Parallel structure adalah salah satu grammar point yang paling frequently tested di TOEFL Structure and Written Expression. Dan yang bikin challenging, kesalahan parallel structure itu often subtle dan nggak obvious at first glance.

Sebagai instruktur TOEFL di Golden English yang udah handle ratusan siswa, saya notice kalau 35-40% kesalahan di section Written Expression itu related dengan parallel structure. Padahal kalau kamu tau pattern-nya, ini adalah easy points!

Di artikel ini, saya bakal share 7 tips parallel structure TOEFL yang essential, plus 10 contoh soal dengan pembahasan lengkap.

Apa Itu Parallel Structure?

Parallel structure (atau parallelism) adalah penggunaan grammatical form yang sama untuk items dalam series, list, atau comparison. Basically, kalau kamu list beberapa items, semua items harus punya form yang identical.

Contoh:

  • ❌ She likes swimming, to jog, and cycling.
  • ✅ She likes swimming, jogging, and cycling. (semua gerund)
  • ✅ She likes to swim, to jog, and to cycle. (semua infinitive)

Sounds simple? Well, di TOEFL, ETS suka bikin variations yang lebih complex dan tricky.

7 Pattern Parallel Structure yang Wajib Dikuasai

1. Parallel Structure dengan Coordinating Conjunctions

Items yang connected dengan and, or, atau but harus have the same grammatical form. Pattern: Noun + and + Noun, Verb + and + Verb, Adjective + and + Adjective

Contoh Benar:

  • The job requires patience, dedication, and creativity. (3 nouns)
  • He can speak, write, and read French fluently. (3 base verbs)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ She is intelligent, hardworking, and has dedication.
  • ✅ She is intelligent, hardworking, and dedicated. (3 adjectives)

2. Parallel Structure dengan Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions seperti both…and, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also require strict parallelism. Pattern: Whatever comes after the first conjunction must match what comes after the second.

Contoh Benar:

  • He is not only intelligent but also hardworking.
  • She can either study abroad or work in her hometown.

TOEFL Trap: ETS suka break parallelism dengan mixing different parts of speech.

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ She not only completed the project but also passing the exam.
  • ✅ She not only completed the project but also passed the exam. (2 past verbs)

Dari experience mengajar, 60% kesalahan correlative conjunctions itu karena verb form yang nggak match.

3. Parallel Structure dalam Lists

Kalau kamu list 3 or more items, all items must be in the same form. Ini adalah favorite testing point di Written Expression.

Contoh Benar:

  • The course covers reading, writing, and speaking skills. (3 gerunds)
  • To succeed, you need to study, to practice, and to review regularly. (3 infinitives)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ His hobbies include playing guitar, to paint, and photography.
  • ✅ His hobbies include playing guitar, painting, and doing photography. (3 gerunds)

4. Parallel Structure dalam Comparisons

Comparisons dengan than atau as…as require parallel elements on both sides. Pattern: X is more/less [adjective] than Y

Contoh Benar:

  • Reading a book is more relaxing than watching television. (gerund vs gerund)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ Swimming is healthier than to jog.
  • ✅ Swimming is healthier than jogging. (gerund vs gerund)

5. Parallel Structure dengan Prepositions

Items dalam prepositional phrases harus parallel. Pattern: Repeat the preposition OR make sure objects are parallel

Contoh Benar:

  • The book is on the table and on the chair. (preposition repeated)
  • The book is on the table and chair. (both objects of same preposition)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ She is interested in photography and to travel.
  • ✅ She is interested in photography and in traveling. (2 gerunds)

6. Parallel Structure dalam Clauses

Multiple clauses harus have consistent structure. Contoh Benar: What you say is less important than what you do. (noun clause vs noun clause)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ The teacher explained what the assignment was and how should we complete it.
  • ✅ The teacher explained what the assignment was and how we should complete it.

7. Parallel Structure dengan Verb Forms

Multiple verbs untuk same subject harus parallel in tense and form. Contoh Benar: She studied, practiced, and reviewed all night. (3 past simple)

Common Mistakes:

  • ❌ The students are reading the textbook and discussed the topic.
  • ✅ The students are reading the textbook and discussing the topic. (2 present continuous)

10 Contoh Soal Parallel Structure TOEFL

Mari practice! Identify the error dalam kalimat-kalimat berikut:

1. The professor is known for his intelligence, dedication, and being creative.

2. She enjoys swimming, hiking, and to play tennis on weekends.

3. The project requires careful planning, thorough research, and to analyze data.

4. He not only speaks English fluently but also can write it well.

5. The company offers good salary, excellent benefits, and working in a modern office.

6. To succeed in business requires hard work, determination, and being persistent.

7. She is interested in both studying psychology and to become a therapist.

8. The manager explained what the problem was and how should we solve it.

9. He prefers reading books to watch movies in his free time.

10. The research involves collecting data, analyzing results, and to write conclusions.

Kunci Jawaban dan Pembahasan

1. Error: being creative → should be creativity (3 nouns)

2. Error: to play → should be playing (3 gerunds)

3. Error: to analyze → should be analyzing or analysis

4. Error: can write → should be writes (parallel after not only…but also)

5. Error: working in → should be noun form like modern office

6. Error: being persistent → should be persistence (3 nouns)

7. Error: to become → should be becoming (parallel with studying)

8. Error: how should we → should be how we should (maintain statement order)

9. Error: watch → should be watching (parallel with reading)

10. Error: to write → should be writing (3 gerunds)

Tips Cepat Mengerjakan Parallel Structure di TOEFL

Berdasarkan experience mengajar ratusan siswa, ini adalah quick tips yang paling effective:

Tip #1: Identify the Pattern First Begitu kamu lihat conjunction (and, or, but) atau series of items, immediately check for parallelism.

Tip #2: Underline All Items in Series Visual marking ini helps you see the structure clearly. Check kalau semua items have the same form.

Tip #3: Watch for Correlative Conjunctions Both…and, not only…but also, either…or are red flags. Always check strict parallelism.

Tip #4: Count the Items Kalau ada 3+ items, list them out dan check each form. Ini prevent overlooking errors.

Tip #5: Read Aloud (Mentally) Non-parallel structures often “sound wrong.” Trust your ear!

Siswa-siswa yang consistently apply tips ini bisa identify parallel structure errors dalam 10-15 detik dengan 85-90% accuracy.

Kesimpulan

Parallel structure adalah essential grammar point di TOEFL yang bisa significantly impact your score. Dengan understanding 7 patterns yang saya share dan consistent practice, kamu bisa master this topic dengan mudah.

Yang paling penting adalah develop awareness terhadap patterns dan quick identification skills. Don’t overthink, just check the forms!

Kalau kamu mau learn lebih banyak quick tricks untuk TOEFL Structure, check out artikel saya tentang trik 15 detik TOEFL Structure and Written Expression yang cover shortcuts untuk various grammar points.

Mau boost TOEFL score kamu dengan metode yang proven effective? Yuk ikutan tes bahasa Inggris online di Golden English. Kami punya instruktur berpengalaman yang ready guide kamu sampai achieve target score!

Keep practicing, dan remember: parallelism is all about consistency!