Sentence Combining Strategies - Free Educational videos for Students in K-12

Sentence Combining Strategies - By WarnerJordanEducation

Transcript


00:0-1	we Oh , wait to our podcast on sentence combining
00:11	. We want to talk with you about three pretty
00:14	basic ways that we can create better sentences by potentially
00:18	combining some of our short , choppy sentences that we
00:21	often times get in the habit of writing . So
00:23	let's go and see we're talking about here . So
00:25	take a look at this Siris of short sentences .
00:28	Toad saw the list . It blew away . He
00:32	chased after it . The wind was strong . Toad
00:35	was mad . The list was gone . Or perhaps
00:39	he came in . He saw the gun . The
00:41	shot rang out . He fell . The gun dropped
00:44	. Blood was spilled . How did those sentences feel
00:48	? What is the effect of the pace of those
00:50	sentences ? Well , when you read them , they
00:53	feel relatively fast . It's short . It's choppy .
00:57	It is always in the format of subject than verb
01:00	than object . There is no meandering pace to them
01:04	. It seems like you're just being hit over the
01:05	head with a list . This happened first . This
01:08	happened next . This happened third . They have a
01:11	rhythm to them . That's true . But the rhythm
01:14	seems to be very fast , and so there are
01:17	times where we want to slow that pace a little
01:20	bit . We want to slow that pace so that
01:23	your readers have time to think and digest and appreciate
01:27	your message , but also how you share that message
01:31	. And so there are many options of adding sentence
01:34	variety in English . We're going to talk about three
01:38	because this builds on our previous podcasts off clauses than
01:43	phrases than the idea of the run on sentence .
01:47	So if any of this seems like we're jumping a
01:49	little bit too far too fast , please review some
01:52	of those other podcasts understand those grammatical structures first ,
01:56	and that will help you understand this podcast a little
01:59	bit better . So the first method that we're going
02:02	to talk about to combine sentences is the idea of
02:05	subordination . Now , looking at the root , we
02:08	have sub sub means under or less than and so
02:13	in grammar . A subordinate clause is a part of
02:18	a sentence that is grammatically less important than the main
02:22	clause . A subordinate clause acts like a dependent clause
02:28	, meaning it cannot stand on its own . This
02:31	clause must be stuck to an independent clause in order
02:36	to form a complete sentence , and so oftentimes subordinate
02:41	clauses or dependent clauses are formed with those conjunctions of
02:47	Bubis words like always , almost while when ? Until
02:53	words like that . So when those are starting a
02:56	clause , they are creating a subordinate or dependent clause
03:01	, and therefore they need to be stuck to another
03:04	complete sentence . So let's go back to our example
03:07	. Toads saw the list . It blew away .
03:10	He chased after it . The wind was strong .
03:13	Toad was mad . The list was gone . What
03:16	if we took some of those short sentences and changed
03:20	them so that we could combine them maybe two sentences
03:24	into one longer ? One . So , for example
03:27	, when towed saw the list , it blew away
03:30	. Unfortunately , while he chased it , the strong
03:34	wind was blowing and it angered Toad . Now ,
03:37	yes , we've changed a couple words . We've changed
03:40	mad to angered . We've changed the order off some
03:44	of these small sentences , and that's totally okay .
03:48	But what we have done is we've taken some of
03:51	those previous standalone short sentences and made them into subordinate
03:56	clauses and then combined them with another independent clause .
04:01	Look at that . First one , when towed saw
04:04	the list comma , it blew away . The meaning
04:08	is still the same . It does express when all
04:12	of this happened . But rather than starting with subject
04:16	verb object order , we have made that red claws
04:21	into a subordinate or dependent clause . And then we
04:25	stuck it to it blew away . So rather than
04:29	being hammered over the head with a quick pace ,
04:32	we took some of those short sentences and subordinated them
04:36	, combined them with the other clause to still make
04:40	a complete sentence . But toe vary the pace of
04:44	how those feel to our reader . And so remember
04:47	, we're going to use a subordinating conjunction to lead
04:51	that dependent clause into the independent clause . And so
04:57	you can see the punctuation that we need down at
04:59	the bottom there if we start with a dependent clause
05:02	even though he was late . And then we attach
05:05	that to a complete sentence comma , he still took
05:09	the full test . We have toe have that dependent
05:13	clause separated by a comma into our independent clause or
05:18	complete sentence . But if for some reason we want
05:21	to put that dependent clause at the end of our
05:24	complete sentence , no punctuation is needed . He still
05:28	took the full test despite the fact that he came
05:31	in late there , it just rolls between the independent
