Skip to content
LessonPrint

Expand and Combine Sentences is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on building sentences that show how ideas relate, aligned to Common Core standard W.5.4. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 10 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per pupil

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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

Expand and Combine Sentences

W.5.4

NameDate

Tick the right answer.

1.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To make the writing longer
  • B.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  • C.To use fewer full stops
2.Combine: "The bell hung in a barn. It was green with damp." Which is best?
  • A.The bell hung in a barn and it was green with damp and it was there a long time.
  • B.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  • C.Green with damp the bell hung in a barn.
3.Which sentence uses its punctuation to create a pause for effect?
  • A.She, said, yes.
  • B.She said yes eventually and that was that.
  • C.She said yes. Eventually.
4.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
  • B.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
  • C.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
5."He would rather not say." Why might a writer report this instead of quoting it?
  • A.Because quotations are banned
  • B.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  • C.To save space
6.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Never
  • B.When you want the statement to land hard
  • C.Only at the start of a paragraph
7.Which shows a difference between spoken and written English?
  • A.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  • B.Speech uses more commas
  • C.Writing is always formal
8.Why does a report avoid the first person?
  • A.Because reports must be long
  • B.Because "I" is informal
  • C.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  2. 2.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  3. 3.She said yes. Eventually.
  4. 4.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  5. 5.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  6. 6.When you want the statement to land hard
  7. 7.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  8. 8.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.5.4 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.