas doing the same grammatical job should use the same grammatical form.

The easiest version is a list.

Correct:

The internship requires researching, writing, and presenting.

Wrong:

The internship requires researching, writing, and to present.

The meaning is understandable.

The structure is not balanced.

ACT parallelism questions reward this pattern:

same job → same grammatical form

The test becomes harder when the parallel items are long, separated, or hidden inside comparisons and paired constructions.

Start with the skeleton

Ignore descriptive material.

Sentence:

The program encourages students to analyze complex problems carefully, to communicate their findings clearly, and to work collaboratively with others.

Skeleton:

to analyze, to communicate, to work

Parallel.

Now:

The program encourages students to analyze complex problems carefully, communicating their findings clearly, and to work collaboratively.

Skeleton:

to analyze, communicating, to work

Not parallel.

Lists are the most obvious form

Correct noun list:

precision, patience, and creativity

Correct gerund list:

measuring, recording, and comparing

Correct infinitive list:

to measure, to record, and to compare

Correct verb list:

measures, records, and compares

Wrong:

measuring, recording, and to compare

Repeated "to" can be optional—but structure must remain clear

Both can be parallel:

The team plans to test, analyze, and publish the results.

and:

The team plans to test, to analyze, and to publish the results.

The key is consistency of grammatical role.

ACT is not testing whether every small word repeats.

It is testing whether the underlying structures match.

Longer phrases hide the mismatch

Wrong:

The museum's goals include preserving fragile artifacts, improving public access to the collection, and that researchers can use the archive.

Skeleton:

preserving
improving
that researchers can use

Not parallel.

Better:

preserving fragile artifacts, improving public access to the collection, and expanding researchers' access to the archive.

Skeleton:

preserving
improving
expanding

Clauses can be parallel too

Correct:

The report argues that the policy reduced costs, that it improved reliability, and that it shortened delays.

The repeated that clauses match.

Also possible:

The report argues that the policy reduced costs, improved reliability, and shortened delays.

Now the verbs are parallel under one shared that.

Comparisons require comparable things

Wrong:

The cost of the new system is lower than the old system.

This literally compares:

cost

with:

system.

Better:

The cost of the new system is lower than the cost of the old system.

or:

The new system costs less than the old system.

Compare like with like.

The comparison skeleton test

Sentence:

Maya's research is more extensive than Elena.

Skeleton:

research vs Elena

Mismatch.

Better:

Maya's research is more extensive than Elena's.

Now:

Maya's research vs Elena's research

Parallel comparison.

"Than" and "as" often reveal comparison questions

Watch structures such as:

more...than;
less...than;
as...as;
better...than;
rather than.

Ask:

What exactly is being compared?

Example:

The new engine is as efficient as the previous model.

engine vs model.

Fine.

The efficiency of the new engine is as high as the previous model.

efficiency vs model.

Mismatch.

Better:

The efficiency of the new engine is as high as that of the previous model.

"That of" and "those of"

These are useful comparison tools.

Singular:

The population of City A is larger than that of City B.

that = population.

Plural:

The salaries of engineers are higher than those of interns.

those = salaries.

Do not use them automatically; use them when they preserve like-to-like comparison.

Correlative pairs require balance

Common pairs:

not only ... but also;
either ... or;
neither ... nor;
both ... and;
whether ... or.

The material after each half should match grammatically.

Wrong:

The course teaches students not only to analyze data but also writing reports.

Mismatch:

to analyze vs writing

Correct:

The course teaches students not only to analyze data but also to write reports.

"Both ... and"

Wrong:

The device is both compact and operates quietly.

After both:

adjective

After and:

clause/verb phrase

Better:

The device is both compact and quiet.

Or:

The device both occupies little space and operates quietly.

"Either ... or"

Parallel:

Students may either submit the form online or mail a paper copy.

Also parallel:

Students may submit either the online form or the paper form.

But do not mix:

Students may either submit the form online or a paper copy.

The paired elements do different grammatical jobs.

"Neither ... nor"

Correct:

The study neither confirmed the hypothesis nor ruled it out.

Balanced verb phrases.

Wrong:

The study neither confirmed the hypothesis nor a rejection of it.

Verb phrase vs noun phrase.

"Not only ... but also" placement matters

Compare:

The scientist not only collected the samples but also analyzed them.

Parallel verb phrases.

Wrong:

The scientist not only collected the samples but also the data were analyzed.

Subject structure shifts.

