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Which sentence demonstrates an error in parallel structure?

a. neither playing the lottery nor going to the casino is a wise way to spend your money.
b. this new lotion is not only healthy for your skin but also smells like lavender and vanilla.
c. because of the low interest rates, paul wants to either refinance his mortgage or buy a new house.
d. janice won an award at school, so either she will hang it on the wall or rest it on the mantel.

User Svet
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The sentence with a parallel structure error is 'b'. It incorrectly compares an adjective phrase with a clause. For correct parallelism, both elements compared should be similar, such as both being adjectives. The correct option is B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question you've asked is about identifying the sentence that demonstrates an error in parallel structure. Parallel structure, also known as parallelism, involves using similar patterns of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This is often used with coordinating conjunctions like 'and' or 'or', as well as with correlative conjunctions like 'either...or' and 'neither...nor'.

Looking at the sentence options provided, sentence 'b' contains an error in parallel structure because it compares something that is healthy - an adjective phrase ('not only healthy for your skin') - with an unrelated clause ('but also smells like lavender and vanilla'). A correct parallel structure would require both elements to be adjectives or both to be verbs, for instance, 'not only is healthy for your skin but also smells...'

Correcting non-parallel sentences often requires rephrasing to achieve symmetry. For example, the sentence could be revised to: 'This new lotion is not only healthy for your skin but also fragrant with lavender and vanilla.' This ensures that the two compared elements 'healthy' and 'fragrant' are both descriptive of the lotion.

User Ehtesh Choudhury
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