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

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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.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.
2.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To use fewer full stops
  • B.To make the writing longer
  • C.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
3.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  • B.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
  • C.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
4."He would rather not say." Why might a writer report this instead of quoting it?
  • A.To save space
  • B.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  • C.Because quotations are banned
5.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Only at the start of a paragraph
  • B.When you want the statement to land hard
  • C.Never
6.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.Formal written standard, always
  • B.How that person would really speak
  • C.The shortest possible words
7.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.
8.Why does a report avoid the first person?
  • A.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them
  • B.Because "I" is informal
  • C.Because reports must be long

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.She said yes. Eventually.
  2. 2.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  3. 3.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  4. 4.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  5. 5.When you want the statement to land hard
  6. 6.How that person would really speak
  7. 7.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  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.