Parallelism with prepositions

Correct:

The report focuses on energy use, water consumption, and waste generation.

All nouns under one preposition:

on.

Also:

The report focuses on energy use, on water consumption, and on waste generation.

Repeated prepositions can also be parallel.

Wrong:

The report focuses on energy use, water consumption, and how waste is generated.

Nouns vs clause.

Parallelism with adjectives

The material is lightweight, durable, and inexpensive.

All adjectives.

Wrong:

lightweight, durable, and it costs little.

Parallelism with adverbs

The technician worked carefully, efficiently, and quietly.

All adverbs.

Wrong:

carefully, efficiently, and with silence.

The phrase may communicate similar meaning but breaks structural balance.

Parallelism with verb tense

The team designed the prototype, tested it, and revised the controls.

All simple past.

Wrong:

designed, tested, and is revising

unless the time relationship genuinely changes.

Parallelism does not mean tense can never change, but equal list items should normally match when they describe equal actions in the same time frame.

Parallelism with voice

Awkward:

The team designed the prototype, tested its durability, and the final version was approved.

The first two are active verbs with:

team

The third changes subject and voice.

Better:

The team designed the prototype, tested its durability, and approved the final version.

If the passage needs passive voice for meaning, a different rewrite may be necessary.

Parallelism and concision

Sometimes the more concise option is also more parallel.

Wordy:

The program aims to increase enrollment, to improve retention, and there is also a goal of expanding scholarships.

Better:

The program aims to increase enrollment, improve retention, and expand scholarships.

See ACT Concision and Redundancy.

Parallelism and modifiers

Wrong:

The organization seeks volunteers interested in tutoring students, organizing events, and who can manage social media.

The first two are participial/gerund phrases.

Third:

relative clause.

Better:

volunteers interested in tutoring students, organizing events, and managing social media.

See ACT Modifiers.

Parallelism and pronouns

Maya values her team's creativity, its reliability, and its willingness to experiment.

The repeated possessive pattern creates balance.

But do not force repeated pronouns when a cleaner shared structure works.

Parallelism after "between"

Correct:

The study compares the effects of high temperature and low temperature.

or:

compares high-temperature conditions with low-temperature conditions.

Avoid mismatched constructions.

Parallelism after "from ... to"

The course covers topics from basic algebra to advanced trigonometry.

Noun phrase to noun phrase.

Wrong:

from basic algebra to solving advanced trigonometric equations.

Not always grammatically impossible, but the comparison range is less balanced.

Parallelism after "rather than"

The team chose to repair the machine rather than replace it.

Parallel verbs.

Wrong:

chose repairing the machine rather than to replace it.

Worked example 1: list

The job requires analyzing data, meeting with clients, and ___.

A. to write reports
B. reports are written
C. writing reports
D. reports

Parallel with:

analyzing, meeting

Best:

writing reports

Worked example 2: comparison

The rainfall in Region A was greater than ___.

A. Region B
B. that in Region B
C. Region B's climate
D. it was in Region B's climate

Compare:

rainfall

to:

rainfall.

Best:

that in Region B

Worked example 3: both/and

The new material is both resistant to heat and ___.

Need structure parallel to:

resistant to heat

Best:

resistant to corrosion.

Not:

it does not corrode.

Worked example 4: not only/but also

The revised process not only reduced costs but also ___.

Best:

shortened production time.

Verb phrase:

reduced costs / shortened time.

Worked example 5: clause list

The article explains why the species migrated, how it adapted to the new habitat, and ___.

Parallel interrogative clause:

what factors affected its population.

Not:

its population changes.

Worked example 6: infinitive list

The committee hopes to lower fees, expand access, and improve communication.

All verbs share one to.

Correct.

The "meaning is similar" trap

ACT parallelism is not satisfied merely because the ideas are semantically related.

The internship involves researching, analysis, and presenting.

All describe academic work.

But grammar mismatches:

gerund;
noun;
gerund.

Better:

researching, analyzing, and presenting.

The "word ending" trap

Do not decide parallelism only by visible endings.

to study, to analyze, and to compare

Parallel.

studying, analyzing, and comparison

Two -ing forms plus noun.

Not parallel.

But:

planning, funding, and staffing

All three can be nouns depending on context.

Identify grammatical function, not just suffix.

The "repeat every word" trap

Parallel does not mean identical wording.

Correct:

The project seeks to reduce costs, improve safety, and shorten delays.

