2.3 Syntax: Parallelism, Coordination, Subordination & Voice

2.3 Syntax: Parallelism, Coordination, Subordination & Voice

Quick Reference: Syntactic maturity requires structural balance and logical hierarchy. Parallel structure mandates that grammatical equals appear in matching forms: nouns paired with nouns, gerunds with gerunds, infinitive phrases with infinitives, and clauses with clauses. Correlative conjunctions (not only... but also) must introduce identical grammatical constructions. Effective syntax deploys subordination to establish relationships of cause, condition, and concession, avoiding stringy coordination. Finally, collegiate prose prioritizes active voice for clarity and momentum, reserving passive voice for objective scientific contexts or when the recipient of the action is the necessary rhetorical focus.

Sentence-level revision on the CLEP College Composition exam tests whether you can evaluate rhythm, balance, and logical hierarchy within sentence architecture. Faulty parallelism, skewed comparisons, run-on coordination, and limp passive constructions undermine rhetorical power and are systematically targeted by exam questions.

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The Principle of Parallel Structure

Parallelism is the matching of syntactic structures in coordinate elements. When two or more phrases or clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, yet) or appear in a series, they must share the same morphological and grammatical pattern.

UNBALANCED (FAULTY PARALLELISM):
She spent the weekend [ studying historical documents ] , [ to write a literature review ] , and [ seminar preparation ] .
                      └── Gerund Phrase ──┘     └── Infinitive Phrase ──┘     └── Noun Phrase ──┘

BALANCED (PARALLEL STRUCTURE):
She spent the weekend [ studying historical documents ] , [ writing a literature review ] , and [ preparing for seminars ] .
                      └── Gerund Phrase ──┘     └── Gerund Phrase ──┘     └── Gerund Phrase ──┘

1. Parallelism in Coordinate Series

Whenever items are listed in a series of three or more, each item must be of the same grammatical species:

• Nouns: The internship provided valuable experience in policy analysis, budget forecasting, and community outreach.
• Infinitives: The mission of the institute is to encourage scholarly inquiry, to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and to publish groundbreaking research. (Note: The marker to may appear before each infinitive or only before the first item, provided the pattern remains consistent).
• Clauses: The political scientist argued that voter apathy is rising, that civic institutions are weakening, and that institutional reform is urgently required.

2. Prepositions and Articles in Parallel Series

When prepositions or articles govern multiple items, you must either use the preposition/article only before the first item or repeat it before every single item. Inconsistent alternation is a recognized error:

• Faulty: The delegation traveled by airplane, by train, and automobile.
• Parallel Option A (Repeated): The delegation traveled by airplane, by train, and by automobile.
• Parallel Option B (Single Preposition): The delegation traveled by airplane, train, and automobile.

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Correlative Conjunctions: Syntactic Mirroring

Correlative conjunctions work in tandem to link balanced grammatical units. The five fundamental correlative pairs are:

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

The Law of Placement

The golden rule of correlative conjunctions states that whatever grammatical construction immediately follows the first conjunction must be identical to the construction immediately following the second conjunction.

Consider this frequent CLEP test trap:

• Flawed: The new university policy not only affects tenured faculty salaries but also student tuition rates.
• Syntactic Breakdown:
  • After not only: affects (finite verb) + tenured faculty salaries (noun phrase).
  • After but also: student tuition rates (noun phrase only).
  • The elements are unbalanced because the verb affects is trapped inside the first correlative branch.
• Revised (Balanced Noun Phrases): The new university policy affects not only tenured faculty salaries but also student tuition rates. (Here, affects precedes the entire correlative construction, leaving matching noun phrases on both sides).
• Revised (Balanced Verbs): The new university policy not only affects faculty salaries but also increases student tuition rates. (Here, both sides feature matching verb phrases: affects... and increases...).

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Parallelism in Comparative Constructions

Comparisons using than or as must contrast equivalent logical entities. Comparing non-parallel or unequal elements produces the classic faulty comparison error.

