16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardParallelism in a list of gerunds

Standard English Conventions practice question

A morning on the plot means weeding the beds, watering the tunnels, and ____ the slugs.

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

  1. A. picking offCorrect
  2. B. to pick off
  3. C. that you pick off
  4. D. picked off

Answer: A. picking off

'Weeding … watering … picking off': parallel gerunds.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. to pick off
An infinitive breaks the parallel.
C. that you pick off
A clause breaks the parallel.
D. picked off
A past participle breaks the parallel.

More Standard English Conventions questions

Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.