You do not need:

to reduce, to improve, and to shorten

though that is also possible.

Shared introductory material can govern all items.

A fast ACT parallelism routine

Step 1

Find the series or paired construction.

Step 2

Underline the first grammatical unit.

Example:

to analyze

Step 3

Reduce every item to its skeleton.

Step 4

Make the skeletons match.

Step 5

Check meaning and idiom.

Do not choose a structurally parallel answer if it creates nonsense.

Harder example: distant items

The organization was founded to support young artists by providing studio space, by arranging exhibitions, and through grants that help pay for materials.

Skeleton:

by providing
by arranging
through grants

Mismatch.

Better:

by providing studio space, arranging exhibitions, and offering grants for materials.

All gerunds under shared by if phrased:

by providing, arranging, and offering.

Harder example: comparison ellipsis

The novels of Writer A are more experimental than Writer B's.

This can work because:

Writer B's [novels]

is understood.

ACT may prefer concise ellipsis when the missing noun is clear.

Do not automatically expand every comparison.

Harder example: parallel ideas at paragraph scale

Parallelism can be rhetorical, not only grammatical.

Sentence 1:

The first paragraph explains what changed.

Sentence 2:

The second explains why it changed.

A concluding sentence may parallel those ideas:

Together, the two sections show both the nature of the change and its cause.

The ACT primarily tests grammatical parallelism in English conventions, but broader rhetorical balance can appear in style questions too.

Current ACT English context

ACT's current English standards explicitly include lack of parallelism among sentence-structure errors, including simple and complex series. The enhanced ACT English section has 50 questions in 35 minutes, with Conventions of Standard English accounting for roughly 38–43% of reporting content.

Parallelism is therefore a direct, testable conventions skill rather than a stylistic bonus.

Practice set

1

The course emphasizes reading critically, writing clearly, and ___.

speaking confidently

2

The new process is faster than ___.

If comparing process to old process:

the old process

3

The internship offers both professional experience and ___.

Need noun phrase:

networking opportunities

4

The device neither overheated nor ___.

Need verb:

lost power

5

The report explains when the failure occurred, why it occurred, and ___.

Need parallel clause:

how engineers corrected it

How to review parallelism mistakes

Bad note:

list mismatch.

Better:

I compared meanings but failed to reduce the list to grammatical skeletons: "to analyze / writing / to present."

Or:

I compared "cost" with "old system" instead of cost with cost.

FAQ: ACT parallelism

What is parallelism?

Using matching grammatical structures for ideas that perform the same role.

Where does ACT test it?

Lists, comparisons, paired constructions, clauses, and coordinated verbs/phrases.

Do I have to repeat "to" before every infinitive?

No. One shared to can govern a parallel list.

What is the most common comparison error?

Comparing unlike things, such as a cost with a machine rather than one cost with another.

How do I solve long parallelism questions?

Reduce each item to its grammatical skeleton.

Final takeaway

ACT parallelism is structural symmetry.

noun with noun, verb with verb, clause with clause

When the sentence is long, strip it to the skeleton.

If equal ideas use unequal grammar, fix the structure.

Official ACT references:
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/act-exam-sections-and-structure.html
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/college-and-career-readiness/standards/english-standards.html
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/R2519-Design-Framework-for-the-ACT-Enhancements-2026-02.pdf

Trademark note: ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp. MastaPrep is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT Education Corp.

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ACT Parallelism: Lists, Comparisons, Correlative Pairs, and Balanced Structure

Master ACT parallelism by matching grammatical structure across lists, comparisons, paired constructions, and clauses. Includes worked examples, traps, and a fast balancing method.

Reviewed by Aakash S. · Cornell University '14 · Counselling Advisor, World ViralPublished 29 September 2026Last updated 29 September 2026

Parallelism means that ideas doing the same grammatical job should use the same grammatical form.

The easiest version is a list.

Correct:

The internship requires researching, writing, and presenting.

Wrong:

The internship requires researching, writing, and to present.

The meaning is understandable.

The structure is not balanced.

ACT parallelism questions reward this pattern:

same job → same grammatical form

The test becomes harder when the parallel items are long, separated, or hidden inside comparisons and paired constructions.

Start with the skeleton

Ignore descriptive material.

Sentence:

The program encourages students to analyze complex problems carefully, to communicate their findings clearly, and to work collaboratively with others.

Skeleton:

to analyze, to communicate, to work

Parallel.

