Writing - In Either, Or In, or In Either in Or?!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Hey, I can't seem to understand these question that involve either/or neither/nor AND <em>in</em> something.</p>

<p>I mean, I know that the idiom is Either X or Y, or Neither X nor Y.
But when you combine them with IN I get confused. For example:</p>

<p>BB page 193:
18. The revolt against Victorianism was perhaps even more marked in poetry than (either fiction or drama).</p>

<p>A) either fiction or drama
B) either fiction or in drama
C) either in fiction or drama
D) in either fiction or drama
E) in either fiction or in drama</p>

<p>Correct Answer: D.</p>

<p>I understand that A) makes an illogical comparison, so does B) and so does C) [doesn't it?] I get confused between D) and E)</p>

<p>I guess that the IN in D) goes for both things in the either/or, so the second IN in E) is redundant?</p>

<p>Can someone please confirm?</p>

2

<p>Yes, I think it that.</p>

<p>Basically I’d say that if you see that both D and E sound right and seem to have the same meaning, then you should probably pick the shortest.</p>

<p>But if you look again the sentence E does not sound that right. Actually it seems to lack parallelism you see :
If you don’t have a “in” before the first noun then why should you have a “in” before the second one ?</p>

<p>For me it should be either “either in fiction or in drama” or “in either fiction or drama”.</p>

<p>But well I am not 100% sure.</p>

3

<p>Yes I think you’re right.
I think that the first way you revised the sentence would also be acceptable, but it doesn’t appear in the answers. Maybe that’s why.</p>

<p>I see what you say about the parallelism, too.
Thanks :)</p>