Materials Needed:

1) white construction paper for partner work

2) blue & pink (or red) pencils or crayons

3) single sheet white paper for each student for individual trials

Combining Sentences

One plus one equals one.

What is combining sentences?

The act of making one smoother, more detailed sentence made from two or more choppy sentences.

Look at the Sample:

Martha’s Departure

Martha waited on her front porch.

She waited patiently.

She wore a bonnet and a calico dress.

The bonnet was plain.

The bonnet was white.

The dress was long.

She watched the sun sink beyond the fields.

The fields were empty.

Then she watched the light in the sky.

The light was thin.

The light was white.

The sky was distant.

She listened for the sound.

She listened carefully.

The sound was soft.

The sound was familiar.

A ship descended through the evening air.

The ship was long.

The ship was silver.

The ship descended suddenly.

The evening air was warm.

Martha picked up her purse.

The purse was small.

The purse was black.

She picked it up calmly.

The spaceship landed in the field.

The spaceship was shiny.

It landed smoothly.

The field was empty.

Martha walked toward the ship.

She walked slowly.

She walked gracefully.

Minutes, later the field was silent again.

The field was dark again.

The field was empty again.

Sound Choppy?

Sounds like Martha is going on a long trip. Let’s make Martha’s Departure a little smoother by combining sentences.

Today we are going to combine sentences using adjectives and adverbs.

Use an adjective

Short sentences:

She wore a bonnet.

The bonnet was plain.

Combined with an adjective:

She wore a plain bonnet.

Let’s try it together using a tree map!

She wore a white bonnet.

She wore a bonnet. The bonnet was white.

(Move the adjective in front of the noun)

Let’s try another together!

She wore a calico dress.The calico dress was long. (put on tree map)

She wore a The calico dress

calico dress. was long.

Underline repeating word(s) blue and circle adjective red.

She wore a long calico dress.

She wore a The calico dress

calico dress. was long.

(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map, by moving the adjective in front of the noun.)

Let’s try another! She watched the sun sink beyond the fields.

The fields were empty. (tree map and underline repeating word blue, circle adjective red)

She watched the sun sink

beyond the empty fields.

She watched the sun The fields

sink beyond the fields. were empty.

(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map by moving the adjective in front of the noun)

Try some with your partner.1) Fold your paper into fourths (4 boxes).

2) Write yours/your partners name in Box 1.

3) Make a tree map in each of your 3 boxes.

4) Copy the short choppy sentences onto the tree branches of your tree map.

5) Underlined the repeating words with a blue crayon or pencil.

6) Circle the adjective with a pink/red crayon or pencil.

7) Make 1 sentence on the top of your tree map.

Box 2Then she watched the light in the sky.

The light was thin. (tree map and underline repeating word (s) blue, circle

adjective red)

Then she watched the light in the sky.

The light was thin. (Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map by moving the

adjective in front of the noun)

Then she watched the thin light in the

sky.

Box 3Then she watched the light in the sky.The light was white. (tree map and underline repeating word (s) blue, circle

adjective red)

Then she watched the light in the sky.The light was white. (Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map by moving the

adjective in front of the noun)

Then she watched the white light in thesky.

Box 4Then she watched the light in the sky.The sky was distant.(tree map and underline repeating word (s) blue, circle

adjective red)

Then she watched the light in the sky.The sky was distant.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map by moving the

adjective in front of the noun)

Then she watched the light in the distantsky.

Try 1 on your own.(on a separate sheet of paper)She listened for the sound.The sound was soft.(tree map and underline repeating word (s) blue,

circle adjective red)

She listened for the sound.The sound was soft.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map;

adjective in front of noun)

She listened for the soft sound.

Use an adverbShort Sentences:

Martha waited on her front porch.

She waited patiently.

Combined with an adverb:

Martha waited patiently on her front porch.

Let’s try it together using a tree map!

Martha waited patiently on her front porch.

Martha waited on her She waited

front porch. patiently.

(move adverb behind the verb)

Let’s try another! She listened for the sound. She listened carefully.(tree map and underline repeating word blue, circle adverb

red)

She listened carefully for the sound.

She listen for She listened the sound. carefully.

(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map by moving adverb behind the verb)

Let’s try some with your same partner!

1) Turn your folded paper with 4 boxes over.

2) Again make 3 tree maps in 3 boxes.

3) Write the short sentences when given on the branches of the tree map.

4) Underline the verb and circle the adverb.

5) Write one combined sentence on the top of the tree map.

Box 1A ship descended through the evening air.The ship descended suddenly.(tree map and underline repeating word(s) blue, circle

adverb red)

A ship descended through the evening air.The ship descended suddenly.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map; adverb behind

verb)

A ship descended suddenly through the evening air.

A ship descended suddenly through the evening air.

Can we write this sentence another way?

A ship descended suddenly through the evening air.

(move the adverb in front of the verb)

A ship suddenly descended through the evening air.

A ship descended suddenly through the evening air.

Can we write this sentence another way?

A ship descended suddenly through the evening air.

(move the adverb in front of the sentence)

Suddenly, a ship descended through the evening air.

Box 2The spaceship landed in the field.It landed smoothly.(tree map and underline repeating word(s) blue, circle

adverb red)

The spaceship landed in the field.It landed smoothly.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map; move adverb

behind verb)

The spaceship landed smoothly in the field.

The spaceship landed smoothly in the field.

Can we write this sentence another way?

The spaceship landed smoothly in the field.

(move the adverb in front of the verb)

The spaceship smoothly landed in the field.

The spaceship landed smoothly in the field.

Can we write this sentence another way?

The spaceship landed smoothly in the field.

(move the adverb in front of the sentence)

Smoothly, the spaceship landed in the field.

IF IT SOUNDS AWKWARD, DON’T MOVE IT TO THE FRONT OF THE SENTENCE!!!

Box 3Martha walked toward the ship.

She walked slowly. (tree map and underline repeating word (s) blue, circle

adverb red)

Martha walked toward the ship.

She walked slowly.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map; adverb behind

verb)

Martha walked slowly toward the ship.

Martha walked slowly towards the ship.

Can we write this sentence another way?

Martha walked slowly towards the ship.

(move the adverb in front of the verb)

Martha slowly walked towards the ship.

Martha walked slowly towards the ship.

Can we write this sentence another way?

Martha walked slowly towards the ship.

(move the adverb in front of the sentence)

Slowly, Martha walked towards the ship.

Try 1 on your own.(on a separate sheet of paper)Martha walked toward the ship.She walked gracefully.(tree map and underline repeating word(s) blue, circle

adverb red)

Martha walked toward the ship.She walked gracefully.(Combine 2 sentences on top of tree map; adverb behind

verb)

Martha walked gracefully toward the ship.

Martha walked gracefully toward the ship.

Can YOU write this sentence 2 different ways?

1) Move the adverb in front of the verb.

Martha gracefully walked toward the ship.

2) Move the adverb in front of the sentence.

Gracefully, Martha walked toward the ship.

A smooth, combined sentence is out of this world!