Now:

The program encourages students to analyze complex problems carefully, communicating their findings clearly, and to work collaboratively.

Skeleton:

to analyze, communicating, to work

Not parallel.

Lists are the most obvious form

Correct noun list:

precision, patience, and creativity

Correct gerund list:

measuring, recording, and comparing

Correct infinitive list:

to measure, to record, and to compare

Correct verb list:

measures, records, and compares

Wrong:

measuring, recording, and to compare

Repeated "to" can be optional—but structure must remain clear

Both can be parallel:

The team plans to test, analyze, and publish the results.

and:

The team plans to test, to analyze, and to publish the results.

The key is consistency of grammatical role.

ACT is not testing whether every small word repeats.

It is testing whether the underlying structures match.

Longer phrases hide the mismatch

Wrong:

The museum's goals include preserving fragile artifacts, improving public access to the collection, and that researchers can use the archive.

Skeleton:

preserving
improving
that researchers can use

Not parallel.

Better:

preserving fragile artifacts, improving public access to the collection, and expanding researchers' access to the archive.

Skeleton:

preserving
improving
expanding

Clauses can be parallel too

Correct:

The report argues that the policy reduced costs, that it improved reliability, and that it shortened delays.

The repeated that clauses match.

Also possible:

The report argues that the policy reduced costs, improved reliability, and shortened delays.

Now the verbs are parallel under one shared that.

Comparisons require comparable things

Wrong:

The cost of the new system is lower than the old system.

This literally compares:

cost

with:

system.

Better:

The cost of the new system is lower than the cost of the old system.

or:

The new system costs less than the old system.

Compare like with like.

The comparison skeleton test

Sentence:

Maya's research is more extensive than Elena.

Skeleton:

research vs Elena

Mismatch.

Better:

Maya's research is more extensive than Elena's.

Now:

Maya's research vs Elena's research

Parallel comparison.

"Than" and "as" often reveal comparison questions

Watch structures such as:

more...than;
less...than;
as...as;
better...than;
rather than.

Ask:

What exactly is being compared?

Example:

The new engine is as efficient as the previous model.

engine vs model.

Fine.

The efficiency of the new engine is as high as the previous model.

efficiency vs model.

Mismatch.

Better:

The efficiency of the new engine is as high as that of the previous model.

"That of" and "those of"

These are useful comparison tools.

Singular:

The population of City A is larger than that of City B.

that = population.

Plural:

The salaries of engineers are higher than those of interns.

those = salaries.

Do not use them automatically; use them when they preserve like-to-like comparison.

Correlative pairs require balance

Common pairs:

not only ... but also;
either ... or;
neither ... nor;
both ... and;
whether ... or.

The material after each half should match grammatically.

Wrong:

The course teaches students not only to analyze data but also writing reports.

Mismatch:

to analyze vs writing

Correct:

The course teaches students not only to analyze data but also to write reports.

"Both ... and"

Wrong:

The device is both compact and operates quietly.

After both:

adjective

After and:

clause/verb phrase

Better:

The device is both compact and quiet.

Or:

The device both occupies little space and operates quietly.

"Either ... or"

Parallel:

Students may either submit the form online or mail a paper copy.

Also parallel:

Students may submit either the online form or the paper form.

But do not mix:

Students may either submit the form online or a paper copy.

The paired elements do different grammatical jobs.

"Neither ... nor"

Correct:

The study neither confirmed the hypothesis nor ruled it out.

Balanced verb phrases.

Wrong:

The study neither confirmed the hypothesis nor a rejection of it.

Verb phrase vs noun phrase.

"Not only ... but also" placement matters

Compare:

The scientist not only collected the samples but also analyzed them.

Parallel verb phrases.

Wrong:

The scientist not only collected the samples but also the data were analyzed.

Subject structure shifts.

Parallelism with prepositions

Correct:

The report focuses on energy use, water consumption, and waste generation.

All nouns under one preposition:

on.

Also:

The report focuses on energy use, on water consumption, and on waste generation.

Repeated prepositions can also be parallel.

Wrong:

The report focuses on energy use, water consumption, and how waste is generated.

Nouns vs clause.

Parallelism with adjectives

The material is lightweight, durable, and inexpensive.

All adjectives.

Wrong:

lightweight, durable, and it costs little.

Parallelism with adverbs

The technician worked carefully, efficiently, and quietly.

All adverbs.

Wrong:

carefully, efficiently, and with silence.

