16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardParallelism in a series of verbs

Standard English Conventions practice question

The volunteers cleared the drain, rebuilt the culvert, and ____ the path with gravel.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. surfacedCorrect
  2. B. surfacing
  3. C. to surface
  4. D. have surfaced

Answer: A. surfaced

'Cleared … rebuilt … surfaced': three past-tense verbs in parallel.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. surfacing
'Surfacing' breaks the parallel.
C. to surface
'To surface' breaks the parallel.
D. have surfaced
'Have surfaced' switches tense.

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