Sentence combining practice g10

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the new information which is underlined in the first few items is used as a modifier before a noun.. ■ Directions Combine each cluster, placing

Grade 10

Compound Sentences 1

Compound Elements 2

Items in a Series 3

Modifiers Before a Noun 4

Coordinate and Compound Adjectives 5

Set-off Adjectives and Other Modifiers 6

Other Set-off Elements 7

Elements Set Off for Contrast 8

Appositives 9

Possessive Apostrophes 10

Adjective Phrases 11

Verbal Phrases as Adjectives 12

Adverbs and Phrases Acting as Adverbs 13

Essential Adjective Clauses with That and Who 14

Essential Adjective Clauses with Whom and Whose 15

Subject-Verb Agreement 16

Nonessential Adjective Clauses 17

Adverb Clauses I 18

Adverb Clauses II 19

Adverb Clauses III 20

Conjunctive Adverbs 21

But, However, Although, and Despite 22

Correlative Conjunctions 23

Noun Clauses I 24

Noun Clauses II 25

Quotations 26

Verbal Phrases as Nouns 27

Descriptive Writing I: Spring Rain 28

Descriptive Writing II: The Picture 29

Narrative Writing I: Friday, May 3, 1963 30

Narrative Writing II: At Bat 31

Expository Writing I: Ultrasound 32

Expository Writing II: Touch 33

Persuasive Writing I: Walking 34

Sentence combining (S-C) is a way to warm up before the game In the writing game, as in most games, things tend to happen at once All at the same time you’re trying to think of what to say, how to express it, how to spell the words, how to punctuate the sentences, and where to go next.

In this game, too, it helps if you’ve practiced each skill separately.

Combining sentences slows you down and gives you time to experiment The words are already there, and your task is simply to combine sentences meaningfully You don’t have to worry about what you’ll write in the following sentence or where to go next.

Getting Started

There are two kinds of sentence-combining exercises in this book: signaled and unsignaled.

Signaled exercises give you specific suggestions on how to combine groups of sentences, called

clusters Unsignaled (or open) sentence clusters encourage you to experiment on your own.

1 UnderliningCertain information may be repeated in two or more sentences in a cluster Underlining shows you the words that are new The new information should be added to the new sentence.

a The woman turned and smiled.

b The woman was in the booth.

These sentences could be rewritten so that the repeated information (the part of b that isn’t

underlined) is left out The new information is added to the following sentence:

The woman in the booth turned and smiled.

Now try this cluster:

a The woman in the booth turned and smiled.

b The booth was near the front.

2 Brackets When you combine two or more sentences, you may occasionally have to change slightly the form of a word; you may have to add a punctuation mark; you may have to include a signal word—or you may have to do two of these things, or all three of them In signaled exercises an important clue to the change is suggested in brackets In the following cluster, we’ve included in brackets the punctuation mark and the change in form.

a He walked to the window.

b He brushed the hair from his eyes [, + ing]

when we add the hyphen Note also the signal word and, telling how to incorporate c.

a She enjoyed a morning jog.

b The jog was three miles [-]

c She enjoyed a quick shower [and]

She enjoyed a three-mile morning jog and a quick shower.

Punctuation marks occur singly or in pairs A pair of marks, such as [— —], shows you

one way to embed information in the middle of a sentence Study the cluster below.

a Deborah was much in demand at parties.

b Deborah was a gifted guitarist [— —]

Deborah—a gifted guitarist—was much in demand at parties.

In the next cluster, a signal word in the brackets suggests another way of combining

sentences Try it.

a Ralph pushed the dish away.

b Ralph hated chicken livers [, who ,]

3 Capital Letters The CAPITAL LETTERS used in the third form of signaling spell out the

neutral word SOMETHING This word is often found in the first sentence of a cluster It

shows where the following sentence or part of that sentence should go.

a He tried SOMETHING.

b He would lift the manhole cover [to]

He tried to lift the manhole cover.

a Martha asked SOMETHING.

b I was feeling some way [how]

Martha asked how I was feeling.

