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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 20 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.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
2.Combine using a word that shows contrast: "It was sunny. It was cold."
  • A.It was sunny but cold.
  • B.It was sunny, it was cold.
  • C.It was sunny so cold.
3.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.
4.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
5.Reduce: "The reason why we were late was because the bus was late." Which is best?
  • A.We were late. Because the bus. It was late.
  • B.We were late because the bus was late.
  • C.The reason why we were late was the reason the bus was late.
6.Expand "The dog barked." to tell why. Which is best?
  • A.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  • B.The dog, a dog, barked.
  • C.The dog barked and barked.
7.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 fox looked. Hungry for food.
  • C.The hungry fox looked for food.
8.Expand "The ship sailed." to tell when and where. Which is best?
  • A.The ship, a ship, sailed.
  • B.At dawn, the ship sailed out of the bay.
  • C.The ship sailed and sailed.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.When you want the statement to land hard
  2. 2.It was sunny but cold.
  3. 3.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  4. 4.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  5. 5.We were late because the bus was late.
  6. 6.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  7. 7.The hungry fox looked for food.
  8. 8.At dawn, the ship sailed out of the bay.

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.