Sentence Variety Practice

1. The cat crept across the darkened room to determine the cause of the sound. (rearrange to create
an introductory phrase)
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2. The class read the assignment. It first tried unsuccessfully to divert the instructor. (middle)
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3. We can spend the day rafting. ______________________, we will have to be back before nightfall
because the horses will need to be fed. (add a transition word or phrase)
4. Lina climbed into a crate and sat with her head on her knees for a while because she was horrified
by the filthy drifter because she thought he might be a madman. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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5. I dont usually eat cookies, but these are so good that I think I will have a few more. (replace)
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6. Many states require motorcyclists to protect their eyes. This protection keeps insects, stones, and
dust out of the eyes. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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7. The mourners sobbed and bit their lips as they filed slowly by the coffin holding Valentino's remains.
(rearrange to create an inverted sentence)
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8. Elephants are friendly and loveable. They do not make good house pets. (combine)
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9. In this day and age, people are under the impression that it is important to express their opinions at
every chance that they get. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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10. ____________________ the hurricane is still out at sea, most coastal towns are being evacuated.
(add a conjunction)
11. Andrew has a new baby sister. He lives in an apartment building next to mine. (middle)
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12. Dwayne took a shortcut on his way to school through a vacant lot. (rearrange to create an
introductory phrase)
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13. Samuel Clemens wrote a number of essays when he worked for his brother Orion in Muscatine,
Iowa, and he went by stagecoach out west and there he took on the penname, "Mark Twain," and
he claims he came up with the name from the "two marks" of credit that he had at the local saloon.
(rewrite stringy sentence)
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14. The manager refused to turn on the heat until the first day of winter; ___________________, two
children died of hypothermia. (add a transition word or phrase)
15. I had the flu and ran a high fever, so I stayed in bed for a week. (replace)
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16. It is common knowledge among those of us who are teenagers that the use of exaggeration when
spreading rumors is widespread. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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17. _________________ the United States has been overly dependent on foreign oil for many years,
alternate sources are only now being sought. (add a conjunction)
18. That boy is in my social studies class. He is the one wearing glasses. (middle)
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19. We found some excellent examples of soapstone carvings in Anchorage stores. (rearrange to
create an introductory phrase)
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20. I think the reason most of the players on our soccer team are older is because they never had the
opportunity to start playing the sport soccer before middle school, unlike players on other teams in
our league. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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21. The other dogs kept a safe distance away, yet Old Miska flung himself furiously upon the wolf.
(replace)
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22. The architecture of farms in Southern France is low and horizontal. It is influenced by the area's
high winds and flat plateaus. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other
sentence)
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23. ____________________ someone could find a way to stop the rapid progress of her disease, the
beautiful child would die within a year. (add a conjunction)
24. A salmon uses its sense of smell to migrate. A salmon migrates thousands of miles. A salmon
returns home to spawn. A salmon returns to its home to die. (combine)
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25. A rapid increase in the deterioration of the pipe was due to cracking which was caused by
truckloads of sand being dumped by trucks on the surface above it. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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26. Pepper followed me in my descent down the cliff, yapping and lunging. (rearrange to create an
introductory phrase)
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27.

The frogs lived in a pond, and their life was carefree since they played and croaked all day, but
they were not happy, so they thought they needed a king and then the king could give them
orders. (rewrite stringy sentence)

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28. Tornadoes vary in degrees of longevity; ___________________, tornadoes can last from a few
minutes to more than an hour. (add a transition word or phrase)
29. George's wife is a woman who is unhappy which is because of the fact that George ignores her,
frustrating her. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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30. The little girl was afraid of what her mother would say about her low grades, so she showed her
report card first to her father. (replace)
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31. Donna wears colorful, informal clothing even though she has a shy, serious personality.
(rearrange to create an inverted sentence)
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32. We have permission to go to the fall fair. This depends on the rain stopping before morning.
(combine)
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33. I had to get up at 5:30 A.M to make it to work on time. (rearrange to create an introductory phrase)
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34. The mice feared the cat since the cat always chased them, so the mice held a meeting, and they
discussed how to make their lives safer, and then they came up with a plan. (rewrite stringy
sentence)
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35. We were disappointed to learn that wall hangings are difficult to find. We had especially wanted to
buy them. (middle)
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36. _______________ the desert at evening is as comfortable as it is beautiful, no unprotected human
being can survive a day under the desert sun. (add a conjunction)
37. Its quite chilly to be outside working, but this is the only day everyone is available to build the
shed. (replace)
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38. Niagara Falls is a great vacation spot, and the hotels are excellent, and the room charge rates are
quite reasonable, and the restaurants offer a variety of food styles. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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39. The opportunities for one to go out on a boat in the river to fish are not surpassed anywhere else in
the country, and, in fact, you have opportunities not even equaled anywhere else in the country.
(rewrite wordy sentence)
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40. Another plus for Niagara is that the weather is cool in summer; ____________________ , the
walks and drives are all pleasant and none of them fatiguing. (add a transition word or phrase)

