How Sentences Connect is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on sorting linked sentences by cause and effect, comparison or sequence, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.8. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

One paper per student

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

How Sentences Connect

RI.3.8

NameDate

Sort each one into the right box.

1.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: The top millstone turns; the bottom one does not., Like the swallow, the salmon returns to where it was born., Because E is so common, it was given a single dot., The salmon does not eat, so it grows thin on the climb., First the boat enters the lock. Next the lower gate closes., A starter culture is added first. Then rennet is added.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

2.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: Nobody had looked after the violin, so the bridge came loose., A dash is three times as long as a dot., In the fall the swallows fly south. The following spring they return., The heat sets the gluten, so the bubbles are locked in., The whey is drained off. After that, the curds are pressed., Raised letters were slow, while braille dots fit under one fingertip.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

3.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: Q is rare and long, whereas E is common and short., Before the upper gate opens, the water must reach the level above., Swallows travel by day, but many other birds travel at night., After the yeast wakes up, it begins to feed on the sugars., The gluten traps the gas, and as a result the dough swells., Raised letters were slow to read, so Braille wanted something better.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

LessonPrint · RI.3.8 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How Sentences Connect

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A starter culture is added first. Then rennet is added. — Sequence 2. Because E is so common, it was given a single dot. — Cause and effect 3. First the boat enters the lock. Next the lower gate closes. — Sequence 4. Like the swallow, the salmon returns to where it was born. — Comparison 5. The salmon does not eat, so it grows thin on the climb. — Cause and effect 6. The top millstone turns; the bottom one does not. — Comparison
2.1. A dash is three times as long as a dot. — Comparison 2. In the fall the swallows fly south. The following spring they return. — Sequence 3. Nobody had looked after the violin, so the bridge came loose. — Cause and effect 4. Raised letters were slow, while braille dots fit under one fingertip. — Comparison 5. The heat sets the gluten, so the bubbles are locked in. — Cause and effect 6. The whey is drained off. After that, the curds are pressed. — Sequence
3.1. After the yeast wakes up, it begins to feed on the sugars. — Sequence 2. Before the upper gate opens, the water must reach the level above. — Sequence 3. Q is rare and long, whereas E is common and short. — Comparison 4. Raised letters were slow to read, so Braille wanted something better. — Cause and effect 5. Swallows travel by day, but many other birds travel at night. — Comparison 6. The gluten traps the gas, and as a result the dough swells. — Cause and effect

More practice for RI.3.8

Name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next.

Teaching this next? How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.3.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.