sentence combining workshop

A Taste of Sentence Combining FUN WITH GRAMMAR WRC April 24, 2006

Sentences are flexible "containers" for our ideas. The more types of sentences we feel comfortable writing, the wider the range of thinking we can do. Sentence combining invites us to use a few basic grammar tools to build a variety of sentence types. We'll do an overview of sentence combining today, using time-honored, indispensable techniques:

1) COMBINING WITH COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (FANBOYS)

2) COMBINING WITH SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (CLAUSES)

3) COMBINING WITH CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS (INDEPENDENT CLAUSES)

4) COMBINING WITH RELATIVE PRONOUNS (RELATIVE CLAUSES)

5) COMBINING BY USING ADJECTIVES, PARTICIPLES, AND LISTS.

5) + ANY OTHER TECHNIQUES YOU ALREADY KNOW�OR WANT TO INVENT!

Something to be aware of: issues of grammar, style, and meaning/content always overlap. Learning grammar without thinking about meaning and style at the same time is like learning music theory without paying attention to melody or harmonic texture. Combine the sentence clusters into one or two sentences. Using the sentence combining techniques indicated above, rewrite each cluster twice, arriving at two very different tones or even two entirely different meanings in your two versions.

A GOOD INTERACTIVE GRAMMAR WEBSITE http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

SENTENCE COMBINING LINKS AND EXERCISES: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~esl/Links_grammar_sentcombining.htm

GRAMMAR HANDOUTS ONLINE http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab/ncwc/handouts.htm

For example:
SENTENCE COMBINING AND WILD LOVE

I fell in love with Maria.
She was a wild artist.
She seldom made sense.
Her wildness never bothered me.
I married her.

Example combined responses:
a) I fell in love with wild Maria because she was an artist who seldom made sense, and her wildness never bothered me; therefore, I married her.

b) I fell in love with her even though she was a wild artist who never made sense; her wildness never bothered me until I married her.

SENTENCE COMBINING at the White House:

Now try two versions of this; you could make one flattering to G.W. and the other unflattering:

George W. Bush is the U.S. President.
His father was also president.
His family is wealthy.
His family is influential.
He graduated from Yale University.

George W. Bush, who graduated from Yale University, is the U.S. President; moreover, his father was also president, and his family is wealthy and influential.

George W. Bush is the U.S. President mostly because his father was also president. His family is wealthy and influential, so he graduated from Yale University.

George W. Bush is the U.S. President mostly because his father was also president. Since his family is wealthy and influential, he graduated from Yale University.

George W. Bush is the U.S. President mostly because his father was also president. His family is wealthy and influential; therefore, he graduated from Yale University.

SENTENCE COMBINING at home.
Now try two versions of this one; make the tone and meaning different in each version:

My parents love me.
They are always working.
I hardly ever see my parents.
I usually love spending time with them.
They give me lots of advice.

My parents love me, but they are always working; consequently, I hardly ever see them. I usually love spending time with my parents since they give me lots of advice.

Even though my parents love me, they are always working; therefore, I hardly ever see them. I usually love spending time with them despite the fact that they give me lots of advice.

Since my parents love me, they are always working, and although I usually love spending time with them, I hardly ever see them because they give me lots of advice.

SENTENCE COMBINING in the desperate world:

I am a junkie.
I am desperate for money.
I am a thief.
I rob banks.
I am not a bad person.
No one ever gets hurt.
My mother is not happy about my criminal behavior.
The robberies do support us both.
My mother is a junkie too.

Since I am a junkie who is desperate for money, I am a thief who robs banks; however, because no one ever gets hurt, I am not a bad person. Although my mother is not happy about my criminal behavior, the robberies do support us both since my mother is a junkie too.

Although I am not a bad person, I am a junkie who is desperate for money; therefore, I am a thief who robs banks. Although no one ever gets hurt, my mother is not happy about my criminal behavior; on the other hand, the robberies support us both since my mother is a junkie too.

Soap Opera Combining Grammar and relationships (reduce to three sentences)

I love her.
She won't love me.
We are scared of relationships.
She is scared of being loved.
She has low self-esteem.
She claims to love another man.
He sadly only loves himself.
He ironically also has a thing for me.
What are we to do, we three?

I love her even though she has low self-esteem and is scared of being in love; however, while she won't love me, she claims to love another man who sadly only loves himself and ironically also has a thing for me. What are we to do, we three who are scared of relationships?

I love her because she won't love me; in fact, we are scared of relationships. She, who has low self-esteem and is scared of being loved, claims to love another man; however, he sadly only loves himself although he ironically also has a thing for me. So what are we to do, we three?

Sentence Combining and Your New Pet
I just got a puppy.
He is a Scotch Terrier.
He is cute.
He is full of energy.
He is alone at home all day.
He tears up the apartment.
He drives my brother crazy.
Sometimes he eats his socks.
Sometimes he pees on the carpet.
I love how he plays with his tennis balls.
He loves to play with his toy horse.
I love when he sleeps at the foot of my bed.

I just got a cute, energetic Scotch Terrier puppy who stays at home all day, tearing up the apartment. Even though he eats socks, pees on the carpet, and drives my brother crazy, I love how he plays with his tennis balls and toy horse, and how he sleeps at the foot of my bed.