C #3: “As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out” -Mark Twain Combine

Sentence Combining Why should we know about sentence combining? To build clarity To avoid wordiness To avoid redundancy Keys to sentence combining: Create adjectives Create properly placed modifying clauses Eliminate unnecessary or repetitive phrases Key Concepts: Sentence combining is also important for clear, smooth, yet sophisticated writing. This slide offers reasons for combining sentences as well as effective combining tips.

Consider the following paragraph: The boy struggled to ride his bike. The boy is four years old and he is feisty. The bike is new and it is a light blue color. The boy received the bike for his birthday. He struggled for two hours. However, he was unsuccessful in riding the bike. Activity: The facilitator may choose to read this paragraph aloud and ask students how it sounds. The short, choppy, simplistic, and repetitive sentences sound more like elementary school writing rather than college-level discourse. Sentence combining can be effective in eliminating redundant phrases and creating a smoother, more polished sentence. The facilitator may ask students to try to combine all of this information into one smooth sentence. The next slide has a sample answer.

Sentence Combining The boy struggled to ride his bike. The boy is four years old and he is feisty. The bike is new and it is a light blue color. The boy received the bike for his birthday. He struggled for two hours. However, he was unsuccessful in riding the bike. The feisty four-year-old boy struggled unsuccessfully for two hours to ride his new light blue birthday bike. Activity: Students may come up with a variety of different sentence combinations in their responses. It is important, however, that modifying words and phrases refer to their proper subjects. Run-on sentences (two independent sentences joined together) should also be avoided. Click mouse to reveal combined version.

Sentence Combining The animal trainer dove into the pool. The trainer was skilled and athletic. She was excited when she dove into the pool. She swam with two dolphins. The dolphins were babies. The dolphins were playful. The trainer swam with the dolphins for over an hour. When the trainer swam with the dolphins, she was happy. Activity: The facilitator should distribute the student worksheets and have the participants try to combine each paragraph into a single sentence.

Sentence Combining The animal trainer dove into the pool. The trainer was skilled and athletic. She was excited when she dove into the pool. She swam with two dolphins. The dolphins were babies. The dolphins were playful. The trainer swam with the dolphins for over an hour. When the trainer swam with the dolphins, she was happy. The skilled, athletic animal trainer excitedly dove into the pool and happily swam for over an hour with two playful baby dolphins. Activity: Students may have a variety of answers to share, but the facilitator should again watch out for run-on sentences and misplaced modifiers. Click mouse to reveal combined version.

Sentence Combining The blizzard contained strong winds and heavy snow. During the snowstorm, the roof of the town library collapsed. The roof of the post office did the same. The blowing snow covered the county roads. Schools cancelled classes due to the white-out conditions. Activity: Again, participants should try to combine these sentences into one. The facilitator may remind students that they can eliminate excess information or redundant phrases.

Sentence Combining The blizzard contained strong winds and heavy snow. During the snowstorm, the roof of the town library collapsed. The roof of the post office did the same. The blowing snow covered the county roads. Schools cancelled classes due to the white-out conditions. The blizzard, containing strong winds and heavy snow, caused the roofs of the town library and the post office to collapse, created white-out conditions on county roads, and forced schools to cancel classes. Activity: This example contains a lot of redundancy. By definition, a blizzard is a snowstorm that contains strong wind and heavy,blowing snow. Some of these terms might be eliminated. For writers seeking to create a dramatic effect, some of these details might be left in the combined sentence. Again, there are many different ways to combine these sentences together. Misplaced modifiers and run-ons should be avoided. After completing the exercise, the facilitator may ask participants for questions. Click mouse to reveal combined version.