1. The Illogical Comparison ('Apples to Oranges')

In informal speech, speakers often compare a person's attribute to an entire person or place. Standard Written English strictly rejects this:

• Flawed: The climate of southern Arizona is much more arid than coastal Oregon.
• Diagnosis: This sentence erroneously compares a geographic property (The climate) to an entire geographic state (coastal Oregon). A climate cannot be compared to a territory.
• Revision A (Demonstrative Pronoun): The climate of southern Arizona is much more arid than that of coastal Oregon. (that of refers back to the climate of).
• Revision B (Possessive): The climate of southern Arizona is much more arid than coastal Oregon's.

2. Plural Demonstrative Comparisons

When comparing plural entities, use the plural demonstrative pronoun those of:

• Flawed: The acoustic qualities of European concert halls often surpass American concert venues.
• Revision: The acoustic qualities of European concert halls often surpass those of American concert venues.

3. Incomplete Comparative Frames

When using double comparisons such as as... as combined with more / less... than, neither comparative marker may be dropped:

• Flawed: Dr. Vance is as skilled if not more skilled than her chief competitor. (Missing the second as).
• Correct: Dr. Vance is as skilled as, if not more skilled than, her chief competitor.

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Coordination vs. Subordination: Building Intellectual Hierarchy

Sentence syntax should visually reflect the logical relationship between thoughts. Novice writers frequently rely on excessive coordination, stringing independent clauses together with conjunctions like and or so, which flattens intellectual nuance.

Excessive Coordination (Loose, Stringy Prose)

• Weak: The grant funding was delayed for three months, and the laboratory staff could not purchase the spectrometer, so the ongoing experiments were halted, and the research team missed the publication deadline.
• Critique: Every event is given equal syntactic prominence, reading like a laundry list without causal hierarchy.

Effective Subordination (Nuanced, Hierarchical Prose)

Subordination places contextual, temporal, concessive, or causal information into dependent clauses, allowing the main independent clause to deliver the central assertion:

• Revised: Because grant funding was delayed for three months, halting ongoing experiments due to an inability to purchase a spectrometer, the research team missed the critical publication deadline.
• Rhetorical Benefit: The cause (Because grant funding was delayed...) is subordinated to the primary consequence (the research team missed the critical publication deadline).

Subordination Functions & Common Markers

Exam Trap (Faulty Subordination): Avoid subordinating the most important idea while placing incidental background details in the main independent clause. For instance, Although the surgeon successfully completed the intricate twelve-hour heart transplant, she washed her hands subordinates the monumental surgical achievement to an everyday hygiene routine.

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Voice: Active vs. Passive Voice in Collegiate Writing

Voice describes the relationship between the verb and its grammatical subject.

1. Active Voice

In the active voice, the subject is the agent who actively executes the action denoted by the verb:

• The epidemiologist analyzed the genomic sequencing data.
• Syntax: [Agent / Subject] + [Action / Verb] + [Direct Object / Recipient]
• Qualities: Direct, vigorous, concise, and accountable. Academic and professional style manuals strongly favor active voice for the majority of prose.

2. Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the grammatical subject is the receiver of the action. The verb is constructed using a form of to be followed by a past participle, with the actual agent either relegated to a prepositional phrase beginning with by or omitted entirely:

• The genomic sequencing data was analyzed by the epidemiologist.
• Syntax: [Recipient / Subject] + [Form of 'to be' + Past Participle] + [by + Agent]
• Critique in General Writing: Passive voice often produces sluggish, wordy sentences that conceal accountability (Mistakes were made).

3. Legitimate Applications of Passive Voice

While the CLEP exam rewards the elimination of clumsy, unnecessary passive constructions, passive voice is grammatically valid and rhetorically essential in three specific scenarios:

1. Scientific Methodologies: When the process or phenomenon is the sole focus, and the experimenter's identity is irrelevant: The chemical solution was heated to 100°C for fifteen minutes.
2. Unknown or Unimportant Agents: When the performer of the action is unknown or obvious: The medieval manuscript was discovered in a subterranean monastery vault.
3. Intentional Rhetorical Emphasis: When the recipient of the action is the rightful center of narrative focus: The prime minister was greeted by thousands of enthusiastic citizens.

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Parallel Structure & Syntax Guide