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Question

Difficulty: EasyParallel Structure

To attract songbirds to your backyard, you should hang a bird feeder, keep a fresh water source, and cleaning the nesting boxes regularly.

Which choice best completes the sentence to maintain parallel structure?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. clean the nesting boxes regularlyAnswer
  3. C
    to clean the nesting boxes regularly
  4. D
    cleaned the nesting boxes regularly

Answer

clean the nesting boxes regularly
The correct choice is the option that reads 'clean the nesting boxes regularly.' The sentence contains a list of three actions that follow the helping verb 'should': 'hang a bird feeder,' 'keep a fresh water source,' and the underlined portion. Because 'hang' and 'keep' are base verbs, the final action in the list must also start with a base verb to maintain parallel structure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the items in the list.
The sentence lists three actions to attract songbirds: 'hang a bird feeder,' 'keep a fresh water source,' and 'cleaning the nesting boxes regularly.'
Recognizing the elements of a series is necessary to analyze their parallel structure.
2
Determine the grammatical form of the correct items in the list.
The first two items in the list, 'hang' and 'keep,' are base verbs following the modal helper verb 'should.'
Identifying the established pattern shows what grammatical form the final item must match.
3
Select the option that matches the established grammatical form.
The option containing the base verb 'clean' maintains the parallel structure.
Parallel structure requires all items in a list to share the same grammatical form.

Key Concept

Parallel structure requires that items in a list or series follow the same grammatical form.
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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