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SENTENCE COMBINING SKILLS
The Need to Combine Sentences
Sentences have to be combined to avoid the monotony that would surely result if all sentences were brief and of equal length. Part of the writer's task is to employ whatever music is available to him or her in language, and part of language's music lies within the rhythms of varied sentence length and structure. Even poets who write within the formal limits and sameness of an iambic pentameter beat will sometimes strike a chord against that beat and vary the structure of their clauses and sentence length, thus keeping the text alive and the reader awake. This section will explore some of the techniques we ordinary writers use to combine sentences.
Compounding Sentences
A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. That means that there are at least two units of thought within the sentence, either one of which can stand by itself as its own sentence. The clauses of a compound sentence are either separated by a semicolon (relatively rare) or connected by a coordinating conjunction (which is, more often than not, preceded by a comma). The two most common coordinating conjunctions are and and but. (The others are or, for, yet , and so. ) This is the simplest technique we have for combining ideas.
Example: Meriwether Lewis is justly famous for his expedition into the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and beyond , but few people know of his contributions to natural science. Lewis had been well trained by scientists in Philadelphia prior to his expedition , and he was a curious man by nature.
Notice that the and does little more than link one idea to another; the but also links, but it does more work in terms of establishing an interesting relationship between ideas. The and is part of the immediate language arsenal of children and of dreams: one thing simply comes after another and the logical relationship between the ideas is not always evident or important. The word but (and the other coordinators) is at a slightly higher level of argument.
Compounding Sentence Elements
Within a sentence, ideas can be connected by compounding various sentence elements: subjects, verbs, objects or whole predicates, modifiers, etc. Notice that when two such elements of a sentence are compounded with a coordinating conjunction (as opposed to the two independent clauses of a compound sentence), the conjunction is usually adequate and no comma is required.
Subjects: When two or more subjects are doing parallel things, they can often be combined as a compounded subject.
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Example: Working together, President Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis convinced Congress to raise money for the expedition.
Objects: When the subject(s) is/are acting upon two or more things in parallel, the objects can be combined.
Example: President Jefferson believed that the headwaters of the Missouri reached all the way to the Canadian border. He also believed that meant he could claim all that land for the United States. President Jefferson believed that the headwaters of the Missouri might reach all the way to the Canadian border and that he could claim all that land for the United States.
Notice that the objects must be parallel in construction: Jefferson believed that this was true and that was true. If the objects are not parallel (Jefferson was convinced of two things: that the Missouri reached all the way to the Canadian border and wanted to begin the expedition during his term in office.) the sentence can go awry.
Verbs: When the subject(s) is/are doing two things at once, ideas can sometimes be combined by compounding verbs and verb forms.
Example: He studied the biological and natural sciences. He learned how to categorize and draw animals accurately. He studied the biological and natural sciences and learned how to categorize and draw animals accurately.
Notice that there is no comma preceding the "and learned" connecting the compounded elements above.
Example: In Philadelphia, Lewis learned to chart the movement of the stars. He also learned to analyze their movements with mathematical precision. In Philadelphia, Lewis learned to chart and analyze the movement of the stars with mathematical precision. OR — In Philadelphia, Lewis learned to chart the stars and analyze their movements with mathematical precision.
(Notice in this second version that we don't have to repeat the "to" of the infinitive to maintain parallel form.)
Modifiers: Whenever it is appropriate, modifiers such as prepositional phrases can be compounded.
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A pregnant, fifteen-year-old Indian woman , Sacagawea, one of the wives of the French fur-trader Charbonneau , accompanied the expedition as a translator.
Notice that in the second sentence above, Sacagawea's name is a parenthetical element (structurally, the sentence adequately identifies her as "a pregnant, fifteen-year-old Indian woman"), and thus her name is set off by commas; Charbonneau's name, however, is essential to the meaning of the sentence (otherwise, which fur-trader are we talking about?) and is not set off by a pair of commas.
Using Participial Phrases to Connect Ideas
A writer can integrate the idea of one sentence into a larger structure by turning that idea into a modifying phrase.
Example: Captain Lewis allowed his men to make important decisions in a democratic manner. This democratic attitude fostered a spirit of togetherness and commitment on the part of Lewis's fellow explorers. Allowing his men to make important decisions in a democratic manner, Lewis fostered a spirit of togetherness and commitment among his fellow explorers.
In the sentence above, the participial phrase modifies the subject of the sentence, Lewis. Phrases like this are usually set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma.
Example: The expeditionary force was completely out of touch with their families for over two years. They put their faith entirely in Lewis and Clark's leadership. They never once rebelled against their authority. Completely out of touch with their families for over two years, the men of the expedition put their faith in Lewis and Clark's leadership and never once rebelled against their authority.
Using Absolute Phrases to Connect Ideas
Perhaps the most elegant — and most misunderstood — method of combining ideas is the absolute phrase. This phrase, which is often found at the beginning of sentence, is made up of a noun (the phrase's "subject") followed, more often than not, by a participle. Other modifiers might also be part of the phrase. There is no true verb in an absolute phrase, however, and it is always treated as a parenthetical element, an introductory modifier, which is set off by a comma.
The absolute phrase might be confused with a participial phrase, and the difference between them is structurally slight but significant. The participial phrase does not contain the subject- participle relationship of the absolute phrase; it modifies the subject of the independent clause that follows. The absolute phrase, on the other hand, is said to modify the entire clause that follows. In the first combined sentence below, for instance, the absolute phrase modifies the subject, Lewis, but it also modifies the verb, telling us "under what conditions" or "in what way"
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or "how" he disappointed the world. The absolute phrase thus modifies the entire subsequent clause and should not be confused with a dangling participle , which must modify the subject which immediately follows.
Example: Lewis's fame and fortune was virtually guaranteed by his exploits. Lewis disappointed the entire world by inexplicably failing to publish his journals. His fame and fortune virtually guaranteed by his exploits, Lewis disappointed the entire world by inexplicably failing to publish his journals. Lewis's long journey was finally completed. His men in the Corps of Discovery were dispersed. Lewis died a few years later on his way back to Washington, D.C., completely alone. His long journey completed and his men in the Corps of Discovery dispersed, Lewis died a few years later on his way back to Washington, D.C., completely alone.
EXERCISES
Directions: In the text-area below each group of sentences, combine all of those sentences into one effective sentence containing only one independent clause. These sentences can be combined in many interesting ways, depending on what idea is put into the independent clause and what ideas are subordinated (and how).
1. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut. It is the second largest city in the state. 2. Hartford was once known as an industrial center. It was the home of several manufacturers. They made firearms, typewriters, bicycles, and even cars. 3. Today, though, several insurance companies make Hartford their home. Aetna, the Travelers, the Hartford, and Cigna are in Hartford. Their home offices are within miles of one another. 4. Manufacturers once took advantage of Hartford's access to the Connecticut River. They also enjoyed Hartford's well-educated workforce. 5. Eventually, cheap labor in the southern states lured manufacturing away from Hartford. Large empty factories were all that was left of Hartford's industrial past. 6. Some of these factories have been torn down. Some of them have been converted to artists' studios.
