Improving the Sentence: Correcting Verb Form for Parallelism

The question asks us to select the best alternative to replace or keep the bracketed part "(clean)" in the sentence: "We kept aside our clothes, (clean) our hiking boots and made sure we had our thick woollen socks."

Let's analyze the structure of the sentence. It describes a series of actions taken in the past:

• We kept aside our clothes
• (clean) our hiking boots
• and made sure we had our thick woollen socks.

Notice that the verbs "kept aside" and "made sure" are both in the simple past tense. When listing a series of actions or items of the same type in a sentence, it's important to use parallel structure (also called parallelism). This means each item in the list should have the same grammatical form.

In this case, the actions are verbs, and they should all be in the same tense to maintain parallelism. Since "kept aside" and "made sure" are in the past tense, the verb describing the action of cleaning the hiking boots must also be in the simple past tense.

Analyzing the Options for Sentence Improvement

Let's look at the given options:

1. Cleaned

   This is the simple past tense form of the verb "to clean". Using "cleaned" maintains the parallel structure with "kept aside" and "made sure". The sentence would read: "We kept aside our clothes, cleaned our hiking boots and made sure we had our thick woollen socks." This structure is grammatically correct and flows well.

2. Cleans

   This is the simple present tense form (used with third-person singular subjects) or a plural noun. It does not match the past tense of the other verbs in the list. Using "cleans" would break the parallel structure.

3. To clean

   This is the infinitive form of the verb. Using the infinitive form here would also break the parallel structure with the simple past tense verbs "kept aside" and "made sure".

4. No improvement

   Keeping "(clean)" as it is (the base form) does not maintain the parallel structure with the past tense verbs "kept aside" and "made sure". Therefore, improvement is needed.

Conclusion on Sentence Improvement

Based on the principle of parallel structure, the verb describing the action of cleaning must be in the simple past tense, just like the other verbs in the list ("kept aside" and "made sure"). The option that provides the simple past tense form is "Cleaned".

Therefore, replacing "(clean)" with "cleaned" makes the sentence grammatically correct by ensuring parallel structure among the listed past actions.

Revision Table: Sentence Improvement and Parallelism

Additional Information: Understanding Parallelism in Grammar

Parallelism is a crucial element of good writing. It helps to make sentences clear, balanced, and easy to read. When items in a list or series are not parallel, the sentence sounds awkward and can be confusing.

Parallel structure can be used with:

• Words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs.
• Example: She is intelligent, creative, and kind (adjectives).
• Phrases: prepositional phrases, participial phrases, infinitive phrases.
• Example: He likes hiking in the mountains, fishing by the river, and camping under the stars (participial phrases).
• Clauses: dependent or independent clauses.
• Example: What you say and what you do are different (noun clauses).

In the given sentence, the parallel elements are verb phrases describing actions: "kept aside our clothes", "(clean) our hiking boots", and "made sure we had our thick woollen socks". To maintain parallelism, the main verb in each phrase needs to be in the same form. Since "kept aside" and "made sure" use simple past tense verbs, "clean" must also be in the simple past tense, which is "cleaned".