Which sentence uses proper parallel structure?

Which sentence uses proper parallel structure?

• A. The study examined, analyzed, and reported the results clearly.
• B. The study examined, analyzed, and reporting the results clearly.
• C. The study examined, analyzing, and report the results clearly.
• D. The study examining, analyzing, and reporting the results clearly.

Answer: (A)

Parallel structure means keeping the same grammatical form within a list of items. In this sentence, the actions are presented as three verbs in the simple past—examined, analyzed, and reported—so they match each other and the subject The study. That consistency makes the sentence clear and balanced. The other options break this symmetry in different ways. One mixes past tense with a gerund form (reporting), so the sequence isn’t uniform. Another uses a present participle (analyzing) alongside a base form (report), creating an inconsistency in the verbal forms. The last option shifts to participles after the subject, which changes the structure from a straightforward predicate sequence to a different grammatical pattern. Because all three actions are expressed with the same verb form, the sentence achieves proper parallel structure.

Parallel structure means keeping the same grammatical form within a list of items. In this sentence, the actions are presented as three verbs in the simple past—examined, analyzed, and reported—so they match each other and the subject The study. That consistency makes the sentence clear and balanced.

The other options break this symmetry in different ways. One mixes past tense with a gerund form (reporting), so the sequence isn’t uniform. Another uses a present participle (analyzing) alongside a base form (report), creating an inconsistency in the verbal forms. The last option shifts to participles after the subject, which changes the structure from a straightforward predicate sequence to a different grammatical pattern.

Because all three actions are expressed with the same verb form, the sentence achieves proper parallel structure.