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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 3 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.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.
3.Which sentence uses its punctuation to create a pause for effect?
  • A.She said yes eventually and that was that.
  • B.She, said, yes.
  • C.She said yes. Eventually.
4."He would rather not say." Why might a writer report this instead of quoting it?
  • A.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  • B.To save space
  • C.Because quotations are banned
5.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
6.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.
7.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • B.Leaving out a full stop
  • C."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
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 3 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.When you want the statement to land hard
  2. 2.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  3. 3.She said yes. Eventually.
  4. 4.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  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."I were sat there" in some northern English varieties
  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.