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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 students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 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

Circle the right answer.

1.Combine using a word that shows contrast: "It was sunny. It was cold."
  • A.It was sunny, it was cold.
  • B.It was sunny but cold.
  • C.It was sunny so cold.
2.Which sentence is wordy and needs reducing?
  • A.The play was good.
  • B.I think the play was good.
  • C.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
3.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.
4.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
  • B.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a Friday.
  • C.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
5.Reduce: "The reason why we were late was because the bus was late." Which is best?
  • A.The reason why we were late was the reason the bus was late.
  • B.We were late. Because the bus. It was late.
  • C.We were late because the bus was late.
6.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.To make the writing longer
  • B.Because short sentences are always wrong
  • C.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
7.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.When you want the statement to land hard
  • B.Only at the start of a paragraph
  • C.Never
8.Reduce: "The big, large, huge elephant walked slowly and not fast." Which is best?
  • A.The big large elephant walked.
  • B.The elephant, which was huge and large, walked slowly and not fast.
  • C.The huge elephant walked slowly.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It was sunny but cold.
  2. 2.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  3. 3.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  4. 4.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  5. 5.We were late because the bus was late.
  6. 6.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  7. 7.When you want the statement to land hard
  8. 8.The huge elephant walked slowly.

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.