Sentence combining can act as a corrective for the large number of language arts lessons and activities that emphasize errors. Based on familiar sentence patterns, sentence combining provides models of effective language use and encourages students to examine and try more expressive and interesting styles of speaking and writing. Sentence combining activities can help teach many skills and concepts in the language arts curriculum. In addition to providing extensive practice in creating sentence structures, sentence combining can help students develop effective paragraphs. For this, kernel sentences are combined into more complex sentences and written in a sequence. Exercises involving several main ideas lead to practice in identifying and writing multiple paragraphs. Creative writing can be introduced through the expansion of sentences. In these exercises, the students are given a basic sentence and asked to make it tell more or sound more interesting by the addition of words and ideas. Sentence combining not only provides a content for writing, it also encourages the use of common vocabulary for discussion of writing structure. More than developing skills in recognizing and correcting errors, sentence combining emphasizes student production of appropriate and interesting sentences. (HOD)