a parallel difficulty

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a parallel difficulty" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a situation or problem that is similar or analogous to another difficulty being addressed. Example: "In addition to the financial issues, we are facing a parallel difficulty with staffing shortages that need to be resolved."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

A parallel difficulty was widely thought to afflict Marx's conception of the relationship between social structure and political and legal superstructure.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

And, although Staudacher does not provide an analogous case for physicalism, it seems that parallel difficulties are constructable.

SEP

To avoid a practice effect, a parallel version of equivalent difficulty was created by shifting each piece to the right.

Diabetes Care

When a specific task response was missing, we imputed the information from the report of extreme difficulty to a parallel item from the late life disability questionnaire for 117 (7%) participants.

British Medical Journal

Three scenarios were developed by reflecting on the findings of a parallel study focused on the difficulties doctors face in their communication with chronic pain patients [ 46].

BMC Medical Education

To overcome with this difficulty, Bnouhachem and Hamdi [18] proposed a parallel descent LQP alternating direction method for solving SVI.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

The load inside the potential island (local load) is designed as a parallel RLC circuit as these types of loads pose the greatest difficulty in ID.

Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems

The difficulty Kennedy encountered was when he tried to get a parallel ambition under way, and write short stories drawing on some of the more lurid events he had reported on.

The Guardian - Books

A parallel processing advantage would be especially pertinent in our study given the difficulty of the task.

Plosone

A difficulty, however, is that MCMC algorithms are serial by nature and do not easily migrate onto a parallel system.

Genetics, Selection, Evolution

A parallel scheme to the Freedom Pass, known as the Taxicard, provides subsidized door-to-door transport for people who have difficulty in using public transport.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a parallel difficulty", ensure the connection between the two difficulties is clear to the reader. Explicitly state how they are similar or related to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "a parallel difficulty" when the issues are completely unrelated or only superficially similar. Ensure a genuine, underlying connection exists for the phrase to be appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a parallel difficulty" functions as a noun phrase. It identifies a specific type of problem or challenge that bears resemblance to another, already identified difficulty. As confirmed by Ludwig, the structure is grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

25%

Encyclopedias

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

10%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a parallel difficulty" is a grammatically correct noun phrase used to describe a problem analogous to another. While considered grammatically sound, its use is relatively rare. It finds application across various contexts, particularly in science, encyclopedias, and news media, where drawing comparisons between distinct but related problems is useful. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in English. When employing this phrase, ensure the connection between the difficulties is evident to your audience. More common alternatives include "a similar problem" or "an analogous challenge".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a similar problem

Uses "problem" instead of "difficulty", indicating a challenge to be overcome.

an analogous challenge

Replaces "difficulty" with "challenge" and uses "analogous" instead of "parallel", implying a corresponding but distinct issue.

a comparable issue

Substitutes "difficulty" with "issue" and "parallel" with "comparable", suggesting a similar matter needing attention.

a related predicament

Replaces "difficulty" with "predicament", implying a difficult or unpleasant situation and uses "related" as a replacement of "parallel".

a corresponding setback

Uses "setback" instead of "difficulty", indicating a hindrance or obstacle.

a mirrored hardship

Replaces "difficulty" with "hardship" which refers to something that causes suffering or difficulty; a condition that is hard to bear and uses "mirrored" instead of "parallel".

a duplicate predicament

Replaces "difficulty" with "predicament", implying a difficult or unpleasant situation and uses "duplicate" as a replacement of "parallel".

a corresponding complication

Substitutes "difficulty" with "complication", indicating something that makes a situation more difficult.

a mirrored obstacle

Replaces "difficulty" with "obstacle", which refers to a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress and uses "mirrored" instead of "parallel".

a recurrent impediment

Replaces "difficulty" with "impediment" suggesting a hindrance or obstruction in doing something and uses "recurrent" instead of "parallel".

FAQs

How can I use "a parallel difficulty" in a sentence?

You can use "a parallel difficulty" to describe a problem or challenge that is similar or analogous to another one being discussed. For example, "In addition to the technical challenges, we're facing "a parallel difficulty" with resource allocation."

What are some alternatives to saying "a parallel difficulty"?

Alternatives to "a parallel difficulty" include "a similar problem", "an analogous challenge", or "a comparable issue" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to use "a parallel difficulty" in formal writing?

Yes, "a parallel difficulty" is grammatically correct and can be used in formal writing, though it's less frequent than other similar phrases. Ensure that the context clearly establishes the connection between the two difficulties.

What distinguishes "a parallel difficulty" from "a related difficulty"?

"A parallel difficulty" implies a structural or analogous similarity between two difficulties, whereas "a related difficulty" simply indicates that the difficulties are connected in some way, without necessarily sharing a similar structure.