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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 23 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 bell hung in a barn. It was green with damp." Which is best?
  • A.The bell hung in a barn and it was green with damp and it was there a long time.
  • B.Green with damp the bell hung in a barn.
  • C.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
2.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
3.Combine using a word that shows contrast: "It was sunny. It was cold."
  • A.It was sunny so cold.
  • B.It was sunny but cold.
  • C.It was sunny, it was cold.
4.Which sentence is wordy and needs reducing?
  • A.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  • B.The play was good.
  • C.I think the play was good.
5.Combine: "Maya won the race. She had trained for months." Which is best?
  • A.Maya won the race, she had trained for months.
  • B.Maya had trained for months and won and the race.
  • C.Maya won the race because she had trained for months.
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 barked and barked.
  • C.The dog, a dog, barked.
7.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.
8.Expand "The ship sailed." to tell when and where. Which is best?
  • A.At dawn, the ship sailed out of the bay.
  • B.The ship, a ship, sailed.
  • C.The ship sailed and sailed.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The bell, green with damp, hung in a barn.
  2. 2.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  3. 3.It was sunny but cold.
  4. 4.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  5. 5.Maya won the race because she had trained for months.
  6. 6.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  7. 7.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  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.