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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 9 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.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.
2.Reduce: "The big, large, huge elephant walked slowly and not fast." Which is best?
  • A.The elephant, which was huge and large, walked slowly and not fast.
  • B.The huge elephant walked slowly.
  • C.The big large elephant walked.
3.Combine using a word that shows contrast: "It was sunny. It was cold."
  • A.It was sunny so cold.
  • B.It was sunny, it was cold.
  • C.It was sunny but cold.
4.Reduce: "The reason why we were late was because the bus was late." Which is best?
  • A.We were late because the bus was late.
  • B.We were late. Because the bus. It was late.
  • C.The reason why we were late was the reason the bus was late.
5.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
6.Why combine two short sentences into one?
  • A.Because short sentences are always wrong
  • B.To make the writing longer
  • C.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
7.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.
8.Combine: "The fox was hungry. The fox looked for food." Which is best?
  • A.The fox looked. Hungry for food.
  • B.The hungry fox looked for food.
  • C.The fox was hungry and the fox looked and looked for food.

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Expand, Combine and Reduce

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The dog barked because a stranger was at the gate.
  2. 2.The huge elephant walked slowly.
  3. 3.It was sunny but cold.
  4. 4.We were late because the bus was late.
  5. 5.When you want the statement to land hard
  6. 6.To show how the ideas relate rather than just listing them
  7. 7.In my opinion, I think that the play was good.
  8. 8.The hungry fox looked for food.

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.