Sentence Combining 01

Question: What is the value of sentence combining?

Answer: Practice in sentence combining can improve style and flow of expression. Sentence combining exercises enable you to experiment with sentence structure, to play with different types of structures within the sentence and to develop smooth expression that flows from beginning to end of a paragraph. Practicing some sentence combining exercises when you don’t feel like writing will start you on your way. When you are revising your own work, note whether combining some sentences will improve your expression.

What is sentence combining? Sentence combining is rewriting kernel sentences in a variety of ways. A kernel sentence reduces a complete sentence to its individual ideas. No combined sentence is either right or wrong. You give yourself choices in expressing your ideas. The test is whether the expression flows from beginning to end of your paragraph.

When I demonstrate a particular activity or piece of usage or sentence structure, I like to use an “idiot sentence” that clearly shows what I am talking about.

Here is a series of “kernel sentences”: “Tom played football. He was the captain of the team. He played tight end.”

Combined: Tom, a football player, was captain of the team and played tight end.

Combined: Tom, who played football at tight end, was the captain of the team.

Combined: Tom was a football player, tight end and captain of the team.

Combined: When Tom played football, he was a tight end and the captain of the team.

Combined: After Tom played tight end for the team, he was elected Captain.

Combined: Tom, a tight end, was elected captain of the football team.

Combined: A tight end, Tom was elected captain of the football team.

Combined: With Tom as their best tight end, the team elected him captain.

Combined: Let me introduce you to Tom: football player, tight end and captain of the team.

And so on and so on.

All kinds of variations are acceptable. No sentence is right or wrong. The question you need to ask yourself as you go over your own writing is whether you can combine your sentences to make them more interesting. Sentence combining practice also helps you to realize that alternative sentence patterns are available to you.

Let’s take another example, this time a sentence by JFK;

Kernel sentence: There are many Americans. They have lost their way. They have lost their will. They have lost their sense of history. They have lost their sense of purpose.

Combined: Many Americans have lost their way, their will, their sense of history and their purpose.

Combined: Having lost their way and will, many Americans no longer have an historic sense of purpose.

Combined: They have lost their way and will, and many Americans no longer have an historic sense of purpose.

Combined: Many Americans have lost their way, have lost their will, have lost their sense of history and have lost their purpose.

Combined: Because many Americans have lost their way and their will, they have also lost their sense of history and purpose.

As I look back over my sentence combining with JFK's statement, I realize I produced some clunkers.

Tomorrow, I will tell you what JFK actually said. Just because an author has chosen a particular sentence pattern is no assurance that it is the best. In this case, however, I think it is.

Summary: Sentence combining enables you to experiment with sentence structure, to play with different types of structures within the sentence and to develop smooth expression that flows from beginning to end of a paragraph. Practicing some sentence combining exercises when you don’t feel like writing will start you on your way. When revising and editing your own writing, check to see if you can combine some sentences to produce a smoother style of writing.



All the best. RayS.