Here are two more clusters to try Recheck the examples if you’re puzzled.

Unsignaled (or open) exercises invite you to try all sorts of combinations until you find the

one you like best For example, see how many different combinations you can make from this

sentence cluster.

a Toni was ill.

b Her parents were concerned.

few combinations:

1 Toni was ill, and her parents were concerned.

2 Because Toni was ill, her parents were concerned.

3 Toni’s illness concerned her parents.

4 Toni’s parents were concerned about her illness.

5 Toni’s illness

6 Toni’s parents

7 Of concern to Toni’s parents was the fact that

You could probably come up with more versions When doing unsignaled exercises, try

whispering different versions to yourself, or work with a friend or a group to try out various possibilities Listen to your friends, and listen even more carefully to your own voice.

Experiment and Enjoy

The purpose of these sentence-combining sheets is to help you learn to enjoy writing—to help you find your own things to say and your own voice in which to say them The signals are merely a first step toward that goal You will find that in most exercises only the first few clusters will be signaled Signaling will then be phased out, except for an occasional hint at a tough spot This will allow you to start slowly each time, and if you become puzzled later on, you can go back and look again at how you did an exercise before.

For a review of sentence-combining hints and for further practice, turn to Unit 8 in your book As you work with these sheets, experiment and enjoy Listen to the sentences your friends offer, and offer them your own And listen closely to your own voice You already know more than you think you do.

text-■ Directions Use a comma plus a coordinating conjunction to join the sentences in each cluster.

b The brothers both needed work [, and]

b We may just stay home [, or]

b She had run up ten flights of stairs [, for]

b You could come to our place for a change [, or]

b In two years she was jogging five miles a day [, yet]

b He had been wearing a seat belt [, for]

b I do (not) know where she lives [, nor]

b They were all in good condition [, but]

c They’d had sufficient drinking water [, for]

b Laura had (not) bought any [, nor]

c The store closed at five o’clock [, for]

b The elephants never returned [, but]

c We were determined to take some spectacular photographs [, yet]

A simple way to combine sentences is to use a coordinating conjunction The coordinating

conjunc-tions are and, but, or, nor, for, and yet.

a They planted fifty trees.

b Most of them died [, but]

c That winter proved the worst of the century [for]

They planted fifty trees, but most of them died, for that winter proved the worst of the century Key Information

■ Directions

Use the coordinating conjunctions and, or, but, and yet to combine the sentences in each

clus-ter Include only the new information from b and, in item 10, from c as well (New information

is underlined in the first few items.)

b She answered two letters [and]

b She read two chapters of her history book [and]

b Two crew members were honored at the dinner [and]

b The new medicine proved an extremely expensive treatment [but]

b His relatives were hardworking people [and]

c His relatives were lighthearted and fun-loving people [yet]

b The road turns a bit

b The children were cooking dinner by the time I got there

b They didn’t know whether to accept the decision

b He handed us a surprisingly lightweight cardboard box

b They came in twelve colors

c They came in five different patterns

Sometimes we combine sentences that share information One way to avoid repeating the shared

information is by using compound elements

a The cormorants perched on the sea wall.

b The cormorants folded their wings [and]

The cormorants perched on the sea wall and folded their wings.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the new information (which is underlined in the first few items)

forms a series Connect the last two items in the series with the coordinating conjunction and

or or.

b Ali walked to the corner [,]

c Terence walked to the corner [, and]

b You can clean the basement [,]

c. You can take down the Halloween

decorations [, or]

b We should fix refried beans for dinner [,]

c. We should fix a tossed green salad for

dinner [, and]

b I found my basketball where I had left it [,]

c I found my jacket where I had left it [, and]

d My guitar was missing [, but]

b. The car had a crack in the windshield

c. The car had a flat tire

b. They prepared the dinner

c. They elegantly served the dinner

Three or more items in a series require punctuation, usually a comma The last two items are usuallyconnected with a coordinating conjunction, which is often preceded by a comma

a Elizabeth went to her room.

b She turned the radio on low [,]

c She sat down to write a letter [, and]

Elizabeth went to her room, turned the radio on low, and sat down to write a letter.

