College Composition / Unit 11 CMP 0265 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Sentence Combining
The idea
Sentence combining joins short, related sentences into one, which reduces choppiness and shows how ideas connect.
In practice
Work in order. First, find a run of short sentences that share a subject or deal with the same idea. Second, decide how the ideas relate: equal, cause and effect, contrast, time or condition. Third, choose a joining method to match. Shared subjects can become a compound predicate: "I learned piano at five and memorized the keys." Equal ideas can join with a coordinating conjunction. A cause, condition or time can become a dependent clause: "Learning to read in first grade made me want to teach." Fourth, cut words the combination makes repetitive. Fifth, reread to confirm nothing important was lost.
Where people slip
Combining is not always better. Short sentences can be effective for action and emphasis, and combining unrelated ideas creates a labyrinthine sentence that is harder to follow than the short ones were.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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