Combining & Shaping Sentences
Aligned to L.5.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
You can expand, combine, or shorten sentences to make writing clearer and more interesting. Join short choppy sentences or trim wordy ones.
Worked examples
Example 1
'I have a dog. The dog is brown. The dog runs fast.' becomes 'My fast brown dog loves to run.' — three choppy sentences joined into one smooth one.
Example 2
'It rained. We stayed inside. We played cards.' becomes 'Because it rained, we stayed inside and played cards.'
Example 3
Short sentences are not bad. A row of short ones after a long one creates emphasis — used on purpose, that is a technique.
Practice questions
- Combine two short sentences into one.
- Expand a plain sentence by adding details.
- Shorten a wordy sentence without losing meaning.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Combinar y Formar Oraciones
Puedes ampliar, combinar o acortar oraciones para que tu escritura sea más clara e interesante. Une oraciones cortas y cortadas o recorta las que sobran palabras.
Ejemplo 1: 'Tengo un perro. El perro es café. El perro corre rápido.' se vuelve 'Mi perro café corre muy rápido.' — tres oraciones cortadas unidas en una fluida.
Ejemplo 2: 'Llovió. Nos quedamos adentro. Jugamos cartas.' se vuelve 'Como llovió, nos quedamos adentro y jugamos cartas.'
Ejemplo 3: Las oraciones cortas no son malas. Una serie de cortas después de una larga crea énfasis — usado a propósito, eso es una técnica.
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