The phrase may communicate similar meaning but breaks structural balance.

Parallelism with verb tense

The team designed the prototype, tested it, and revised the controls.

All simple past.

Wrong:

designed, tested, and is revising

unless the time relationship genuinely changes.

Parallelism does not mean tense can never change, but equal list items should normally match when they describe equal actions in the same time frame.

Parallelism with voice

Awkward:

The team designed the prototype, tested its durability, and the final version was approved.

The first two are active verbs with:

team

The third changes subject and voice.

Better:

The team designed the prototype, tested its durability, and approved the final version.

If the passage needs passive voice for meaning, a different rewrite may be necessary.

Parallelism and concision

Sometimes the more concise option is also more parallel.

Wordy:

The program aims to increase enrollment, to improve retention, and there is also a goal of expanding scholarships.

Better:

The program aims to increase enrollment, improve retention, and expand scholarships.

See ACT Concision and Redundancy.

Parallelism and modifiers

Wrong:

The organization seeks volunteers interested in tutoring students, organizing events, and who can manage social media.

The first two are participial/gerund phrases.

Third:

relative clause.

Better:

volunteers interested in tutoring students, organizing events, and managing social media.

See ACT Modifiers.

Parallelism and pronouns

Maya values her team's creativity, its reliability, and its willingness to experiment.

The repeated possessive pattern creates balance.

But do not force repeated pronouns when a cleaner shared structure works.

Parallelism after "between"

Correct:

The study compares the effects of high temperature and low temperature.

or:

compares high-temperature conditions with low-temperature conditions.

Avoid mismatched constructions.

Parallelism after "from ... to"

The course covers topics from basic algebra to advanced trigonometry.

Noun phrase to noun phrase.

Wrong:

from basic algebra to solving advanced trigonometric equations.

Not always grammatically impossible, but the comparison range is less balanced.

Parallelism after "rather than"

The team chose to repair the machine rather than replace it.

Parallel verbs.

Wrong:

chose repairing the machine rather than to replace it.

Worked example 1: list

The job requires analyzing data, meeting with clients, and ___.

A. to write reports
B. reports are written
C. writing reports
D. reports

Parallel with:

analyzing, meeting

Best:

writing reports

Worked example 2: comparison

The rainfall in Region A was greater than ___.

A. Region B
B. that in Region B
C. Region B's climate
D. it was in Region B's climate

Compare:

rainfall

to:

rainfall.

Best:

that in Region B

Worked example 3: both/and

The new material is both resistant to heat and ___.

Need structure parallel to:

resistant to heat

Best:

resistant to corrosion.

Not:

it does not corrode.

Worked example 4: not only/but also

The revised process not only reduced costs but also ___.

Best:

shortened production time.

Verb phrase:

reduced costs / shortened time.

Worked example 5: clause list

The article explains why the species migrated, how it adapted to the new habitat, and ___.

Parallel interrogative clause:

what factors affected its population.

Not:

its population changes.

Worked example 6: infinitive list

The committee hopes to lower fees, expand access, and improve communication.

All verbs share one to.

Correct.

The "meaning is similar" trap

ACT parallelism is not satisfied merely because the ideas are semantically related.

The internship involves researching, analysis, and presenting.

All describe academic work.

But grammar mismatches:

gerund;
noun;
gerund.

Better:

researching, analyzing, and presenting.

The "word ending" trap

Do not decide parallelism only by visible endings.

to study, to analyze, and to compare

Parallel.

studying, analyzing, and comparison

Two -ing forms plus noun.

Not parallel.

But:

planning, funding, and staffing

All three can be nouns depending on context.

Identify grammatical function, not just suffix.

The "repeat every word" trap

Parallel does not mean identical wording.

Correct:

The project seeks to reduce costs, improve safety, and shorten delays.

You do not need:

to reduce, to improve, and to shorten

though that is also possible.

Shared introductory material can govern all items.

A fast ACT parallelism routine

Step 1

Find the series or paired construction.

Step 2

Underline the first grammatical unit.

Example:

to analyze

Step 3

Reduce every item to its skeleton.

Step 4

Make the skeletons match.

Step 5

Check meaning and idiom.

Do not choose a structurally parallel answer if it creates nonsense.

Harder example: distant items

The organization was founded to support young artists by providing studio space, by arranging exhibitions, and through grants that help pay for materials.

Skeleton:

by providing
by arranging
through grants

Mismatch.

