Practice in Combining and Arranging Sentences
These exercises provide practice in combining various sentence structures and organizing sentences into clear and coherent paragraphs.
What Is Sentence Combining and How Does It Work?
Find out about sentence combining--a friendly (and generally more effective) alternative to traditional grammar instruction. Then begin developing your sentence-combining skills here at About.com Grammar & Composition.
Find out about sentence combining--a friendly (and generally more effective) alternative to traditional grammar instruction. Then begin developing your sentence-combining skills here at About.com Grammar & Composition.
Introduction to Sentence Combining
An introduction to the basic principles and methods of sentence combining.
An introduction to the basic principles and methods of sentence combining.
Sentence Combining #2: New York Is a City of Things Unnoticed
If you have read our Introduction to Sentence Combining, you're now ready to try your hand at combining sentences to form a complete paragraph--an excerpt from the Gay Talese essay "New York Is a City of Things Unnoticed."
If you have read our Introduction to Sentence Combining, you're now ready to try your hand at combining sentences to form a complete paragraph--an excerpt from the Gay Talese essay "New York Is a City of Things Unnoticed."
Sentence Combining #3: Martha's Departure
Combine sentences with adjectives and adverbs to build a coherent narrative paragraph.
Combine sentences with adjectives and adverbs to build a coherent narrative paragraph.
Sentence Combining #4: Composing With Basic Modifiers
This exercise will give you practice in building sentences with the basic modifiers: adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.
This exercise will give you practice in building sentences with the basic modifiers: adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.
Sentence Combining #5: The San Francisco Earthquake
This exercise, which has been adapted from Jack London's account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, offers practice in coordinating different sentence elements in the context of complete paragraphs.
This exercise, which has been adapted from Jack London's account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, offers practice in coordinating different sentence elements in the context of complete paragraphs.
Sentence Combining #6: Composing With Adjective Clauses
If you have read our introduction to sentence combining and practiced building sentences with adjective clauses, you're now ready for this paragraph-building exercise, "Rolling Along with Mr. Bill."
If you have read our introduction to sentence combining and practiced building sentences with adjective clauses, you're now ready for this paragraph-building exercise, "Rolling Along with Mr. Bill."
Sentence Combining #7: Out of the Ice Age
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from two paragraphs in "The Dream Animal," a chapter in Loren Eiseley's book "The Immense Journey" (1957). Sentences that can be turned into adjective clauses are in italics. After you have completed this exercise, compare your work with the edited passage on page two.
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from two paragraphs in "The Dream Animal," a chapter in Loren Eiseley's book "The Immense Journey" (1957). Sentences that can be turned into adjective clauses are in italics. After you have completed this exercise, compare your work with the edited passage on page two.
Sentence Combining #8: How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from two paragraphs in "The Underachieving School," by John Holt. The first paragraph focuses on causes--why and how many children are conditioned to "hate reading." The second paragraph considers the effects of such conditioning. Note that several of Holt's original sentences contain adverb clauses.
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from two paragraphs in "The Underachieving School," by John Holt. The first paragraph focuses on causes--why and how many children are conditioned to "hate reading." The second paragraph considers the effects of such conditioning. Note that several of Holt's original sentences contain adverb clauses.
Sentence Combining #9: The Kitchen
This exercise, adapted from a paragraph in Alfred Kazin's memoir, offers practice in combining sentences to create a descriptive paragraph.
This exercise, adapted from a paragraph in Alfred Kazin's memoir, offers practice in combining sentences to create a descriptive paragraph.
Sentence Combining #10: Mrs. Bridge
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from the final chapter of the novel "Mrs. Bridge," by Evan S. Connell.
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from the final chapter of the novel "Mrs. Bridge," by Evan S. Connell.
Sentence Combining #11: My Home of Yesteryear
This combining exercise has been adapted from the last five paragraphs of the essay "My Home of Yesteryear," a place description composed by a nontraditional student. In the original essay, several of the student's sentences contain participial phrases.
This combining exercise has been adapted from the last five paragraphs of the essay "My Home of Yesteryear," a place description composed by a nontraditional student. In the original essay, several of the student's sentences contain participial phrases.
Sentence Combining #11: Orwell's "A Hanging"
This combining exercise invites you to experiment with a variety of sentence structures.
This combining exercise invites you to experiment with a variety of sentence structures.