Prallelism

[abhishek.gupta]

GMAT Manhattan Sentence Correction Guide, Chapter 4 , Pg 61, Problem Set, Question #11

Original (WRONG): The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed to both the student body as well as to the administration.

RIGHT (as per Manhattan): The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed to both the student body AND the administration.

My Version: The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed both to the student body AND to the administration.

I know in the ORIGINAL sentence "to both" was not underlined and therefore should not be changed.
But if considered independently, Is "My Version" is grammatically correct?

In general
OPTION A: The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed to BOTH X AND Y.
OPTION B: The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed BOTH TO X AND TO Y.

IS OPTION B grammatically correct? Which one does GMAT prefer? Please throw some light.

regards,
Abhishek

[jlucero]

Both are equally acceptable and just as likely to show up on the GMAT. What I teach students is to add a colon in the sentence and see if all the parallel elements can attach to the main core of the sentence. Example:

I like: to eat, to drink, and to be merry.
or
I like to: eat, drink, and be merry.

Notice how the verbs can each latch on after the colon to make three correct sentences. In your examples (note how we have to place the colon in place of the word "both"):

The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed to (both): the student body AND the administration.
or
The band chosen for annual spring concert appealed (both): to the student body AND to the administration.