Things You'll Need:
- a pencil
- a piece of paper
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Step 1
Tie together three sentences, using a comma between the first and second sentence. Put the conjunction “and” between the second and third sentence. For example, I have chosen a description of three men who are running in a foot race. The three separate sentences read as follows:Fred was in first place.Peter was right behind him.Jim was bringing up the rear.These three sentences when correctly put together will look as follows: "Fred was in first place, Peter was right behind him and Jim was bringing up the rear." Now you have a very simple example of how to string together three sentences. You can also rewrite the three original sentences without the use of a comma: "Fred was in first place and Peter was right behind him. Jim was bringing up the rear."
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Step 2
Put together three sentences that have the same subject. This is a slight variation of step 2, but still it is a very important concept to learn, as many sentences can be linked together in this manner. Please note that when this is done, the comma will come after the first phrase and before the verb in the second phrase. For example our three sentences will read like this:Jesse went to the bank.Jesse pulled out his pistol.Jesse politely asked the bank teller for all the money.When put together the three sentences will be combined into one sentence that reads as follows: "Jesse went to the bank, pulled out his pistol and politely asked the teller for all the money."This final sentence is slightly shorter and reads smoother than the original three sentences, plus it is a good example of how to use multiple verbs.
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Step 3
Take a series of at least five sentences and combine them into one complex sentence. Here we will separate the first four sentences with commas and use the conjunction “and” to go between the fourth and fifth sentence. Here are our sample sentences:Betty was furious.Marge was in tears.Susan was out for revenge.Pam was laughing uncontrollably.Not one of the four women would have known that they were married to the same man, if it had not been for the fact that Jeff McBride had just won the state lottery.When combined, these sentences read like this: "Marge was furious, Betty was in tears, Susan was out for revenge, Pam was laughing uncontrollably and not one of the four women would have known that they were married to the same man, if it had not been for the fact that Jeff McBride had just won the state lottery."
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Step 4
Combine the first four sentences and let the fifth stand alone. If the one sentence in step 3 seems too long, combine the first four and let the fifth sentence stand alone. The result is only slightly different from the first combination, but these little differences are one of the keys to good writing. You have to make the choice as to which example works best for you. Here is the second version: "Marge was furious, Betty was in tears, Susan was out for revenge and Pam was laughing uncontrollably. Not one of the four women would have known that they were married to the same man, if it had not been for the fact that Jeff McBride had just won the state lottery."
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Step 5
Study the differences that are created by using a comma instead of a period. This is called inflection. A period creates a longer pause than a comma and so it changes, ever so slightly, the way that a sentence reads. To really get the feel for this very important matter of English composition, it is best to read your passage aloud to yourself.
