There is no compiler error; The program does not execute and/or skips 'getline (cin, anything);'. On top of that the compiler states 'string anything' does not name a type if only set as a global string(before int main()). but apparently that is a different problem since it works fine in this program and not in the original. the program will output three blank lines after selecting 'choice 'y1b' ' or 'choice 'x1b' ' and then loop back to the beginning of the program. My apologies for being cryptic.
cin leaves a newline character that getline interprets as a line. If you're using cin, use cin. If you're using getline, use getline. Do not mix and match unless you're clearing buffers out first.
thank you Moschops, I found that a redundant 'getline (cin,anything);' produced the effect that I desired. I suspect this will not work at higher levels. Thank you for the link, it will be invaluable.