In what situations might a parse error occur in PHP scripts, and how can developers prevent or address this issue effectively?

A parse error in PHP scripts occurs when the PHP interpreter encounters code that does not adhere to the syntax rules of the language, such as missing semicolons, parentheses, or curly braces. To prevent or address this issue effectively, developers should carefully review their code for syntax errors, use an integrated development environment (IDE) with syntax highlighting and error checking features, and enable error reporting in their PHP configuration.

// Example PHP code snippet with proper syntax to prevent parse errors
<?php

// Correct syntax for a simple PHP script
echo "Hello, World!";

?>