41. You drive down about a mile when you start out to see the falls and pay a small sum for the
privilege of looking down from a precipice into the narrowest part of the Niagara river. (rearrange
to create an inverted sentence)
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42. You can descend a staircase from the peak of the falls down to the river. You can stand at the
edge of the water. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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43. The International Tchaikovsky Competition is among the worlds most demanding tests of musical
talent. It is also one of the most prestigious tests. It is held every four years. The competition is
in Moscow, Russia. (combine)
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44. The Youngstown's Playhouse is the oldest community theater in the U.S.A. The playhouses
reputation ranks fairly high. (middle)
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45. Kim went to the mall. She met Angie. Angie is her best friend. They have been best friends since
kindergarten. Then they went to the video store. Then they went to see a movie. (combine)
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46. _______________ Ive had a month to get my project done, I have only worked on it once.
(add a conjunction)
47. Stores like Target buy products in such large quantities that manufacturers discount costs for
them, so they can sell products at lower prices. (replace)
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48. The meeting to decide if we should continue the practice of making transitions between classes
silent has been postponed by the principal from this week until next week. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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49. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut, and it is the second largest city in the state, and it is located
on the Connecticut River. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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50. Hartford was the home of several manufacturers that made typewriters, bicycles, and even cars. It

was once known as an industrial center. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the
other sentence)
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51. Manufacturers took advantage of Hartford's access to the Connecticut River; ________________,
they enjoyed Hartford's well educated workforce. (add a transition word or phrase)
52. Some vitamins are excreted from the body if taken in large doses. Some of these vitamins are
vitamin C and B-complex. (middle)
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53. Deer were in the meadow. They grazed peacefully. They were unaware of the dragon
attacking the prince. (combine)
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54. The princess hair was glistening in the sun. She picked up the prince and heaved him over her
horses back. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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55. The prince wished she had not made him ride in that manner all the way back to the castle
despite his gratitude for having been rescued. (rearrange to create an inverted sentence)
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56. Once there was a man, and he was old, and he lived alone, and he was lonely, and then someone
gave him a hen. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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57. He noticed that the hen laid an egg each morning. The man got an idea to try an experiment.
(middle)
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58. If he fed the hen more grain, he could perhaps get more eggs. He could, ________________ ,
eat two eggs each morning. (add a transition word or phrase)
59. He doubled the feed. The hen became fat. She became lazy. She laid no eggs at all. (combine)
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60. The man was disappointed and angry. The hungry man killed and ate the hen. (turn one
sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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61. Alas, he was lonely and hungry again, but he had no companions or eggs. (replace)
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62. He patted me on the shoulder and walked away, shaking his head and chuckling. (rearrange to
create an introductory phrase)
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63. Sam and Arlo arrived at the edge of the deserted property. They were startled to hear the sound of
cackling laughter. The laughter was coming from the shed. (combine)
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64. My mother has been out of town all week; I dont know, _____________________, if I can go
to the party. (add a transition word or phrase)

