4th grade combining sentences worksheets
Fourth grade sentence combining turns productive: the two short sentences print above a writing line, and your child writes the combined sentence, weighing a comma plus joining word against a clause starting with because, when, or although. The answer key shows the strongest combination, and a choice version is one click away.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.3.a.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of sentences you'll fix
Read the two sentences. Write one sentence that combines them. Use a joining word.
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The storm knocked out the power. The class kept working by the windows.
Fixed: Although the storm knocked out the power, the class kept working by the windows.
- The bakery ran out of rye. The deli sent over two loaves.
- The ferry docked at noon. The market opened its stalls.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fix it. Read the two sentences. Write one sentence that combines them. Use a joining word. 8 sentences to fix per page.
- Choose the sentence. Read the two sentences. Circle the letter of the sentence that combines them best. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Two good tools now compete: comma plus conjunction, or a clause starting with because, when, or although. Have your child say both versions out loud and pick the one that keeps the emphasis where the original pair put it. Talking through one item well beats rushing five.
Watch for: Kids glue sentences with just a comma: 'Ben has a kite, Ben has a drum.' That is a comma splice. Joining needs a joining word, or the repeats folded away. Kids pick and for everything. And adds, but pushes back, or offers a choice, so gives a result. Reading the combined sentence aloud with the wrong word usually exposes it.
Common questions about combining sentences
- What is new in fourth grade?
- Two things: your child now writes the combination instead of circling one, and subordinating words (because, when, after, although) join the toolbox beside and, but, and so.
- How do I grade a written answer?
- Compare it to the key's model sentence. If your child's version keeps every idea, says nothing twice, and joins the parts legally, it counts, even when the joining word differs from the model.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade combining sentences A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade combining sentences A step easier, same skill
- 5th grade combining sentences A step harder, same skill
- 4th grade complex sentences Same grade, nearby skill
- 4th grade independent and dependent clauses Same grade, nearby skill
- 4th grade run-on sentences Same grade, nearby skill
- Combining sentences, all grades The full progression
- All 4th grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 4th grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.5.3.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 178, updated August 2026.
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