Sentence Variety Practice
A worksheet to help 6th-grade students understand and practice sentence variety in their writing.
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Sentence Variety Practice
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Read each section carefully and follow the instructions to complete the activities. Pay close attention to how sentence structure can make your writing more interesting and clear.
Understanding Sentence Structure
A simple sentence has one independent clause. A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction (like 'and', 'but', 'or'). A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Varying your sentence structure makes your writing more engaging!
1. Which of the following is a simple sentence?
The cat purred, and the dog barked.
Because it was raining, we stayed inside.
Birds sing.
She likes apples, but he prefers oranges.
2. A compound sentence combines two independent clauses using a:
Preposition
Conjunction
Adverb
Interjection
Identify whether each sentence is Simple, Compound, or Complex. Write your answer in the blank.
3. Although it was cold, we still went for a walk.
4. The dog barked loudly at the mailman.
5. She studied hard for the test, and she earned an A.
6. Combine the following simple sentences into one compound sentence:
The sun was shining. The birds were singing.
7. Combine the following simple sentences into one complex sentence, using an appropriate subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, although, when):
He was tired. He finished his homework.
8. Read the paragraph below. It uses many simple sentences. Rewrite the paragraph, combining sentences and varying the sentence structure to make it more interesting and fluent.
Original Paragraph: The cat sat on the mat. The cat watched a bird. The bird flew to a tree. The tree was tall. The cat wanted to catch the bird. The cat jumped. The cat missed. The cat was sad.