05:34	clause right into that subordinate dependent clause . It changes
05:40	the feeling it changes the flavor , it changes the
05:42	pace . And that is good because we don't want
05:45	our reader to feel like they're being beat over the
05:47	head while reading our fast paced essay . Another way
05:51	we can change the feel or pacing or flavor of
05:54	our writing is to combine independent clauses as independent clauses
06:00	. So this is when we have two full independent
06:04	stand on their own sentences , but we're choosing to
06:07	combine them into one bigger , longer sentence . Now
06:11	the thing is , we have to be careful because
06:13	this sets up the potential for a run on sentence
06:17	. So here's what we want to do . We
06:19	want to combine those two independent clauses properly . If
06:24	we don't , it is a grammatical run on ,
06:26	so we want to be able to do it properly
06:28	and in our podcast on run ins , we go
06:30	into more depth with this . But in essence ,
06:33	we use what we call the superheroes of punctuation to
06:36	avoid the run on but still create groups of independent
06:41	clauses . So , for example , this doesn't actually
06:44	combine independent clauses . It just avoids the run on
06:48	. But one thing we could do to avoid the
06:50	run on is to have one independent clause end it
06:54	with a period and then begin another independent clause or
06:58	complete sentence . Simply use a period end . The
07:01	first clause begin the second clause run on avoided and
07:06	perhaps some variety added . But the truly start combining
07:10	these independent clauses , perhaps we could use Aquaman or
07:14	of the semi colon . Between our independent clauses ,
07:18	we could start with a full and complete sentence and
07:21	independent clause , use a semi colon and then add
07:25	our second independent cause right after that . Now they
07:28	form one giant sentence with one capital letter and one
07:32	period at the end . But we have to full
07:35	complete ideas , joined together properly with a semicolon ,
07:40	and again if we happen to mess this up ,
07:43	that creates a grammatical error of a run on my
07:46	personal favorite way of combining sentences to avoid the run
07:50	on . But also to add variety is the use
07:52	of the Wonder twins and again , both twins were
07:55	needed to fight crime , So we need to parts
07:58	to correctly join independent causes , and those two parts
08:02	are a comma and a coordinating conjunction , and in
08:06	English there are seven coordinating conjunctions for and nor but
08:13	or yet and so and they make the acronym of
08:17	Fanboys . So if we have a complete sentence ,
08:21	an independent clause that can stand on its own and
08:23	we want to combine it with another complete sentence ,
08:26	another independent clause . We can totally do that if
08:30	we use both parts . If we use a comma
08:33	and a conjunction , not just a comma and not
08:36	just a conjunction , we need to have both parts
08:40	. Just like the Wonder twins needed both the boy
08:42	and the girl in order to fight crime again ,
08:45	it adds some variety . It adds some different pacing
08:49	. It adds some different feel for our reader ,
08:52	and if we do it correctly , we have what's
08:54	called a compound sentence . If we don't do it
08:57	correctly , we have created the grammatical error off a
09:00	run on now because we don't talk a lot about
09:02	grammar . Students oftentimes start to make mistakes pretty early
09:06	because they're confused between what is an independent clause ,
09:10	which is a full and complete sentence and what is
09:13	a dependent clause , basically something that has to be
09:17	stuck to a complete sentence . If you have a
09:20	dependent clause and it iss stuck to an independent clause
09:24	, you just follow that with a comma , and
09:27	that becomes one giant sentence . But if what you
09:31	have created are two independent causes and you've stuck them
09:34	together , you might have a run on , and
09:37	you might have to either split them with Superman ,
09:40	join them with Aquaman and the semi colon , or
09:44	join them with the Wonder twins , that comma and
09:46	the conjunction . In order to do it properly ,
09:49	perhaps go back to our clauses and phrases podcasts to
09:53	make sure that you truly understand what these are and
09:56	how they're different dramatically . So here's an example ,
09:59	going back to our original frog and toad short story
10:02	. But now we have combined them with the Wonder
10:06	Twins and in a couple occasions with the semicolon Toad
10:10	saw the list . It blew away . He chased
10:13	after it . The wind was strong . Toad was
10:15	mad . The list was gone . And then the
10:18	rewritten example . Toad saw the list comma , but
10:22	it blew away . He chased after it comma ,
10:25	but the wind was strong . Toad was mad semicolon
10:30	. The list was gone . It changes the pace
10:33	. It changes the feel . It changes the flavor
10:35	of those short , choppy sentences . We've combined them
10:39	into longer sentences properly either using the comma and the
10:43	conjunction or the semicolon . And this is what we're
