What term describes pairs of words that connect sentence elements of equal rank?

The correct term that describes pairs of words that connect sentence elements of equal rank is "correlative." Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join words, phrases, or clauses that have equal grammatical importance within a sentence. Examples of correlative conjunctions include "either...or," "neither...nor," "both...and," and "not only...but also."

This type of conjunction is specifically designed to maintain the balance and structure within sentences, ensuring that elements being connected are on the same grammatical level. By using correlative conjunctions, a writer can enhance clarity and coherence in their writing, allowing readers to easily follow the relationships between ideas or elements.

In contrast, subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, leading to structures where one clause is less important than the other. Coordinating conjunctions connect single words or groups of words but do not necessarily appear in pairs as correlative conjunctions do. Conjunctive adverbs serve to connect independent clauses and show relationships like contrast or addition but are also not in pairs. Thus, "correlative" accurately captures the concept of pairs of conjunctions joining elements of equal grammatical rank.