Key Information

b. She diagnosed the problem herself

c She corrected the problem herself

my friend

b. The day before yesterday I spoke to my cousin

c The day before yesterday I met my sister

b. Canned goods cascaded to the floor

c Boxes of cereal cascaded to the floor

d Rolls of paper towels cascaded to the floor

b. He bathed the baby

c He rocked the baby

d He forgot to give her vitamin drops

e He forgot to give her allergy medicine

■ Directions

Combine each cluster so that the new information (which is underlined in the first few items)

is used as a modifier before a noun

b The apples were ripe

b The papers were valuable

b The desk was of oak

b The hinges were squeaking

c The doors were of the cupboards

b The woman was dauntless

c The obstacles were formidable

b The children were mischievous

b The bottles were empty

c The facility was for recycling

b The suspect was suspected of burglary

b The door was in the front

b The chairs were very small

c The room was sunny

Placing an adjective, a noun, a pronoun, or a participle before a noun often condenses information

very effectively

a A canister had been left by the stairs.

b The canister was large.

c The stairs were to the subway.

A large canister had been left by the subway stairs.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the new material (which is underlined in the first few items) isincorporated as either a coordinate or a compound adjective.

b The gesture was large and sweeping [,]

b The model had a red top [- + -ed]

b The model had a red top and two doors [,]

b The shirts were short sleeved

c The shirts were long sleeved [or]

b The staircase was narrow and strewn with debris [, + -]

b The lady was interesting and friendly

b The turkey was large and fresh

b The special was low in cholesterol and free of salt

b The Wyandottes are white laced

c The Wyandottes are silver penciled

b The collar has a radio signal

c The radio signal is high frequency

Coordinate adjectives modify the same word to an equal degree They are separated by a comma or acoordinating conjunction

a They replaced the part.

b The part was complex and costly [and or ,]

They replaced the complex and costly part.

They replaced the costly, complex part.

Compound adjectives that appear before a noun must be hyphenated

a The roast was more expensive.

b The roast had a large bone [- + -ed]

The large-boned roast was more expensive.

Key Information

■ Directions

Combine each cluster, setting off the modifiers (which are underlined in the first four clusters)

Modifiers set off at the beginning or the end of a sentence need only one punctuation mark;

those set off in the middle of a sentence need a pair of punctuation marks

b Marco was weary from the three-day cross-country trip

b Carrie was self-conscious and awkward

b The musicians were quite exhausted

c The musicians were gratified by the crowd’s response [but]

b The chicks were fluffy and round as cotton balls

c The hen was tall and brave as a boxer

b The muffin was fresh from the oven

b Jim was nearly a head taller than the older man

b The leading role was one he had always wanted

b She was ruddy faced

c She was still strong after twenty-six miles

b The children were dusty from head to toe

c The children were hot from their climb

b The oak was at least two hundred years old

c The oak was as sturdy as the fortress it guarded

When adjectives and other modifiers provide nonessential information, they are set off from the rest ofthe sentence by punctuation marks

a Her hands worked the levers.

b Her hands were red and calloused.

Her hands—calloused and red—worked the levers.

Red and calloused, her hands worked the levers.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster, placing the new information (which is underlined in the first few clus-

ters) directly after the word it renames Additional information set off at the end of a sentence

requires only a single punctuation mark Information added in the midst of a sentencerequires a pair of marks

b Kate was even vigilant [,]

b Some said he squandered her money on baseball cards

b It was in my estimation a lugubrious ceremony

b His voice was actually razor sharp

b Indeed, Ms Singh commanded us to quiet down

b We were keenly disappointed and frustrated

c We were certainly not angry [but]

b Indeed, Tim orchestrated our cleaning of the garage

b He said we did not need a deep philosophical talk

c He said we needed merely a little talk

b He was, in fact, scrutinizing the clock

b Doris gave me an almost comical smile

c Doris essentially bolted from the room

Words other than nouns and pronouns can act like appositives, adding information about another

word In the first sentence, a verb plus a modifier (hobbled, rather) adds information about another verb (ran) In the next sentence, an adjective plus its modifiers adds information about another adjec-

tive In the last sentence, a noun is repeated, not renamed, and information is added

Prince ran—hobbled, rather—to my side.

