GRAMMAR & STRUCTURE
Sentence Combining: Part 2

Definition

Sentence combining is used to connect related ideas in one sentence.

Example

1. I graduated from university. 2. I found a job two weeks later. 3. The job was as a reporter. 4. The reporting was on TV. 5. The reporting was about the news. 6. It was a great job.

Two weeks after I graduated from university, I found a great job as a TV news reporter.

Here, six simple sentences have been combined into one complex sentence. The combined sentence shows the relationship between the ideas and omits unnecessary words and repetitions. The sentence is clear and well-written.

Explanation

Sentences can be combined by using independent clauses, dependent clauses, and phrases. Sentence combining is useful because it helps you clearly show the relationship between ideas. It also helps you write more fluently and use a variety of advanced sentence structures.

In Sentence Combining: Part 1, you were given a number of ways to combine ideas in expanded simple sentences and compound sentences.

Now here are a number of ways to combine sentences and ideas in complex sentences:

• Use adjective clauses or phrases to link ideas.
• Use adverb clauses or phrases to link ideas.
• Use noun clauses to link ideas.
• Use linking words to join clauses.
• Omit unnecessary or repeated words.

There are many ways to combine sentences: the best way is the clearest and shortest. Do not omit words that are necessary for understanding. Do not use words that are unnecessary.

Related Sections

Adjective Clauses
Adjective Phrases
Adverb Clauses
Adverb Phrases
Common Linking Words and Their Uses
Noun Clauses
Sentence Combining: Part 1