Skip to content
LessonPrint

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 25 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next setLesson plan

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.Because short sentences are always wrong
  • B.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  • C.To make the writing longer
2.Expand "The dog barked." to tell why. Which is best?
  • A.The dog, a dog, barked.
  • B.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  • C.The dog barked and barked.
3.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.
4.Combine: "Maya won the race. She had trained for months." Which is best?
  • A.Maya had trained for months and won and the race.
  • B.Maya won the race, she had trained for months.
  • C.Maya won the race because she had trained for months.
5.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.
6.When is a short sentence the better choice?
  • A.Never
  • B.When you want the statement to land hard
  • C.Only at the start of a paragraph
7.Which sentence is expanded most usefully?
  • A.The mill, which had run since 1868, closed on Friday.
  • B.The mill, which was a mill, closed.
  • C.The mill closed on Friday, and it was a 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 sailed and sailed.
  • C.The ship, a ship, sailed.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  2. 2.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  3. 3.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  4. 4.Maya won the race because she had trained for months.
  5. 5.It was sunny but cold.
  6. 6.When you want the statement to land hard
  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.