Tom gave a positive (at times almost gushy) evaluation.

She was my friend: a crusty friend, but a friend all the same.

Key Information

■ Directions

Combine each cluster by setting off the contrasting information (which is underlined in the

first few clusters) Use a pair of punctuation marks (commas, dashes, or parentheses), and add

or, but, even, if, even if, or though to signal the contrast.

b He was not always a dependable worker [—but —]

b We could not always eat dinner as a family [though]

b If need be, she demanded our full attention [or]

b She was not always thorough with her household chores [if]

b It was downright boorish behavior [even]

b We could not afford just the lamp we’d been looking for

b It seemed he spent even longer recounting his football exploits

b We certainly didn’t enjoy the movie a second time

b They were not the least offended by her antics

b They were not sure that he had been there at the time

When two sentences in a cluster begin and end in a similar way but contain contrasting information

in the middle, they can be joined by compounding A pair of punctuation marks must be used to

show where the compounding begins and ends Such sentences create special emphasis by making a

contrast

a It was a crucial adjustment.

b It was not entirely [an] easy adjustment [, if ,]

It was a crucial, if not entirely easy, adjustment.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the appositive (taken from the underlined words in the first clus-ters) renames the noun at the end of the first sentence, as shown above Use a comma, a colon,

a dash, or parentheses to set off each appositive

b Her weakness is kohlrabi [, or :]

b Mother Teresa is a person of compassion and energy [, or —]

b Monmouth is a small town thirteen miles southwest of Salem [,]

b Gettysburg was the site of one of the bloodiest Civil War battles [,]

b Douglass was my father’s hero

Combine each cluster by placing the appositive either before or within the main clause Set off

initial appositives with a comma Set off appositives within the main clause with a pair ofpunctuation marks

b Dostoevski was a gifted novelist [ ,]

b Thalia was last year’s chess champion [( .)]

b The trophies are the fruit of years in professional bowling

b Laurel was the feckless, bumbling man

c Hardy was the heavy, pompous partner

b Her husband is a lean, cordial chicken rancher

An appositive is a noun or pronoun that is placed next to another noun or pronoun to rename it or togive additional information about it

a I enjoy two programs on PBS.

b One is Nova.

c One is Nature [and]

I enjoy two programs on PBS: Nature and Nova.

Key Information

■ Directions

Combine each cluster so that the underlined word or phrase in sentence b (and, for item 10, in

sentence c) becomes a possessive noun form with an apostrophe.

b They belong to Hannah [’s]

b The water dish was for the dog [’s]

b The water dish was for the dogs [’]

b He is Willis [’s]

b The roof belongs to the Reeses

b It is the baby of José and Rosa

b The nest was of the geese

b The den was of the wolf

b The den was of the wolves

b She is the aunt of Brendan

c The present is for Tony and Maria

Apostrophes are used in place of the letters that are omitted in contractions (has not becomes hasn’t, for example) They are also used to show the possessive form of a noun (the talents of Ralph

becomes Ralph’s talents) The clusters below use the apostrophe only to form possessives.

a The goal was to collect coats.

b The goal was of the group [‘s]

c The coats were for adults and children [‘ + ‘s]

The group’s goal was to collect adults’ and children’s coats.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the new information (which is underlined in a few sentences) is

embedded after the noun.

b The choice is of entrees

b The man was in an electric wheelchair

c The babies were in infant seats

b The noise was from above

c The celebration was of the candidate’s victory

charge

b The neighbor lives in the apartment upstairs

c The charge was of over sixty dollars

d The charge was for calls

e The calls were to numbers

f The numbers had many different area codes

[with]

b The argument was on that occasion

b The bowl was of great beauty

c The table was in the center of the room

b The medley was of folk songs

c Everyone was in the theater

Most adjective phrases (prepositional phrases that modify a noun or a pronoun) come after the wordthey modify

a A bouquet stood on the night stand.

b The bouquet was of fresh-cut roses.

c The nightstand was by the bed.

