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Complex Sentences
Sentence Combining
Four Types of Sentences /
Compound-Complex Sentences
Misplaced Modifiers
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An overview of different types of sentences, including simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences. It explains the structure of each type of sentence and provides examples. The document also includes exercises where the reader is asked to combine sentences using various techniques, such as sharing important words, joining sentences, and adding dependent clauses. The goal of the document is to help the reader improve their sentence-combining skills and create more complex and varied sentences in their writing.
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Complex Sentences
Sentence Combining
Four Types of Sentences /
Compound-Complex Sentences
Misplaced Modifiers
Grammar Standards - Unit 2
___________________________
Student
Mastery Non-Mastery
1. Complex Sentences
2. Sentence Combining
3. Four Types of Sentences / Compound-Complex Sentences
4. Misplaced Modifiers
Grammar Standards - Unit 2
___________________________
Student
Mastery Non-Mastery
1. Complex Sentences
2. Sentence Combining
3. Four Types of Sentences / Compound-Complex Sentences
4. Misplaced Modifiers
Name: ____________________
Directions: Write “Dependent Clause” under the dependent clause and “Independent
Clause” under the independent clause. Circle the subordinate conjunction.
1. The mailman wouldn’t deliver our mail after my dog bit him in the leg.
Independent Clause Dependent Clause
2. Because we were all so tired, we decided to go home early.
3. Unless we do all of our homework, we won’t be able to play.
4. My dog waited at the door for us until we got home.
5. Although none of us wanted to leave, we had to be home before midnight.
6. If Charlie doesn’t stop teasing that dog, the dog is going to bite him.
7. We took pictures while the monkeys swung from the trees.
8. Whenever my sister gets in trouble, my dad makes her weed the garden.
9. Once school starts, you need a pass to get into your class.
10. Before you accuse someone of stealing your pencil, make sure it isn’t just lost.
11. I had to go to the dentist because my back tooth started to hurt.
12. After I finished my project, I asked my dad to check it for mistakes.
13. If I had hit the ball five more feet, it would have been a homerun.
14. We could not go to the movies until my baby sister woke up from her nap.
15. Alice played the piano while Mary played her flute.
Extension: Use each subordinate conjunction below in a complex sentence. Skip lines. When finished, write “Independent Clause” under the independent clauses and “Dependent Clause” below the dependent clauses. after because before if once unless when wherever whether while
Name: ____________________
Directions: Write a dependent clause that turns the simple sentence into a complex
sentence. Use the subordinate conjunctions in the extension below for ideas.
1. __ While we sang at the concert __ , parents recorded the show with their video cameras.
2. ___________________________________ , we will be going to camp.
3. ___________________________________ , Dad changed the flat tire.
4. The police searched every house ________________________________________.
5. I like to eat cotton candy __________________________________________.
6. ___________________________________, you can go to the movies on Saturday.
7. ___________________________________ , everyone stopped what they were doing.
8. We talked on the phone for hours ____________________________________.
9. We had a hard time finding our way home ___________________________________.
10. ___________________________________ , the girls did each others’ hair.
11. ___________________________________ , we’ll have to take two cars.
12. ___________________________________ , we sang camp songs for hours.
13. Dawn and I couldn’t stop giggling ___________________________________.
14. We stared into space with our mouths wide open ______________________________.
15. Timmy hopped from one foot to the other ___________________________________.
Extension: Your dog has escaped and wants to play hide and seek. It’s your job to track him down. Write a one paragraph story about your attempts to catch him. Use at least three ( 3 ) complex sentences. Use the subordinate conjunctions below for ideas. after as because before if once since so unless when whenever wherever whether while
Name: ____________________
Being able to combine sentences can help you write more smoothly. Many times you
can say things in one sentence better than you can say them in two. These worksheets will
help you practice sentence combining. Pay close attention to the new sentences created so
you can start making longer, smoother sentences.
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences into one smooth
sentence. You will need to share important words to combine these sentences.
Remember, there may be many ways to combine each of these sentences.
1. The high school band gave a concert. It lasted for an hour.
2. Mom bought me a shirt. Next, she bought me some shoes. She bought me pants.
3. I received a letter from my friend Ashley. It was three pages long.
4. We waited for Paul. We waited for Peter. We waited for Mary.
5. Gina made a cake for her dad’s birthday. The cake was chocolate with sprinkles.
6. We found a puppy wandering the streets. It was small with black spots.
7. This week in class I wrote a poem. Also, I wrote a song. Then, I wrote a story.
8. My cat can climb a tree. She can climb a fence. She can climb anything else she wants.
9. He was upset about his toy. It was broken.
10. When you draw a clown, be sure to give it a funny nose. Also, give it a big mouth.
Then give it wide eyes.
Sentence Combining Tricks
1. Sharing Important Words 2. Making Phrases 3. Join Sentences Sometimes you can eliminate needless sentences by taking key words from other sentences and putting them into one sentence. Look at the samples below:
Two Sentences: The milk spoiled. It was two weeks old.
