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Difficulty: HardParallel Structure

Arrange the following sentence fragments in the correct order to construct a grammatically correct sentence that maintains parallel structure.

  1. 1To successfully launch the new product, the marketing team must
  2. 2first conduct thorough consumer research,
  3. 3next design targeted advertising campaigns,
  4. 4and finally analyze the initial sales data.

Answer

To successfully launch the new product, the marketing team must first conduct thorough consumer research, next design targeted advertising campaigns, and finally analyze the initial sales data.
The correct order places the introductory main clause first, establishing the modal verb 'must'. The subsequent action steps are arranged chronologically using 'first', 'next', and 'and finally'. Parallel structure is maintained because each of the three steps begins with a base form verb ('conduct', 'design', 'analyze') that correctly completes the auxiliary verb 'must'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory clause that establishes the grammatical framework of the sentence.
The fragment starting with 'To successfully launch...' contains the subject 'the marketing team' and the auxiliary verb 'must'.
This fragment must come first because the subsequent fragments contain base-form verbs that depend on 'must' to form a complete predicate.
2
Order the action fragments chronologically using the transition words.
The transitions 'first', 'next', and 'and finally' dictate a strict sequence of events: consumer research, followed by campaign design, and ending with sales analysis.
Chronological adverbs establish a logical progression of steps that cannot be reordered without creating logical contradictions.
3
Verify the parallel grammatical structure of the listed actions.
Each action fragment begins with a bare infinitive (base form) verb: 'conduct', 'design', and 'analyze'.
Parallelism requires all elements in a series to share the same grammatical form, especially when they all share a single helping verb like 'must'.

Key Concept

Parallel structure in chronological lists of verbs following an auxiliary verb
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Parallel Structure

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