Sentence Combining

Students combine short, simple sentences into longer, complex ones.

Procedure

1. Present 2-3 short sentences (e.g., "The man was tired. He sat down. The bench was wet.").
2. Students combine them into one sentence using conjunctions, relative clauses, or other structures.
3. Compare different solutions in pairs.
4. Discuss which combinations are most effective and why.
5. Progress to combining 4-5 sentences.

Variations

Proposition-based combining (Anderson & Dean, 2014)

Instead of starting from whole sentences, work with propositions — the basic units of meaning inside a sentence. Learners break a complex sentence into its propositions, then reconstruct them in new combinations. This reveals how many different ways the same ideas can be assembled and develops more sophisticated writing than simple conjunction-based joining.

Early stages:

1. Give two or more short, related sentences: Plants need sunlight. Plants need water.
2. Ask learners to identify the propositions (the irreducible meaning units).
3. Model merging them: Plants need sunlight and water.

Later stages:

• Rearrange words or phrases, delete redundancy, convert verb forms (e.g. moved -> moving)
• Introduce complex punctuation (semicolons, colons, dashes) to combine ideas
• Embed clauses and descriptive phrases within sentences for greater density
• Discuss how combining changes rhythm, emphasis, or meaning
• Use sentence combining during revision of longer writing, not only as isolated drill

As a routine

Sentence combining works well as a short starter (5 minutes), regular grammar practice, or targeted intervention for learners who write only simple sentences. Making it routine builds the habit of seeing multiple structural options for any idea (Saddler, 2012).

Tips

• Accept multiple correct answers — the discussion about which version sounds best is where the learning happens.
• At lower levels, supply the conjunction or linking word. At higher levels, let learners choose their own.
• Pair sentence combining with Oral Composition — learners say their combined sentence before writing it.