Here are some tips and tricks for tackling parallelism questions on the Digital SAT English section:
1. **Understand the principle of parallelism**: Parallelism is about ensuring that similar ideas or elements in a sentence are expressed in the same grammatical form. This creates a balance and consistency in the sentence structure.
2. **Identify the parallelism signal words**: As mentioned in the prompt, certain words or phrases can signal that parallelism is required. These include:
– Conjunctions like “and,” “or,” “but”
– Correlative conjunctions like “not only…but also,” “either…or,” “neither…nor”
– Comparative structures like “-er” words or “more/less than”
3. **Look for the series or list**: Parallelism errors often occur in sentences with a series or list of items. If the items in the series are not expressed in the same grammatical form, it violates the principle of parallelism.
4. **Pay attention to verb forms**: Ensure that verbs in parallel structures are in the same tense or form (e.g., present participle, past participle, infinitive).
5. **Check for consistency in parts of speech**: If the parallel elements are nouns, they should all be nouns. If they are adjectives, they should all be adjectives, and so on.
6. **Watch out for mixed constructions**: Avoid mixing different grammatical constructions, such as nouns and verbs or adjectives and clauses, in parallel structures.
7. **Consider rephrasing or restructuring**: If a parallelism error is difficult to correct by simply adjusting the form, consider rephrasing or restructuring the sentence to achieve parallelism.
8. **Practice with examples**: Work through practice questions and identify the parallelism errors. Then, try to correct them by applying the principles of parallelism.
9. **Read the sentence aloud**: Sometimes, reading the sentence aloud can help identify parallelism errors more easily, as the lack of balance or consistency becomes more apparent.
10. **Use the process of elimination**: If you’re unsure about the correct answer in a multiple-choice question, try to eliminate the options that clearly violate parallelism principles.
11. **Learn common parallelism mistakes**: Familiarize yourself with common parallelism errors, such as mixing verb forms (e.g., “to run, walking, and jumped”) or using different parts of speech (e.g., “She enjoys reading, cooking, and to travel”).
12. **Stay focused and patient**: Parallelism questions can be tricky, so stay focused and patient while working through them. Double-check your answers and don’t rush through these types of questions.
Remember, practicing parallelism questions regularly and understanding the underlying principles will help you become more proficient in identifying and correcting parallelism errors on the Digital SAT English section.