Combined Sentence: The two week old milk spoiled.
Several Sentences: The water was cold. The water was dirty. The water was polluted.
Combined Sentence: The water was cold, dirty, and polluted.
Name: ____________________
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences into one smooth
sentence. You will need to take phrases from one sentence and add them to the
other sentence. Remember, there may be many ways to combine each of these
sentences.
1. Francisco is my neighbor. We walk to school together every day.
2. Kyle threw the ball. It went into the bushes.
3. Tim scored twenty points in our game last week. Tim is our captain.
4. The students enjoyed signing each others’ yearbooks. They signed them under the tree.
5. The Battling Butterflies won the championship. They are my sister’s softball team.
6. We drove all the way to Flagstaff. We rode in our Chevy Venture.
7. Chuck carried the box to the class. It was filled with reading books.
8. Our choir sang “Friends Forever” at graduation. “Friends Forever” was selected by
student council.
9. All the girls in the class gave Antonio a valentine last February. He’s the nicest boy in
the class.
10. Mom went to talk to our neighbor. She lives across the street.
11. Mr. Derker is my piano teacher. He has been teaching me for three years.
12. Monique wrote a poem. It was about pandas.
Sentence Combining Tricks
- Sharing Important Words 2. Making Phrases 3. Join Sentences Appositives: Sometimes we use an entire sentence describing something, when we could have just used a phrase in another sentence. Example:
Two Sentences: Mr. Jones is my coach. He taught me how to bunt a baseball.
Combined Sentence with Appositive: Mr. Jones, my coach, taught me how to bunt a baseball.
Phrases: Sometimes we can take a phrase from another sentence and use it to combine two sentences.
Several Sentences: Henry went to get some paper. He went down the hall.
Combined Sentence: Henry went down the hall to get some paper.
Name: ____________________
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences into one smooth
sentence. Remember, there may be many ways to combine each of these
sentences.
1. The baby learned how to crawl. She was five months old.
2. I help Mrs. Snodgrass after school. She was my fourth grade teacher.
3. My dad went on a business trip. He went across the country.
4. I bought a hotdog. I ate it under a tree.
5. We had to take a shower. Then we could go in the pool.
6. We went into the park. We went across the field. We went onto the swings.
7. The United States has people from almost every country. It’s the best country in the
world.
8. Mr. Simon corrected our papers. At the same time we drew our illustrations.
9. Amy won the lottery. It was worth a million dollars.
10. Michael collected fifty worms for our fishing trip. He got them from our back yard.
11. I scored twenty points yesterday. We lost anyway.
12. Rex barked at the mailman. Next, he barked at our neighbor. Finally, he barked at me.
13. Our coach is taking us to the batting cages. His name is Mr. Henderson.
14. We cut down our tree. Now there is more room to play.
15. The police officer gave a ticket to the driver. The ticket was for speeding.
16. Our class sang a song at the assembly. It was about America.
17. We can save twenty dollars. We have to sign up for ballet lessons today.
18. Before I could eat I had to wash my hands. Then I had to set the table. Finally, I had
to make the lemonade.
19. Number Blaster will help me with my math. It is a new computer program.
20. We can go on the Ferris wheel. We can go on the Merry-go-round.
Sentence Combining Tricks
1. Sharing Important Words 2. Making Phrases 3. Join Sentences
Name: ____________________
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences into one smooth
sentence. Remember, there may be many ways to combine each of these
sentences.
1. We had pizza for dinner. It was pepperoni.
2. Shirley is the captain of our cheer team. She created several new cheers for us.
3. We had to search for our lost ball. It rolled into the bushes.
4. We made chocolate cake for the class. It melted in the car.
5. Mikea won a new bicycle. She sold more cookies than anyone.
6. The barber washed my hair. Then he cut it. Finally, he styled it.
7. Peanut was eaten by Slim. Peanut was my mouse and Slim is my snake.
8. My baby sister cries. She does that whenever my mom leaves the house.
9. The boy rode his bike without his training wheels. He was five years old.
10. I went swimming at the beach. I stayed in the water for an hour.
11. I had to hide my new game from my brother. It had to be in a very safe place.
12. The fireman connected the hose. Next, he dragged it to the house. Then, he turned on
the water.
13. We’re going to the movies. We’ll go after I mow the lawn.
14. You can play on the swings. You can skate around the park.
15. We jumped into the water and jumped right back out. The water was cold.
16. Mrs. Trigs is my math teacher. She explains fractions very well.
17. We had to go to another store to find the video. The store was all the way across town.
18. The doctor took my temperature. He checked my throat. He gave me some medicine.
19. Our class will have a pizza party. We all need to do our homework for a month.
20. The first forty people received free posters. The people had to be wearing red.
Sentence Combining Tricks
1. Sharing Important Words 2. Making Phrases 3. Join Sentences
- Dependent Clauses: ( when the students took their seats ) ( which was in room 304 ) The class started, and the teacher began to teach.
