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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 17 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 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
2.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.
3.Combine: "The bell hung in a barn. It was green with damp." Which is best?
  • A.Green with damp the bell hung in a barn.
  • B.The bell hung in a barn and it was green with damp and it was there a long time.
  • C.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
4.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • B."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
  • C.Leaving out a full stop
5.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  • B.To use fewer full stops
  • C.To make the writing longer
6.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
  • B.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  • C.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
7.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.The shortest possible words
  • B.Formal written standard, always
  • C.How that person would really speak
8.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Only at the start of a paragraph
  • B.Never
  • C.When you want the statement to land hard

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  2. 2.She said yes. Eventually.
  3. 3.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  4. 4."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
  5. 5.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  6. 6.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  7. 7.How that person would really speak
  8. 8.When you want the statement to land hard

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