1. You need: A pencil, eraser, highlighter, and your ELA duo-tang
Writing Lesson 2:
Combine Sentences for Smoother Prose
You need:
A pencil, eraser, highlighter, and your ELA duo-tang

2. Purpose
In this lesson, you will learn to combine sentences that repeat ideas and to combine short, choppy sentences into one complete sentence. Our goal is to make our writing more smooth and enjoyable for our readers.

3. Before Example
Jake and I walked to the park. We hiked through the wooded trail in the park to the lake. We rented canoes. We paddled the canoes around. Jake stood up in the canoe. The canoe tipped. We landed in the water. We tried to right the canoe. We couldn’t turn the canoe over.

4. Revision Tips
Pinpoint repeated ideas that you can combine in one sentence.
Rewrite, eliminating unnecessary repetitions. Refer to the Idea Box for words and phrases that can help you vary sentence openings.
As you combine sentences, you might leave out or add some words.
Read your new paragraph to insure you’ve removed repetitions and varied sentence openers.

5. Use these words to connect ideas for smoother prose:
Idea Box
Use these words to connect ideas for smoother prose:
SUDDENLY
SEVERAL
EVERY
FINALLY
BEFORE
HOWEVER
AFTER
WHENEVER
BESIDES
SOON

6. After Example
Jake and I walked to the park. We hiked through the wooded trail in the park to the lake. We rented canoes. We paddled the canoes around. Jake stood up in the canoe. The canoe tipped. We landed in the water. We tried to right the canoe. We couldn’t turn the canoe over. Jake and I walked to the park and hiked along the wooded trail that led to the lake. We rented canoes and paddled across the lake. Suddenly Jake stood up. The canoe tipped over, and we landed in the icy water. Every time we tried to right the canoe, it flipped over.

7. After Example
Jake and I walked to the park. We hiked through the wooded trail in the park to the lake. We rented canoes. We paddled the canoes around. Jake stood up in the canoe. The canoe tipped. We landed in the water. We tried to right the canoe. We couldn’t turn the canoe over. Jake and I walked to the park and hiked along the wooded trail that led to the lake. We rented canoes and paddled across the lake. Suddenly Jake stood up. The canoe tipped over, and we landed in the icy water. Every time we tried to right the canoe, it flipped over.
HOW DID COMBINING SENTENCES IMPROVE THE EXAMPLE? CAN YOU REWRITE IT ANOTHER WAY?

8. Activity 2
The goblins and elves prepared for war. The war began when the goblins stole the elfin king’s daughter. The war lasted many months. The goblins and elves fought their war in a meadow. The meadow was near the goblin’s village. The meadow had a magic plant that put people to sleep for three months.

9. Activity 2
The goblins and elves prepared for war. The war began when the goblins stole the elfin king’s daughter. The war lasted many months. The goblins and elves fought their war in a meadow. The meadow was near the goblin’s village. The meadow had a magic plant that put people to sleep for three months.

10. Activity 2A
Our class took a trip to the zoo. The zoo was crowded with other classes. Maria and I lost our class. We were scared. We wondered how we would get home. We looked for our class in the reptile house. We looked for our class in the monkey house. We couldn’t find our class. We sat on a bench and waited for someone to find us.