- Dependent Clause: ( if the weather is bad ) We’ll go camping, or we might stay in a hotel.
- Dependent Clauses: ( because he had to go to a meeting ) ( when class started ) The students were ready, but the teacher was late.
- Dependent Clauses: ( when his parents came home ) ( so we could have more fun ) The party ended, and we went to Tom’s house.
- Dependent Clause: ( until the people left the theater ) We bought our tickets, but we couldn’t go in.
- Dependent Clause: ( that went over the center field fence ) He hit a homerun, and the Dodgers won the game.
- Dependent Clauses: ( while I do my work ) ( when I get home ) You can play in the park, or you can go swimming.
- Dependent Clauses: ( so she’d be ready to win ) ( when she arrived at the field ) The girl put on her cleats, and she warmed up for twenty minutes.
Name: ___________________ Directions: Write a dependent clause that turns the compound sentence into a compound-complex sentence. Use the subordinate conjunctions in the extension below for ideas.
- __ While my mom baked the cake __ she whistled a song, and I hummed along.
- We went to the store _______________________________________, and my dad bought me a bike _______________________________________________________________________.
- The cat will drink the milk ________________________________________, or it will drink the milk _______________________________________________________________________.
- ______________________________________ the cars will warm up their engines, and they will race off the starting line ________________________________________________________.
- The girls sat in the grass _______________________________________, and they told stories ____________________________________________________________________.
- ___________________________________________ the snake came out of the hole, but it wasn’t able to eat _____________________________________________________________________.
- The band played a song ________________________________________, and crowd went crazy.
- ___________________________________________ we had to call to say we’d be late, but no one was home _____________________________________________________________________.
- You can sing a solo ____________________________________________, or you can sing with the choir ________________________________________________________.
- Amy cleans the board ______________________________________________, and she empties the trash ____________________________________________________________________. Extension: Write three ( 3 ) compound sentences. Next, turn them into compound-complex sentences by adding dependent clauses. Use the subordinate conjunctions below for ideas. after as because before if once since so unless when whenever wherever whether while
Name: ___________________ Directions: The sentences below are either simple, complex, compound or compound-complex sentences. Read the sentence then circle the letter below that describes the sentence.
1. When the work is finished, we’re going to go out for pizza. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 2. We were hungry, but dinner wasn’t ready yet. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 3. The puppy jumps into my lap whenever he wants to play, and licks my face. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 4. The birds were playing in our pool. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 5. Ken mowed the lawn, and Jeff washed the car. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 6. The beautiful dancer walked across the stage to accept the flowers from the director. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 7. We have fun whenever my cousins come over, but they won’t visit us until they sell their house. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 8. We had to stop swimming because it started to rain. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 9. There is a big box of old baby clothes in the back of the closet. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence 10. The boys played while the girls painted, and everyone had a good time. A. Simple Sentence B. Complex Sentence C. Compound Sentence D. Compound-complex Sentence Extension: Write two ( 2 ) simple sentences, two ( 2 ) complex sentences, two ( 2 ) compound sentences and two ( 2 ) compound-complex sentences about things that happen during the holidays. Below are some subordinate conjunctions to help. after as because before if once since so unless when whenever wherever whether while
Name: ____________________
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences so that they
are not confusing.
1. Singing in the shower, I heard my dad.
2. My teacher is a tall, skinny man with a mustache weighing only one hundred and fifty
pounds.
3. Walking to school, the sky looked like it was going to rain.
4. When throwing a fit, Mom puts my baby sister in time-out.
5. The bird we saw suddenly flew away.
6. Our dog has a pink tongue and a long tail who barks a lot.
7. Flying the kite, the trees got in the way.
8. When he sucks his thumb, my dad knows it’s time to put my baby brother to bed.
9. The ice-cream she made quickly melted in the sun.
10. Riding my bike, the police car passed by me.
11. When they need to be punished, the teachers make the students stay after school.
12. Ordering the food, the waiter asked if I wanted fries.
Do you notice anything funny about this sentence?
Running down the street, I watched my dog.
According to this sentence, who is running down the street? Was I running down the street or was the dog? The phrase “Running down the street” describes ( modifies ) the word dog. However, because of the way it was used, the reader is unsure about who is being described. The sentence needs to be rewritten:
I watched my dog as he ran down the street.
Name _____________________
I. Simple and Complete Subjects and Predicates
Use any literature book to find examples of the items below: A. Copy any sentence that is ten ( 10 ) words or longer.
- The simple subject of the sentence is ______________ 2. The predicate is ______________________
- Complete Subject: _________________ 4. Complete Predicate _____________________________
II. Phrases and Clauses
A. Find three phrases:
- _______________________ 2. _______________________ 3. _______________________ B. Find three dependent clauses:
C. Find three subordinate conjunctions:
- __________________ 2. __________________ 3. __________________
III. Types of Sentences
A. Find a compound sentence. Copy it below:
B. Find a complex sentence. Copy it below:
C. Find an imperative. Copy it below: