Relationships & Partners and Writing Skills Tips. (A Writing Advice Guide Book

Sentence Combining

Sentence Combining Lessons

A Word about Revision

Any dedicated writer would tell you that revision is critical to successful composition. In fact, many writers spend more time revising than writing. But what is revision? Why is it important?
Revision is simply rewriting. (Revision means "to look again.") When you revise, you read with a critical eye, attentive to all areas of writing: mechanics, spelling, grammar, style, structure, meaning, tone, and so forth. Beginning writers often resist revision, especially if they're relying on "inspiration" to carry them through. But unless you're a genius, skilled writing requires revision.
The more devoted you are to revision, the more effective your writing. Once you see the results firsthand, you'll begin to appreciate and even enjoy the process. Let's start with sentence combining, an extremely useful writing skill.

Sentence Combining

Most first drafts suffer from overwriting. This is natural, since the writer is busy formulating thoughts and setting them down. Although overwriting involves wordiness, it also means using too many sentences. The remedy for this is sentence combining. Take a look at the following sentences:
- The squirrel is eating an acorn. The acorn is small. We are watching the squirrel.
The writer is using too many sentences to get an idea across. You've probably already combined these sentences in your head. Here's one option:
- We are watching the squirrel eat the small acorn.
Notice how sentence combining results in fluid, concise writing. Look at these sentences:
- We watched the movie. We went home. Then we had a snack and went to bed.
- After watching the movie, we went home, had a snack and went to bed.
In this case, adding the preposition after was helpful. Of course, there are often a variety of ways sentences can be combined. Take this example:
- A map is the traveler's best friend. It is essential on road trips.
- A map, the traveler's best friend, is essential on road trips.
Got it? Let's look at one more combining option:
- Mrs. Bernstein wanted a steak. She was very hungry.
- Mrs. Bernstein, who wanted a steak, was very hungry.
Here, the pronoun who allowed the sentences to merge smoothly. Other helpful pronouns include whom, whose, that and which.

Finally, remember that you don't always want to combine sentences. Sometimes a sentence needs to stand alone.
- He was a strong man. He had a good heart.
The sentences emphasize the man's good heart.

Writing Exercise Prompt
1. Combine each group into one or two sentences. Use a variety of combining strategies.

1. Mrs. Reyes wrote a play. The play was about her family. The play was excellent.
2. A sailor should always be aware of weather conditions. This ensures a safe trip.
3. No one would talk to him. He was always bitter.
4. Janet is eighteen. She attends Harvard College. She wants to major in psychology.
5. The volcano is about to erupt. The volcano is ancient.
6. Bradly is tall and thin. He likes to read. He likes to play guitar.
7. We went to the diner. Then we went to the lake. We like to swim there at night.
8. He shouted at his dog. His dog wouldn't come. His dog was stubborn.

Writing Exercise Prompt
2. Combine each group into one or two sentences. Use a variety of combining strategies.
1. The salad is fresh from the garden. It has avocado mixed in. The avocado is ripe.
2. Houdini was a great magician. He could escape from chains.
3. There is grass on the mountain top. The herd of elk lives there.
4. After playing tennis, we went to school. At school we met Jonathan.
5. Sherman is sweet. He is our neighbor's cat. He doesn't have a tail.
6. She wrote to the president. Her letter was ignored.
7. You will need Indian spices for that recipe. You will also need butter and salt.
8. The bookstore was closed. Today is a holiday.

The First Thirty Minutes of My Day—Sentence Combining In Action: Writing Exercise Prompt
3. This is a two-part exercise. First, freewrite a page about the first half-hour of your day.
Describe brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, bathing, and so forth. Don't stop to edit or revise. Afterwards, rewrite the piece, combining as many sentences as possible.

Can A Story Be One Sentence?—More Sentence Combining In Action: Writing Exercise Prompt
4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, winner of the Nobel prize for literature, is the author of a short story called The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship. Like most of his stories, Ghost Ship is rich with imagery, passion and magic. Its unique feature, however, is that it is five pages long and contains one sentence.
Now it's your turn to give it a try. In one sentence, write a one page story. Before beginning, review the use of semicolons, parentheses and dashes. Good luck! Be sure to read your story to a friend.
Notice: If you find the assignment highly frustrating, feel free to write the story in two or three sentences.