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Question

Difficulty: EasyParallel Structure

A writer wants to construct a logically ordered sentence about a committee's project steps while maintaining parallel grammatical structure. Order the following sentence segments to build this sentence, starting with the introductory clause.

  1. 1Before starting the initiative, the committee focused on
  2. 2drafting the initial proposal,
  3. 3securing the necessary funding,
  4. 4and executing the project plan.

Answer

The sentence segments must be ordered: 'Before starting the initiative, the committee focused on', followed by 'drafting the initial proposal,', then 'securing the necessary funding,', and finally 'and executing the project plan.'
The correct order begins with the main clause 'Before starting the initiative, the committee focused on' to establish the grammatical structure. It is followed by the parallel gerund phrases in chronological order: 'drafting the initial proposal,' then 'securing the necessary funding,' and ending with 'and executing the project plan.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the segment that contains the main subject and verb to introduce the sentence.
'Before starting the initiative, the committee focused on' must come first because it provides the introductory main clause and ends with the preposition 'on'.
This sets up the grammatical frame for the subsequent list of parallel activities that will follow the preposition.
2
Arrange the remaining gerund phrases in a logical chronological sequence.
The logical progression of a project is first drafting the proposal, then securing funding, and finally executing the plan.
Chronological and logical flow dictates that a proposal must be written before funding is secured, and funding must be secured before the plan is executed.
3
Verify that all items in the list maintain parallel grammatical structure.
The sequence 'drafting...', 'securing...', and 'executing...' consists entirely of parallel gerund phrases.
This satisfies the rules of parallel structure by using the same grammatical form (-ing verbs) for all items in the series.

Key Concept

Parallel structure requires that items in a series or list follow the same grammatical form (e.g., all gerunds, all infinitives, or all clauses) to maintain clarity and rhythm.
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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