Sentence improvement (parallel structure and verb form): make the list of actions grammatically parallel Original sentence: "She cooks, washes dishes, does her homework and then relaxing." Choose the best option that corrects the sentence with consistent verb forms.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: then relaxes

Explanation:

Given data

  • Original list of actions: cooks, washes, does, and relaxing.
  • Task: ensure all items in the coordination have parallel, consistent verb forms.

Concept/ApproachIn coordinated lists, English prefers parallel structure—here, the first three verbs are present simple (third-person singular). The final item must match: present simple relaxes, not the -ing participle relaxing.

Step-by-step reasoningIdentify pattern = present simple (3rd person singular): cooks / washes / does → therefore final item = relaxes.Placement of the temporal connector “then” is fine before the last verb: “… and then relaxes.”

Option analysisthen relaxes — correct parallel verb form and natural word order. ✅relaxing then, then is relaxing, relaxing is then — wrong form/aspect and/or unnatural order.No correction required — incorrect because “relaxing” breaks parallelism.

Common pitfalls

  • Mixing -ing participles with finite verbs in simple lists.

Final AnswerCorrected sentence: “She cooks, washes dishes, does her homework, and then relaxes.”

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