SAT语法在考试结构上分成三个层次：词法，句法及段法。对于考生来讲，词法和段法是很简单的，而真正决定他们能否快速而又高质量地做完所有题目则是有句法题目的速度来决定的。SAT的句法部分根据新东方教师的授课风格不同，体系往往也是不同的，但不同的体系下对应的点是一样的。在此，笔者想对句法中一种结构：平行结构，做以下分析和阐述，希望能对考生有一种启发和有益的引导。

平行结构考点，顾名思义，即考察学生对于并列结构的识别及认识。笔者从句子的结构入手给出了自己的平行分析及归类，我们用SAT例题做以下分析：

平行结构：宾语平行

Major risk factors for cardiovascular disease include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and to be physically inactive.

(A) include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and to be physically inactive
(B) include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and
physical inactivity
(C) include high blood pressure, blood cholesterol, smoking, and being physically inactive
(D) Includes high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and to be physically inactive
(E) Includes high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and being physically inactive

题干错误比较明显，谓语include后面分为四个平行的宾语，high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and to be physically inactive，前三个部分均为名词短语，最后一个部分为动词不定式，因此在成分上与前面三个不平行。因此排除A,C,D,E（同时D,E中出现主谓不一致的情况），B为正确选项。

平行结构：句子平行
Surface mining is safer, quicker, and cheaper than deeper mining, but thegreater is its toll in human misery.

(A) the greater is its toll in human misery
(B) it has a greater human misery toll
(C) in its human misery toll it is greater
(D) there is the greater toll in human misery
(E) its toll in human misery is greater

题干语法无错误，剩余选项也很难排除，但注意句子的核心结构，便不难发现E为最佳答案（surface mining is safer….【主系表结构】与its toll..is greater【主系表结构】保持平行），A为主系表倒装，而题干为划线部分为正常句子结构；同理排除C；B为主谓宾句型、D为there be句型，均不平行。正确答案E。

虽然句子平行的题目在SAT考试中较少，但对于SAT的写作来讲的确提供了一种很好的结构搭配。比如在Dickens所著的A City of Two Tales这本小说中，第一段映入眼帘的便是一段语气辉煌蓬勃的文字：

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

如果考生能够把握其中的语言特点及搭配模式，那在SAT考官手中的作文分数一定会大大提升的。