65. Ramonita Espinoza used to coach at Notre Dame University. She now works at Auburn. (middle)
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66. Telephones are one of the best and most convenient devices created in the 20th century because
you can call anyone anytime from just about anywhere, and especially now that there are so many
cell phones available and telephones dont cost that much to buy or to use. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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67. There are good things about this show since it comes on at 9:30, so when a kid comes home from
school, we dont have to rush through our homework, and we can still watch the show. (rewrite
wordy sentence)
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68. Christopher Columbus never set foot on the North American mainland although he made four trips
to the Americas. (rearrange to create an inverted sentence)
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69. _____________________ clocks were invented, people studied the motions of the stars at night
and checked the shadows on their sundials during the day. (add a conjunction)
70. The senator has worked to preserve the wilderness. He has also introduced bills to reduce our
dependence on fossil fuels. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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71. A regular fitness program will improve your health, and it will prevent illness and injury. (replace)
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72.The winter was coming on soon. The squirrels were frantically searching for nuts. The nuts keep
them alive during the cold weather. Food is hard for them to find during the winter. (combine)
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73. The first dog that I had as a kid was named Fred and he was a great dog and he loved to play ball
and to get a bath, but he also had a tendency to chew my shoes and the plants when he was a
puppy and then I got angry, but I miss him to this day. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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74. The mob marched defiant and angry to the conference site. (rearrange to create a word or phrase
introduction)
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75. The orchestra played the symphony beautifully. The orchestra is a mixture of seventh and eighth
graders. (middle)
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76. The main problems with buying merchandise on Ebay involve the complexity of finding what they
want when they want it, and it also can take a lot of time even though it can save you money.
(rewrite wordy sentence)
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77. I started school a year early because my birthday is in December. (replace)
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78. He played for two hours. He finished his songs. He threw his guitar into the air. This caused his
fans to cheer. They gave him a standing ovation. (combine)
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79. The rock star was young. He was dressed in a satin shirt and purple jeans. He grasped the
microphone. He sang two songs. He wrote these songs himself. (combine)
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80. The stories Harvey the Goat and Stray help demonstrate and show the relationship between
humans and animals, which is beneficial to both. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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81. Most cats will not destroy the owners furnishings when they are left alone unlike many other pets.
(rearrange to create an introductory phrase)
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82. An F6 tornado is very unlikely to occur. An F6 tornado has winds clocked between 319 and 379
miles per hour. (middle)
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83. When I was in high school, I was in the marching band, and I got to get into all the football and
basketball games for free, but most of the other students had to pay to get in, but we also marched
in all the parades that the city held during each of the years, and that was great during the winter
months but during the summer it was very hot, so it was hard. (rewrite stringy sentence)
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84. Mrs. Wright weighed only ninety pounds. She lost her footing in the storm winds clocked at 45
miles per hour. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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85. Tiger Woods is the name of a young American golfer. He set a record in the 1997 Master's
Tournament. He surprised all the veterans. He was 22 at the time.
(combine)
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86. Professor Kazan was wearing a white tropical suit and a wide-brimmed hat. He was the first
ashore. (middle)
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87. The teacher gave a demonstration of some of the various, different ways and methods that I could
use for solving the equation in mathematics class. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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88. I saw for the first time in my life the high grasslands of the Navajos and the fringes of the Painted
Desert through the wide open window of my old Camaro. (rearrange to create an introductory
phrase).
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89. A man sat in front of the mall. He was young. He was blind. He was about my age. He was
playing his banjo. His damp hair was sticking out from under a red headband. His eyes were
blankly looking at no one. (combine)
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90. He was a skilled musician. He entertained the passers-by until his fingers became very slick from
the city heat. (turn one sentence into an introductory phrase for the other sentence)
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91. Foghorns are used by ships on both the west and east coasts of Canada. They signal where a ship
is located in the harbor. (middle)
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92.The other day John got a speeding ticket when he was driving through a school zone at 45 miles
per hour and the speed limit was only 25 miles, but he didnt realize that it was the first day of
school, and he became very furious because the policeman would not give him a break. (rewrite
stringy sentence)
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93. I have made a point throughout my life to try to save at least a part of my monthly income and put it
into a savings account because I want to have some money available to me when I get old and
retire from my job. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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94. Since a storm in New England is preventing flights out, the Coldplay concert has been postponed
until tomorrow. (replace)
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95. Halloween was a very special holiday for me when I was a child because I got to dress up in a
costume and go all over the neighborhood and get candy from all my neighbors, but I never
got sick from eating all that candy at one time because my mother made me put most of it away,
and I was only able to eat several pieces of the candy each day. (rewrite stringy
sentence)
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96. The movie is filled with beautiful scenery, unexpected plot twists, and memorable performances by
the lead actors. ________________, I would recommend it. (add a transition word or phrase)

97. Dorothy and her companions sang and danced. They traveled down the Yellowbrick Road. They
traveled toward the Emerald City. They were hoping that the Wizard of Oz would help each of
them. The Wizard of Oz was considered great and powerful.
(combine)
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98. Laura can play demanding concertos _________________ Joan can only play the piano with two
fingers. (add a conjunction)
99. Because of the simple fact that this car was owned by only one previous owner, who only drove to
the market to get her groceries on Thursday afternoons, it has retained nearly its full market value,
and it is still worth a good deal of money. (rewrite wordy sentence)
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100. Lightening can jump from a tree to the nearest objects if lightening strikes the tree. (rearrange to
create an inverted sentence)
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