COMBINING SENTENCES

Good writers should strive for sentence variety.

Sentence combining is a technique that enables the writer to avoid a choppy,
monotonous style.

To combine sentences, you can move words around, change words, and/or add
or delete words as long as the meaning stays the same.
These sentences can be combined:
Our paper boy collects on Fridays.
Our paperboy delivers the China Daily on Saturdays.

Ways to combine sentences:

1) Connect with an appropriate linking word, such as and, but, or, nor, for
Our paperboy delivers the China Daily on Saturdays and collects on Friday.
2) Change one of the sentences into a dependent clause using dependent
clause clues.

Our paperboy, who delivers the China Daily on Saturdays, collects on Fridays.
On Fridays, our paperboy collects for the China Daily, which he delivers on
Saturdays.

Although he delivers the China Daily on Saturdays, our paperboy collects on

Fridays.

3) Change one of the sentences into a modifying phrase.

Having collected his money on Friday, our paperboy delivers the China Daily
on Saturday.

Malcolm X was an influence. He influenced American culture. His influence was strong
in the 1960s.

COMBINING SENTENCES
Malcolm X had a strong influence on American culture in the 1960s.
Malcolm X strongly influenced American culture in the 1960s.
In the 1960s, American culture was strongly influenced by Malcolm X.

Dependent Clause Clues

after
although
as, as if
as long as
as soon as
because
before
even if, even though

if
in order that
provided that
since
so that
that
though
unless

until
what, whatever
when, whenever
where, wherever
whether
which, whichever
while
who, whom, whose