16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardPlacing either for parallel structure

Standard English Conventions practice question

The award may be given ____ to a team.

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

  1. A. either to a single author orCorrect
  2. B. to either a single author or
  3. C. either to a single author or else
  4. D. to a single author either or

Answer: A. either to a single author or

"either to a single author or to a team" keeps the two options parallel.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. to either a single author or
"to either a single author or to a team" repeats "to" unevenly.
C. either to a single author or else
"or else to a team" breaks the pairing.
D. to a single author either or
"either or" together is ungrammatical.

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