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Expand, Combine and Reduce is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on reshaping sentences for meaning and interest, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.3. 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 13 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, Combine and Reduce

L.5.3

NameDate

Tick the right answer.

1.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.
2.Which shows a difference between spoken and written English?
  • A.Writing is always formal
  • B.Speech uses more commas
  • C.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
3.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
4."He would rather not say." Why might a writer report this instead of quoting it?
  • A.Because quotations are banned
  • B.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  • C.To save space
5.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.When you want the statement to land hard
  • B.Never
  • C.Only at the start of a paragraph
6.How can you tell a text's structure quickly?
  • A.Look at what each paragraph does, not what it is about
  • B.Count the paragraphs
  • C.Read the last line
7.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.The bell hung in a barn and it was green with damp and it was there a long time.
  • C.Green with damp the bell hung in a barn.
8.Can one text use more than one structure?
  • A.Only in fiction
  • B.No, never
  • C.Yes — a chronological text can contain a comparison

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  2. 2.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  3. 3.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  4. 4.To keep the focus on the refusal rather than the words
  5. 5.When you want the statement to land hard
  6. 6.Look at what each paragraph does, not what it is about
  7. 7.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  8. 8.Yes — a chronological text can contain a comparison

More practice for L.5.3

Expand and combine sentences for meaning, and compare varieties of English.

Teaching this next? Combining Sentences for Style is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.