Grade 7 Sentence Combining
Combining Sentences with Verbs
Abe cleaned his room.
Abe dusted his computer.
As you can see, Abe is the doer (subject) in both sentences. Only the action changes. It is possible to make a new, expanded sentence which ties in both verbs. These two sentences can be combined using the word and:
Abe cleaned his room and dusted his computer.
In the sentence above, and, a connector (also called a conjunction), was used to tie together both verbs. Notice how you can combine three verbs with and plus two commas:
The runner took off her sweats, tied her running shoes, and warmed up for the six mile jog.
Exercise 1:
See if you can combine the following sets of sentences into one sentence. Partners should take turns saying and building the resulting sentence. PUT ALL ANSWERS ON PAPER.
1. Minnie made mud pies.
Minnie baked them carefully.
Minnie gobbled them down.
2. The actress painted her wrinkled skin.
The actress glued on false eyelashes.
The actress plopped on a bright red wig.
3. The puppet came to life.
The puppet danced with the teddy bears.
The puppet then went back to sleep.
4. The pinch hitter bounced one to center.
The pinch hitter slid into second base.
The pinch hitter ate a pound of dust.
5. We made our beds.
We hung up our clothes.
We hated every minute of it.
Combining with And, But, and Or
Sometimes the simplest way to expand a sentence is to combine it with another complete sentence, using a comma plus one of these conjunctions:
, and = joins names, things, actions, and ideas
, but = shows a difference
, or = offers a choice
Practice: Insert , but to combine the sentences below:
Fernando passes the basketball to the big man. The quick defense player knocks it out of bounds.
Exercise 2:
Now it's your turn to combine these sentence sets in the same way. Insert one of these <, and>, <, but>, or <, or>to make a sensible expanded sentence. Remember to adjust punctuation and capitalization. Three will use BUT and two will use OR. NO AND!!! PUT ALL ANSWERS ON PAPER.
1. My little brother Davey made my bed for me. I wondered if he had short-sheeted it.
2. I wanted to paint my room red and black. My Mom looked sick and said, "No!"
3. Hector could walk to the movie. He could sit at home and sulk.
4. Professor Sagorsky had picked the Lotto Jackpot numbers. He threw away the winning ticket by mistake.
5. With my graduation gift I can buy a CD player. I can donate the money to the homeless.
Exercise 3:
Continue on and combine the following sentences, just as you did in exercise 2. Insert one of these<, and>, <, but>, <, or>to make a sensible expanded sentence. Remember to adjust punctuation and capitalization. Two with BUT, one with OR, one with AND, one with either AND or BUT. PUT ALL ANSWERS ON PAPER.
1. The tractor rolled over the muddy ground. The cows looked unconcerned as the contraption approached.
2. I tried to change Sylvester's mind. It was a hopeless attempt.
3. The fleas in my bedroom are big and hungry. They don't make my bed either.
4. Arief must cut the lawn. He will not receive his allowance.
5. My homework isn't finished. My favorite program starts in five minutes.