10:46	after changing the feeling , changing the flavor , changing
10:49	the pace so that our readers don't just get beaten
10:52	over the head with short , choppy sentences for an
10:55	entire essay . The third way , we'd want to
10:57	talk about combining sentences and then therefore , adjusting pace
11:02	is to create a phrase . If you don't remember
11:04	what a phrase is , you can always visit our
11:07	podcast on phrases . But in short , it is
11:09	a group of words that travel as a unit .
11:12	They do not have a subject and a verb .
11:16	Therefore they cannot stand on their own . And so
11:19	the phrases we have talked about are the proposition .
11:22	All phrase , the gerund phrase and the infinitive phrase
11:26	go back to our selection of short , choppy sentences
11:28	. Could we take some ideas in either one of
11:31	those , craft them into a phrase and then stick
11:34	them to a full and complete sentence to add variety
11:38	, for example , Toad saw the list blowing away
11:42	to get the list he chased after it flowing away
11:46	from the strong wind . The list was gone and
11:49	Toad was mad . That just feels different . We
11:52	have some different paces in there . That first sentence
11:55	we've added blowing away . We've added a gerund phrase
12:00	rather than two sentences in the next sentence . To
12:03	get the list , we've added an infinitive phrase rather
12:07	than having to short choppy sentences . Flowing away from
12:11	the strong wind is another gerund phrase . So again
12:15	, rather than having to short choppy sentences , we've
12:18	taken some of the ideas . Some of the words
12:20	reformatted them into a phrase and then properly joined them
12:25	with a full and complete sentence . Changes the feel
12:28	, the flavor and the pace . And that's what
12:31	we're after here . So here are some examples that
12:33	you can practice with . Most of these are run
12:36	on sentences . Somebody has tried to combine two full
12:41	and independent clauses , but they have done it incorrectly
12:46	. So go ahead and challenge yourself a little bit
12:47	here . Can you punctuate each sentence correctly ? Where
12:51	would you split these clauses , or where would you
12:54	at a semi colon ? Or where would you add
12:56	the wonder twins of a comma and a conjunction in
12:59	order to avoid the run on and add sentence variety
13:25	. One more set of practice and so in some
13:48	. If we have to complete sentences , we can't
13:51	just jam them together in order to create better pacing
13:54	and flow . If we do , we might have
13:57	created a run on . So if we're looking to
13:59	combine two full and complete sentences to independent clauses ,
14:04	we might have to visit the use of the semi
14:07	colon or the use of the comma , plus a
14:09	conjunction the Wonder twins in order to combine those .
14:13	Or perhaps we could subordinate one set of those words
14:17	, make a dependent clause out of one part of
14:20	them , and then properly join those with an independent
14:23	clause of the other . Or perhaps we could even
14:26	be a little bit more daring and take one group
14:28	of words and that idea and make them into a
14:31	phrase and then properly join that to a complete sentence
14:35	or an independent cause again . The point is not
14:38	to just join sentences for the sake of joining sentences
14:41	just for the heck of it , so that we
14:43	have X amount of uses of the semi colon in
14:46	a paper . That's not the point . The point
14:49	is , do we have a nice flow in our
14:51	sentence creation , or is it too fast ? Should
14:54	we slow it down ? Do we need to speed
14:56	up our pace ? This is a feeling that is
14:59	created by our writing , and one way we can
15:02	manipulate that feeling or that pace is through sentence ,
15:05	combining if we ADM or to a complete sentence ,
15:08	it slows the pace down . It forces are reader
15:11	to think and to slow down with the commas and
15:13	then the periods . If we want to keep the
15:15	pace high for some reason , then we should keep
15:18	those short , choppy sentences . This isn't something to
15:21	do just to do it . Ask yourself about your
15:23	pace . You're feeling your variety on . If you
15:27	feel like you do need to combine . You could
15:29	definitely use one of these three methods to do that
15:32	. I think that's it . Thanks so much for
15:33	listening . If you have any questions , you go
15:35	ahead and bring those in the class . Otherwise ,
15:37	we will do some practice when we get back together
15:39	. Thanks so much

Summarizer

DESCRIPTION:

How can we avoid the monotonous or short, choppy sentence patterns? Watch on to see three patterns where we can mix it up a bit! [This podcast is related to the podcast on Clauses.]

OVERVIEW:

Sentence Combining Strategies is a free educational video by WarnerJordanEducation.It helps students in grades 4 practice the following standards L.4.1.B.

This page not only allows students and teachers view Sentence Combining Strategies but also find engaging Sample Questions, Apps, Pins, Worksheets, Books related to the following topics.

1. L.4.1.B : Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses..