Grades 2–3
Simple or Compound?
Eight sentences to sort into simple and compound, including tricky ones with two naming or telling parts.
Writing worksheet · Sentence building
Two Actions, One Sentence
Six pairs of sentences to join with a compound predicate, like The dog barked and wagged its tail.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–3
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Topic
- Sentence building
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Complete sentences, Subjects and predicates, Sentence types, Combining sentences
What kids do
“When one naming part does two things, join the telling parts with and. Write one new sentence.”
Printed on the sheet:
- The dog barked. The dog wagged its tail. → The dog barked and wagged its tail.
- 1. We swam. We played in the sand.
- 2. Ben sat down. Ben read a book.
- 3. The bird sang. The bird flew away.
- 4. I washed my hands. I dried them.
- 5. The baby giggled. The baby clapped.
- 6. Zoe found a shell. Zoe put it in her bag.
Teacher tip
Act it out: one kid does two actions while the class builds the sentence with and.
How to use it
- Read each answer aloud: if it sounds unfinished, it probably is.
- Do the first two examples together, then let kids work with a partner.
- Read the directions aloud so the sheet is about writing, not decoding the directions.
Watch for
Missing end marks. Have kids touch the last word and add a mark every time.
Talk about it
- Which sentence sounded better after you changed it?
- Where else do writers use this skill?
Take it further
Play sentence relay: each kid adds one word to a growing sentence.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More sentence building worksheets
Grades 2–3
Rewrite It for More Than One
Six sentences to rewrite from one to many, changing the noun and making the verb match.
Grades K–1
Who Is Doing What?
Five picture sentence frames on handwriting lines: kids add what the bee, lion, monkey, robot and dog are doing.
Grades 1–2
Naming Part and Telling Part
Match six naming parts to their telling parts, then write three of the sentences with a capital and a period.
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