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Question

Difficulty: MediumParallel Structure

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

  1. 1To launch the new software application, the development team must
  2. 2first write the core source code,
  3. 3then test the system for critical bugs,
  4. 4and finally deploy the release version to the servers.

Answer

To launch the new software application, the development team must first write the core source code, then test the system for critical bugs, and finally deploy the release version to the servers.
The correct order constructs a coherent sentence where the modal verb 'must' is followed by a parallel series of base-form verbs: 'write', 'test', and 'deploy'. The transition words 'first', 'then', and 'finally' establish a clear chronological order that locks the sequence of these parallel elements.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main clause and the governing verb.
The main clause is 'To launch the new software application, the development team must', which ends with the modal verb 'must'. This modal verb requires a base-form verb (bare infinitive) to follow it.
Establishing the main clause is necessary to determine the grammatical constraints for the rest of the sentence.
2
Identify the parallel elements and their grammatical form.
The other fragments contain actions: 'first write the core source code' (verb: 'write'), 'then test the system for critical bugs' (verb: 'test'), and 'and finally deploy the release version to the servers' (verb: 'deploy'). All three verbs are in the base form, which satisfies the parallel structure required after the modal verb 'must'.
Ensuring all items in the series share the same grammatical form (base verbs) is the core rule of parallel structure.
3
Use chronological and transitional markers to determine the correct order.
The adverbs 'first', 'then', and 'finally' indicate a chronological sequence. Therefore, 'first write...' must precede 'then test...', which must precede 'and finally deploy...'.
Transition words and logical sequencing determine the exact order of the parallel elements.

Key Concept

Parallel Structure in Compound Predicates
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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