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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 23 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.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Never
  • B.Only at the start of a paragraph
  • C.When you want the statement to land hard
2.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
  • B.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • C.Leaving out a full stop
3."He would rather not say." Why might a writer report this instead of quoting it?
  • A.Because quotations are banned
  • B.To save space
  • C.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
4.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  • B.To make the writing longer
  • C.To use fewer full stops
5.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  • B.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
  • C.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
6.Which sentence uses its punctuation to create a pause for effect?
  • A.She, said, yes.
  • B.She said yes. Eventually.
  • C.She said yes eventually and that was that.
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 reports must be long
  • B.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them
  • C.Because "I" is informal

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.When you want the statement to land hard
  2. 2."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
  3. 3.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  4. 4.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  5. 5.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  6. 6.She said yes. Eventually.
  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.