Download Sentence Combinations

Sentence Combinations
Combining parts of sentences can add variety and interest to your student’s writing. When students are
young, they tend to write very simple, short sentences, which is fine when they are first starting to write.
The following are ways to teach how to combine these short sentences into longer ones, beginning with
the easiest and progressing to more difficult combinations.
Using Coordinate Conjunctions: and, but, or, for, nor, so, yet
Combine sentences with similar subjects or verbs into more complex and interesting sentences. In our
examples below, similar words are underlined; new connecting word is in italics.
 Todd fed the dog. David fed the dog.
Combined: Todd and David fed the dog.
 Charity will make the apple pie. Charity will make the peach cobbler.
Combined: Charity will make apple pie or peach cobbler.
 Aaron drinks the orange juice. Aaron eats the hamburger.
Combined: Aaron drinks the orange juice but eats the hamburger.
Using Key Words
Combine sentences that are about similar subjects by changing nouns to adjectives. To do this, pick
words that are similar to join two shorter sentences. (In our examples, like words are underlined.) Let
words that are different become modifiers (adjectives) rather than subjects or objects. (In our examples,
the “different” words are italicized.)
 The hamster is brown. Bethany adores the hamster.
Combined: Bethany adores the brown hamster.
 The car is in the driveway. The car is parked.
Combined: The parked car is in the driveway.
 Grace works diligently. Grace is doing a lesson.
Combined: Grace works diligently by doing her lesson.
Using Commas
Series of three or more different words can be formed from sentences that use similar words by using
commas. See these examples:
 James likes cars. James likes motorcycles. James likes vans.
Combined: James likes cars, motorcycles, and vans.
 Nate pretends to be a knight. Nate pretends to be a squire. Nate pretends to be a king.
Combined: Nate pretends to be a knight, squire, and king.
Using Semicolons Alone to Join Sentences
Sometimes, two short sentences that are closely related may be joined very simply by a semicolon.
When joining such sentences, you must preserve the two ideas embodied in the sentences intact; both
halves of the new sentence should be complete thoughts.
 My father is a brilliant scholar. He has a real love for teaching.
Combined: My father is a brilliant scholar; he has a real love for teaching.
 Susan loves to help her mother. Her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Combined: Susan loves to help her mother; her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Please note: this section is just a primer for moms on some of the elegant ways to combine shorter sentences. It is meant
to introduce you to this concept so that you can begin to lead your student in these skills. Your students’ grammar programs
will usually contain good information on combining sentences starting in the youngest years, and successive grammar books
should provide practice with more and more complex sentence combination possibilities as they progress.
¶
Levels 2-12
The more you
and your student
learn about
formal
grammar terms
and English
syntax, the easier
it will be to
discuss the
skillful joining
of shorter
setences into
more complex,
elegant ones.
So don’t neglect
the use of
your grammar
handbook just
because you are
using Writing
Aids!
A good grammar
handbook is invaluable to both
you as a teacher
and your student
as a learner!
¶
Do not use conjunctions with semi-colons.
 My father is a brilliant scholar. He has a real love for teaching.
Wrongly Combined: My father is a brilliant scholar; and he has a real love for teaching.
 Susan loves to help her mother. Her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Wrongly Combined: Susan loves to help her mother; but her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Using a Comma and a Coordinating Conjunction
A simple way to join short sentences is to use one of the seven special conjunctions known as
coordinating conjunctions: and, but, nor, or, for, yet, and so. Let’s reuse some of our examples
above and see how we can use different sentence-joining techniques to subtly change sentence
meanings.
 My father is a brilliant scholar. He has a real love for teaching.
Combined: My father is a brilliant scholar, yet he has a real love for teaching.
 Susan loves to help her mother. Her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Combined: Susan loves to help her mother, and her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Using a Semicolon and a Conjunctive Adverb, Followed By a Comma
Using a grammar handbook, look up the longish list of conjunctive adverbs. The key to remember
here is that you place the semicolon, then the conjunctive adverb, then follow that conjunctive
adverb with a comma. (Obviously, this is somewhat advanced grammar, so do not burden students
younger than dialectic-level with these terms.) Take a look at these sentence examples and then play
with substituting others with other similar sentences:
 My father is a brilliant scholar. He has a real love for teaching.
Combined: My father is a brilliant scholar; however, he has a real love for teaching.
 Susan dislikes housework. Her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Combined: Susan dislikes housework; nonetheless, her favorite job is to tidy the kitchen.
Related Subjects For Further Study in your Grammar Handbook:
 Compound sentences
 Complex sentences
 Independent clauses
 Proper use of commas, colons, and semicolons