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Difficulty: MediumShifts in Construction

Read the sentence below. To maintain a consistent grammatical construction and avoid a shift in voice, which form of the verb 'analyze' should be used to fill in the blank?

Answer:The technician calibrated the sensors, ran the diagnostic software, and 【analyzed】 the final results.

Answer

analyzed
To maintain a consistent construction, the final verb in the list must match the active voice and past tense of the preceding verbs 'calibrated' and 'ran.' The active, past-tense form of 'analyze' is 'analyzed.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical construction of the initial verbs in the list.
The verbs 'calibrated' and 'ran' are in the active voice and simple past tense.
This establishes the active, past-tense pattern that the rest of the list must follow to maintain a parallel construction.
2
Identify the shift in construction that occurs with incorrect verb forms.
Using the passive voice (such as 'were analyzed') or a different verb tense (such as 'analyzes') shifts the sentence construction unnecessarily.
Recognizing the shift helps rule out incorrect verb forms and ensures structural consistency.
3
Determine the correct form of the verb 'analyze' to complete the sequence.
The active, simple past-tense form 'analyzed' completes the sentence consistently.
This form maintains both active voice and past-tense agreement throughout the sentence.

Key Concept

Shifts in Construction (Voice and Tense Consistency)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Shifts in Construction

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