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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 18 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: "The fox was hungry. The fox looked for food." Which is best?
  • A.The fox was hungry and the fox looked and looked for food.
  • B.The hungry fox looked for food.
  • C.The fox looked. Hungry for food.
2.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 was late.
  • C.We were late. Because the bus. It was late.
3.Expand "The dog barked." to tell why. Which is best?
  • A.The dog, a dog, barked.
  • B.The dog barked and barked.
  • C.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
4.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.Because short sentences are always wrong
5.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.
6.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.
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.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.
8.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.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The hungry fox looked for food.
  2. 2.We were late because the bus was late.
  3. 3.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  4. 4.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  5. 5.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  6. 6.It was sunny but cold.
  7. 7.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  8. 8.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.

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.