A bouquet of fresh-cut roses stood on the nightstand by the bed.

Key Information

b The box was of cereal

c The shelf was in the pantry

b The party was after the game

c The carloads were of young people

d The young people were from the rival school

elderly couple

b The women were in a pickup

c The pickup had a chrome roll bar [with]

d The elderly couple were in a red sports car

e The sports car had a flat tire [with]

■ Directions

Combine each cluster so that the new information (which is underlined in a few cases) is

embedded as a verbal phrase after the noun.

b The trash was left by the previous renters

b The students were taking exams

b The additional workers specialize in claims adjustments [-ing]

b The girl accompanied Michelle [-ing]

c The question was considered inappropriate by the president

b The effort was to save several head of cattle

c The cattle were stranded by the rising water

b The people watched from the stands [-ing]

c The race was run through Central Park

b The one is usually credited with such triumphs

b The old man whittled a tiny wooden whistle [-ing]

b The woman represented an anonymous buyer

c The painting was valued at six million dollars

Certain verbal phrases—participial phrases and infinitive phrases—sometimes modify nouns In such

cases the verbal phrases are acting as adjectives

a The man owns the parakeet.

b The man visited Grace today [-ing]

c The parakeet is known for its singing.

The man visiting Grace today owns the parakeet known for its singing.

a Aldo has the strength.

b The strength is for moving the piano [to]

Aldo has the strength to move the piano.

Key Information

■ Directions Combine each cluster so that the new information (which is underlined in several cases) isembedded as an adverb modifier Try putting the modifier in different places.

b The leaving was reluctant [-ly]

b The discovery was almost immediate [-ly]

b The scrubbing was vigorous [-ly]

c The scrubbing was on hands and knees

d The scrubbing was even under the

appliances [,]

b This is customary [-ly]

c This is once each month

d This is after paying her bills

e This is with the family news

b The running was swift

c The running was after the dog

b This was for the whole family

c This was in the backyard

d This was after their day at the beach

Adverbs, adverb phrases, and infinitive phrases acting as adverbs can all modify verbs By moving thephrases around, you can change the emphasis and rhythm of your sentence You can also take thepredicate adjective and make it modify a verb

a She worked at the loom.

b The work was skillful [-ly]

Skillfully she worked at the loom.

She skillfully worked at the loom.

She worked skillfully at the loom.

She worked at the loom skillfully.

Key Information

b The walk was around the mall

c The walk was with his friends

b Their work was diligent

c Their work was into the night

b The productivity was unusual

c This was by Charlene’s account

d This was despite some initial disagreements

b This was in the late evening

c The laying to rest was sad

d The laying to rest was respectful

e This was under a carefully chosen tree

■ Directions

Use the relative pronouns that and who to combine each cluster Although a few clusters are

signaled to suggest that sentence b be made into the adjective clause, you should experiment

freely

b She received the money [that]

b The passerby had heard the child crying [who]

b They claim to have sent the letter last March [that]

b They said they had lived in the building [that]

b The waiter had taken our order

b Norma had recommended the bakery so highly

b All her baby pictures are in the album

b The graduates are leaving the lab equipment behind

b He claimed the book contained the rules for playing whist

b The formula had been written on the envelope

When two sentences share a word or a phrase, one sentence can sometimes be made into an

adjec-tive clause to modify that word or phrase in the other sentence

a The three dogs are returning.

b I told you about the three dogs.

The three dogs [that] I told you about are returning.

I told you about the three dogs that are returning.

