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Question

Difficulty: EasyParallel Structure

Complete the sentence below to maintain parallel structure by typing the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

Answer:To prepare for the marathon, Marcus planned on running five miles every morning, eating a balanced diet, and (sleep) 【sleeping】 for eight hours each night.

Answer

sleeping
The correct answer is 'sleeping' because it matches the gerund form (-ing) of the other list elements: 'running' and 'eating'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the items in the list to determine the grammatical pattern.
The sentence lists three actions that Marcus planned on doing: 'running five miles every morning,' 'eating a balanced diet,' and a third action involving sleep.
Parallel structure requires that items in a list or series follow the same grammatical form.
2
Analyze the grammatical form of the first two list items.
The first two items, 'running' and 'eating', are gerunds (verb forms ending in -ing).
Establishing the pattern of the existing items dictates the required form for the remaining item.
3
Convert the verb in parentheses to match the established pattern.
The verb 'sleep' must be changed to its gerund form, 'sleeping', to maintain parallel structure with 'running' and 'eating'.
This completes the parallel sequence in a grammatically consistent manner.

Key Concept

Parallel Structure
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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