Question

The county cleared this *path and paved* it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike.

Which of the following alternatives to the stared portion would NOT be acceptable?

path, paving
path and then paved
path before paving
path paved

Answer 1

Let’s look at the options.
The sentence says “ The county cleared this *path and paved* it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike.”

1. The first option would be correct because it’s not grammatically incorrect. The sentence would sound like this:
The county cleared this *path, paving * it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike. There is nothing grammatically incorrect with this option.

2. the second option would also be correct. The sentence would sound like this.
The county cleared this *path and then paved* it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike. This sentence is also grammatically correct.

3. The third option is correct as well. The sentence would sound like this:
The county cleared this *path before paving* it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike. So this option is also grammatically correct.

4. The last option is incorrect, because it is an incomplete sentence. You can see for yourself that it doesn’t make sense.
The county cleared this *path paved* it with packed gravel, so they would have a peaceful place to hike and bike.
So choose this option as it is grammatically incorrect.

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