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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 22 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.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To make the writing longer
  • B.To use fewer full stops
  • C.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
2.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
3.Which shows a difference between spoken and written English?
  • A.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  • B.Writing is always formal
  • C.Speech uses more commas
4.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.The shortest possible words
  • B.How that person would really speak
  • C.Formal written standard, always
5.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.
6.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.
7.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.
8.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A.Leaving out a full stop
  • B.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • C."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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