Combining Sentences Rules
Rule 1:
Different
Subjects - Same
Predicate
Rule 2:
Different
Predicates Same Subject
When two people
or things do the
same thing, try
to tell about it in
one sentence.
If you have one
person doing
more than one
thing, then place
the verbs in a
string.
If you use I as
part of a
combined
subject, put I
last.
Example:
Timothy ate fish.
Phillip ate fish.
Timothy and
Phillip ate fish.
Example:
Timothy
cheered.
Timothy told me
to fell along the
line to the
wriggling fish.
Timothy cheered
and told me to
fell along the line
to the wriggling
fish.
Rule 3:
Repeated Words
Examples:
I touched
driftwood.
I touched coral.
I touched
driftwood and
coral.
Rule 4:
Sometimes one
sentence will do
in place of two.
Examples:
Timothy cooked
fish. It was
delicious.
Timothy cooked
delicious fish.
I walked slowly.
I walked
carefully.
The rain was icy.
I was wet.
I walked slowly
and carefully
I was wet from
the icy rain.
.
Rule 5:
Using phrases in
sentences lets
you say more with less.
Example:
I sat beside
Timothy. I sat
beside him for
an hour. I sat in
the hot sun while
he rested
quietly.
I sat beside
Timothy for
almost an hour
in the hot sun
while he rested
quietly..
Rule 6:
When sentences
are related they
may be turned
into a compound
sentence by
adding a comma
and a
coordinating
conjunction.
If you wanted to
combine two
sentences and
show a cause
and effect
relationship, one
way you could
do it would be to
use a
coordinating
conjunction.
These are the
connecting
words for, and,
nor, but, or, yet,
and so. One way
to remember all
of them is to call
them
"FANBOYS." In
most cases, they
will be preceded
by a comma.
Rule 7:
Short choppy
sentences may be
turned into
complex
sentences by
turning one
sentence into a
phrase and adding
a subordinating
conjunction.
Try using some of
these words when
building complex
sentences:
after
if
before
since
though unless
until
when
although while
because
whenever
Example:
I had fever in
Virginia.
My mother had
given me aspirin.
She put cold
cloths on my
head.
Example:
I felt around.
The rope was no
longer tied to the
raft.
I felt around, but
the rope was no
longer tied to the
raft.
When I had fever
in Virginia, my
mother had given
me aspirin and
then she put cold
cloths on my
head.
Rule 8:
You may join
two complete
sentences with a
semicolon when
you want to
keep two closely
related ideas in
one sentence.
By using a
semicolon
instead of a
period between
two sentences,
you show that
those two
sentences have
a closer
relationship to
each other than
they do to the
sentences
around them.
Note: Think of a
comma as a brief
pause, a
semicolon as a
more moderate
pause, and a
period as a stop.
Example:
I screamed his
name again and
again.
There was no
answer.
I screamed his
name again and
again; there was
no answer.
Rule 9:
You may join two
sentences by
using a
semicolon with a
transitional word
and a comma
Some common
transitional
words are:
however has
the same
meaning as
but
furthermore
has the same
meaning as
in addition
instead has the
same meaning
as rather
consequently
has the same
meaning
as a result
nevertheless
has the same
meaning as
however
Example:
I heard him
making small
noises. It was
painful to move.
I heard him
making small
noises as if it
were painful to
move.