Key Information

■ Directions

Use whom (or no introductory word) or whose to make sentence b an adjective clause

embedded in sentence a Some clusters are signaled.

b Everyone counts on her [whom or no introductory word]

b His campaign spending is under scrutiny [whose]

b His name sounded like Tim or Jim [whose]

b Wade just called her a great manager [whom]

b Her father is waiting

b You particularly like the person

b Students did their best work for this teacher

b His daughter was just chosen valedictorian

b Sara lived with the cousin for two years

b I enjoy his books enormously

Whom and whose can also introduce an essential adjective clause.

a The aunt arrived today.

b Molly was named after the aunt [whom or no introductory word]

The aunt after whom Molly was named arrived today.

The aunt [whom] Molly was named after arrived today.

The relative pronoun whose is used as a possessive pronoun in an adjective clause.

a We helped the man find his wife.

b The man’s glasses were lost [whose]

We helped the man whose glasses were lost find his wife.

Key Information

■ Directions

The clusters below contain a main clause (sentence a) with a choice of verb forms First

deter-mine which form of the verb agrees with the subject Then combine the cluster so that the

information in sentence b comes between the subject and the verb Some clusters are signaled.

b The bowl is filled with Granny Smith apples

b The woman is presently meeting with Jim and Tiffany [who]

b I had the rice and beans for lunch [that]

b This is one person in every ten

b The selection was offered to the retail buyers

b The notice announces job openings for August [-ing]

b The program features talent from the senior class [-ing]

b The three were applying for the job

b The roster is of those who contributed one hundred dollars to the fund

b The team was composed of specialists in plant diseases

Choosing the correct verb form is easy when the verb comes right after the subject When phrases or

clauses come between the subject and the verb, however, the correct verb form can be harder to

determine (though in either case the correct form is identical)

Subject Verb

The child needs a drink.

The child who came in with that couple examining the afghans needs a drink.

Key Information

■ Directions

Use the relative pronoun who, whom, whose, or which to form each nonessential adjective

clause If it interrupts the main clause, set off the adjective clause with a pair of commas ordashes Otherwise use a single comma or dash Some clauses are signaled

b She was a pioneer in the space program [, who ,]

b The Amazon flows over thirty-seven hundred miles [, which ,]

b He is deeply devoted to her [, whom ,]

b Frank once feared he wouldn’t graduate from high school [—who —]

b Post invited Rogers to fly with him to Alaska [, who]

b Mendel was teaching at the time in a secondary school

b They named her Althea

b The meeting was held at Mr McGregor’s ranch

b His philosophy of Taoism had inspired us all

b Bach has been esteemed for his music for nearly three hundred years

c Four of his children were themselves important musicians

A nonessential adjective clause simply offers additional information It is not essential to the meaning

of the sentence, and it is set off from the rest of the sentence with commas or dashes

a Ethel Merman acted in more than a dozen movies.

b Her voice could shatter glass [, whose ,]

Ethel Merman, whose voice could shatter glass, acted in more than a dozen movies.

Key Information

■ Directions

Combine each cluster so that sentence a is subordinated to sentence b (For items 9 and 10,

sentences a and b should be subordinated to c.) Place the subordinate clause first, followed by a

comma Use the following subordinating conjunctions (that tell when and where): after, before,

while, when, until, where, as, as soon as, and wherever.

b Two well-dressed young men were ringing her doorbell

b Her father looked in and asked if the girls wanted popcorn

b People like him

b She had never seen a television

b A thicket of maples and blueberry bushes took over

b Olga finished vacuuming

b He thought of the grocery list on the kitchen counter

b He had to finish his biology homework

b Lisa was raking leaves in the back [and]

c Dahlia fixed sandwiches for everyone

b She had put the tools away [but + before]

c She remembered that the upstairs bathroom sink needed repairing

Independent clauses are made subordinate by the addition of subordinating conjunctions All adverb

clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction and modify a verb, an adjective, or an adverb An

adverb clause often tells when and where.

a She hung up her raincoat [When ,]

b The rack creaked.

When she hung up her raincoat, the rack creaked.

Key Information