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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 5 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.Combine: "The bell hung in a barn. It was green with damp." Which is best?
  • A.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  • B.Green with damp the bell hung in a barn.
  • C.The bell hung in a barn and it was green with damp and it was there a long time.
2.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Never
  • B.When you want the statement to land hard
  • C.Only at the start of a paragraph
3.Why does a report avoid the first person?
  • A.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them
  • B.Because reports must be long
  • C.Because "I" is informal
4.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
5.Which sentence uses its punctuation to create a pause for effect?
  • A.She said yes eventually and that was that.
  • B.She said yes. Eventually.
  • C.She, said, yes.
6.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.Formal written standard, always
  • B.The shortest possible words
  • C.How that person would really speak
7.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
8.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
  • B.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  • C.The mill, which was a mill, closed.

LessonPrint · W.5.4 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand and Combine Sentences

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  2. 2.When you want the statement to land hard
  3. 3.Because it presents events rather than one person's experience of them
  4. 4.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  5. 5.She said yes. Eventually.
  6. 6.How that person would really speak
  7. 7.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  8. 8.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.

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