Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow that have propelled automobile companies' common stocks to new highs,
several industry analysts expect automakers, in order to conserve cash, to set dividends more conservatively than they were.

A) to set dividends more conservatively than they were
B) to set dividends more conservatively than they have been
C) to be more conservative than they have been in setting dividends
D) that they will be more conservative than they were in setting dividends
E) that they will be more conservative than they have been to set dividends

When is it OK to omit the verb and when is it not? Here, it is not ok but I've seen examples that allows it. I am taller than my brother (is). I run faster than John (does). I know more about sports than my brother does. (Sport is omitted cuz its implied. sport knowledge is being compared). Here, B is not ambiguous because it's not comparing they with the action of setting dividend. I am most likely confused here because I might be thinking wrongly about what is supposed to be parallel here. The parallel item could be conservatively then that is the actual word that is omitted.


1) I know more about sports than my brother does
2) I know more about sports than my brother knows (sports implied????)
3) I know more about sports than my brother does know (redudant? what's the meaning here?)
4) I want to run faster than I have (what's implied here?)
5) I want to run faster than I have been (Parallel structure is 1) faster ? 2) to run? 3) to run faster?)