Better:

by providing studio space, arranging exhibitions, and offering grants for materials.

All gerunds under shared by if phrased:

by providing, arranging, and offering.

Harder example: comparison ellipsis

The novels of Writer A are more experimental than Writer B's.

This can work because:

Writer B's [novels]

is understood.

ACT may prefer concise ellipsis when the missing noun is clear.

Do not automatically expand every comparison.

Harder example: parallel ideas at paragraph scale

Parallelism can be rhetorical, not only grammatical.

Sentence 1:

The first paragraph explains what changed.

Sentence 2:

The second explains why it changed.

A concluding sentence may parallel those ideas:

Together, the two sections show both the nature of the change and its cause.

The ACT primarily tests grammatical parallelism in English conventions, but broader rhetorical balance can appear in style questions too.

Current ACT English context

Parallelism is therefore a direct, testable conventions skill rather than a stylistic bonus.

Practice set

1

The course emphasizes reading critically, writing clearly, and ___.

speaking confidently

2

The new process is faster than ___.

If comparing process to old process:

the old process

3

The internship offers both professional experience and ___.

Need noun phrase:

networking opportunities

4

The device neither overheated nor ___.

Need verb:

lost power

5

The report explains when the failure occurred, why it occurred, and ___.

Need parallel clause:

how engineers corrected it

How to review parallelism mistakes

Bad note:

list mismatch.

Better:

I compared meanings but failed to reduce the list to grammatical skeletons: "to analyze / writing / to present."

Or:

I compared "cost" with "old system" instead of cost with cost.

FAQ: ACT parallelism

What is parallelism?

Using matching grammatical structures for ideas that perform the same role.

Where does ACT test it?

Lists, comparisons, paired constructions, clauses, and coordinated verbs/phrases.

Do I have to repeat "to" before every infinitive?

No. One shared to can govern a parallel list.

What is the most common comparison error?

Comparing unlike things, such as a cost with a machine rather than one cost with another.

How do I solve long parallelism questions?

Reduce each item to its grammatical skeleton.

Final takeaway

ACT parallelism is structural symmetry.

noun with noun, verb with verb, clause with clause

When the sentence is long, strip it to the skeleton.

If equal ideas use unequal grammar, fix the structure.

Trademark note: ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp. MastaPrep is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT Education Corp.

Ready to put this into practice?

Try MastaPrep free

Free to start. No credit card.

Start with the skeleton

Lists are the most obvious form

Repeated "to" can be optional—but structure must remain clear

Longer phrases hide the mismatch

Clauses can be parallel too

Comparisons require comparable things

The comparison skeleton test

"Than" and "as" often reveal comparison questions

"That of" and "those of"

Correlative pairs require balance

"Both ... and"

"Either ... or"

"Neither ... nor"

"Not only ... but also" placement matters

Parallelism with prepositions

Parallelism with adjectives

Parallelism with adverbs

Parallelism with verb tense

Parallelism with voice

Parallelism and concision

Parallelism and modifiers

Parallelism and pronouns

Parallelism after "between"

Parallelism after "from ... to"

Parallelism after "rather than"

Worked example 1: list

Worked example 2: comparison

Worked example 3: both/and

Worked example 4: not only/but also

Worked example 5: clause list

Worked example 6: infinitive list

The "meaning is similar" trap

The "word ending" trap

The "repeat every word" trap

A fast ACT parallelism routine

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Harder example: distant items

Harder example: comparison ellipsis

Harder example: parallel ideas at paragraph scale

Current ACT English context

Practice set

1

2

3

4

5

How to review parallelism mistakes

FAQ: ACT parallelism

What is parallelism?

Where does ACT test it?

Do I have to repeat "to" before every infinitive?

What is the most common comparison error?

How do I solve long parallelism questions?

Related MastaPrep guides

Final takeaway

Read next

Start with the skeleton

Lists are the most obvious form

Repeated "to" can be optional—but structure must remain clear

Longer phrases hide the mismatch

Clauses can be parallel too

Comparisons require comparable things

The comparison skeleton test

"Than" and "as" often reveal comparison questions

"That of" and "those of"

Correlative pairs require balance

"Both ... and"

"Either ... or"

"Neither ... nor"

"Not only ... but also" placement matters

Parallelism with prepositions

Parallelism with adjectives

Parallelism with adverbs

Parallelism with verb tense

Parallelism with voice

Parallelism and concision