How to Join Sentences

You may already know that a sentence consists of a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. But what if you have 2 related sentences right next to each other? Often, you can join the 2 together to make a single, more complex sentence. Joining sentences adds depth and nuance to your writing, and there are many ways to do it. Varied sentence structures keep your writing fresh and help it flow.^{[1]XResearch source}

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Transition Words

1
Evaluate the relationship between the 2 sentences. Ask yourself what the second sentence does in relation to the first sentence. Does it explain or illustrate the first sentence? Contradict it? Add to it? This relationship determines what kind of transition word you could possibly use to join the sentences together:^{[2]XResearch source}
- Emphasize or add: and, also, likewise, in addition, moreover, furthermore
- Contradict or oppose: but, nevertheless, on the contrary, although, yet, however
- Conclude: thus, therefore, since, as, so, as a result
- Sequence: next, last, finally, then, second, until
2
Choose a conjunction to connect the sentences with a comma. The words "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," and "yet" are conjunctions. If you use one of these words, place a comma after the first sentence, then add the conjunction before the second sentence. You don't need an additional comma after the conjunction. Here are some examples:^{[3]XResearch source}
- Her favorite sandwich was grilled cheese, so she ate one for lunch every day.
- Devon wanted to go to the movie, but they hadn't finished their homework yet.
- We can go to the library, or we can go to the museum.
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3
Add a semicolon before transitional adverbs. You might recall that adverbs typically end in "-ly," but most transitional adverbs don't. These words allow you to move smoothly from one idea to the next as you write. Type a semi-colon at the end of the first sentence, then add the transitional adverb or adverbial phrase, followed by a comma. Here are some examples:^{[4]XResearch source}
- Her favorite sandwich was grilled cheese; therefore, she ate one for lunch every day.
- Devon wanted to go to the movie; however, they hadn't finished their homework yet.
- We can go to the library; on the other hand, we can go to the museum.
4
Turn one of the sentences into a dependent clause. This works if one of the sentences relies on the other to establish its full meaning. There's no punctuation if the dependent clause follows the independent clause; however, if the dependent clause comes first, place a comma after it. Here are some examples:^{[5]XResearch source}
- Because grilled cheese was her favorite sandwich, she ate one for lunch every day.
- If Devon finishes their homework, they can go to the movie.
- Although we could go to the library, we could go to the museum instead.
5
Try different versions of the sentence to find the best fit. There are always different ways you can phrase something, and one way might just sound better than another. The only way to know for sure is to try several different options and see which one works best. Reading aloud can help you figure out the best one to use.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Make sure the transition word you've chosen accurately reflects the relationship between the 2 sentences. Otherwise, your writing will end up saying something you didn't actually intend.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Adding a Colon or a Semi-Colon

1
Use only a semi-colon if the conjunction "and" makes sense. A semi-colon is stronger than a comma, capable of standing alone without the assistance of a conjunction. While people are often afraid of using semi-colons, they can add depth and precision to your writing if used sparingly. Semi-colons work best with 2 sentences that are closely related.^{[7]XResearch source}
- For example, suppose you have "Grilled cheese was her favorite sandwich. She ate one for lunch every day." These 2 sentences are closely related, with the second simply adding more information to the first. They could be joined with a semi-colon: "Grilled cheese was her favorite sandwich; she ate one for lunch every day."
- You can also use a semi-colon in place of a comma and "or" in some contexts.^{[8]XResearch source} For example, you might write "The cat could be under the bed; it could be in the closet." Here, the semi-colon takes the place of "or," because you're listing 2 different places where the cat could be (and the cat couldn't be in both places at once!)
2
Join sentences with a colon if the second explains or summarizes the first. When the second sentence is an explanation or summary of the first, you can use a semi-colon and a transitional adverb, such as "therefore." You can also simply use a colon with no transitional word.^{[9]XTrustworthy SourceUniversity of North Carolina Writing CenterUNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing processGo to source}
- For example, suppose you've written: "No one knew where the cat was. It always hid when people came over." Since the second sentence explains why no one knew where the cat was, you can combine them with a colon: "No one knew where the cat was: it always hid when people came over."
3
Introduce a list or example with a colon. A colon also works to join sentences when the second sentence is an example, or set of examples, that illustrate the idea communicated in the first sentence. If you have a list, remember to set off each item in the list with commas.^{[10]XTrustworthy SourceUniversity of North Carolina Writing CenterUNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing processGo to source}
- For example, suppose you'd written: "I forgot some things I needed when I went to the store. The things I forgot were milk, garbage bags, and toothpaste." You could combine these sentences with a colon by writing: "I forgot some things I needed when I went to the store: milk, garbage bags, and toothpaste."
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Combining Parallel Sentence Elements

1
Make a series of verbs when sentences have the same subject. When you're writing about the same subject, you often don't need several sentences to describe what that subject is doing. Instead, you can combine them into one sentence to make your writing less choppy and repetitive.^{[11]XResearch source}
- For example, suppose you've written "Susan loved grilled cheese sandwiches. She ate one for lunch every day." You could make a compound sentence with a comma and the conjunction "and." You could also simply remove the repeated subject and create a single sentence with a series of verbs: "Susan loved grilled cheese sandwiches and ate one for lunch every day."
2
Put together subjects that are doing the same thing. Sometimes it's not the subject of the 2 sentences, but the verb that's the same (or similar). When this happens, you can join the 2 sentences by getting rid of the repeated verb and listing the subjects together that are doing the thing.
- For example, suppose you have: "Susan studied for her math exam. Elise studied for her English exam." Instead, you could write: "Susan and Elise studied for their math and English exams."
3
Omit repeated subjects and verbs and combine adjectives. If you have 2 or more sentences in a row with the same subject and verb, simply take the adjectives or nouns that differ and make a series out of them. Then, you can get rid of the repeated subjects and verbs that make your writing monotonous.^{[12]XResearch source}
- For example, suppose you have the following sentences: "The cat is fluffy. It is orange and white. It is warming itself in the sun." Instead, you could write "The fluffy, orange and white cat is warming itself in the sun."
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Tips

Read aloud to easily find the boundary between 2 complete sentences that need either punctuation or a transition word to join them.^{[13]XResearch source}
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Use the mnemonic "FANBOYS" to remember the 7 coordinating conjunctions: "For," "And," "Nor," "But," "Or," "Yet," and "So." These combine with a comma to join 2 sentences.^{[14]XResearch source}
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Warnings

Vary your sentence structure, or your writing will get boring. Alternate between short and long sentences, using different ways to combine and transition between ideas.
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