Name:________________________ Date:_________________
Combining Sentences With Subordinating Conjunctions
When you write, your writing is more interesting if you can vary sentence structures. One way to vary sentence
structures is to combine thoughts using complex sentences. A complex sentence has one complete sentence, or
independent clause, and one subordinate clause, which has a subject and a verb but doesn’t express a complete
thought. It is not independent because to understand the subordinate clause, you need the information in the
independent clause. Subordinate clauses are connected to the sentence with subordinating conjunctions.
Example: I have to clean my room because mom said so.
The information, “mom said so,” only makes sense when connected to the other sentence.
Combine the short sentences by using the subordinating conjunction provided to create a complex sentence.
1. Finish eating your breakfast. Brush your teeth. After
2. I have to stay for tutoring. I failed the quiz in math. Because
3. We won’t have practice today. It is raining. Since
4. I woke up. I saw that it was snowing! When
5. You eat your vegetables. You cannot have dessert. Until
6. I was taking a quiz in science. The power went out. While
7. You practice. You will not get any better at basketball. Unless
8. The sun rises in the morning. A rooster crows very early. Before
9. You need to study your vocabulary words. You can do well on the quiz. So That
10. You have cookies left over. Can I have one? If
