Cumulative Sentence Examples & Definition

Cumulative Sentence Examples

• The students hurried to finish their projects, writing quickly, drawing carefully, and checking each detail.

In this sentence, the independent clause “The students hurried to finish their projects” is followed by three different dependent clauses about how they completed that task. 

• At recess, kids played soccer on the field, running as fast as they could, kicking the ball hard, and cheering each other on.

Similar to the first example, the sentence begins with a prepositional phrase and independent clause. For instance, “At recess, kids played soccer on the field.” Then, the writer continues the sentence by describing how the game is played. 

• The teacher read a story to the class, her voice rising and falling, her eyes scanning the room, and her hands turning each page slowly.

The independent clause “The teacher read a story to her class,” is followed by details. These details include information about her voice, eye contact, and hand movements to elicit further imagery for readers. 

• In the library, students looked for books, wandering through the aisles, reading the titles, and pulling interesting ones off the shelves.

In this sentence, the independent clause is “In the library, students looked for books.” It is followed by three dependent clauses about their strolling, reading, and selections. 

• The bell rang for lunch, sending students rushing to the cafeteria, grabbing their lunch boxes, and hurrying to find seats at the tables.

In this cumulative sentence, it begins “The bell rang for lunch.” It continues with three dependent clauses, “sending students rushing to the cafeteria,” “grabbing their lunch boxes, and “hurrying to find seats at the tables.”

In each sample sentence, there is an independent clause which is extended by the use of dependent clauses. This makes the sentence “cumulative.” 

Practice Section

Directions: Bold the independent clauses in the following sentences.

1. After finishing his math homework, John double-checked his answers, erasing mistakes and re-writing solutions.
2. The class prepared for the science fair, setting up their displays, arranging their materials, and practicing their presentations.
3. During art class, Emma painted her canvas, blending colors together on a palette, a smile on her face. 
4. The principal walked through the hallways, greeting students, waving to teachers, and checking that everything was running smoothly.
5. When the school day ended, kids packed up their backpacks, gathered their books, zipped up their bags, and said goodbye to their friends.

Answer Key

1. After finishing his math homework, John double-checked his answers, erasing mistakes and re-writing solutions.
2. The class prepared for the science fair, setting up their displays, arranging their materials, and practicing their presentations.
3. During art class, Emma painted her canvas, blending colors together on a palette, a smile on her face. 
4. The principal walked through the hallways, greeting students, waving to teachers, and checking that everything was running smoothly.
5. When the school day ended, kids packed up their backpacks, gathered their books, zipped up their bags, and said goodbye to their friends.

Advanced Cumulative Sentences in Classic Literature

From Moby Dick by Herman Melville: “A damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself growing grim, whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet…then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.”

• The independent clause here is “then, I account it high time to get to sea,” which is preceded by a series of clauses that explain the mood and behavior leading to this conclusion.  The above sample is complex, employing many dependent clauses which are joined by semicolons.

From Dracula by Bram Stoker: “The Count moved with a silent grace, his footsteps barely brushing the ground, his eyes glinting like cold steel in the candlelight, and his long, pale fingers reaching out as if to pull the darkness around him like a cloak.”

• In this excerpt, the independent clause is “The Count moved with a silent grace.” To extend the clause, a series of dependent clauses follow to give more and more detail about the mysterious and brooding Count Dracula. 

Writing Cumulative Sentences

Identifying cumulative sentences is easy. When you see sentences that are especially long and detailed, it’s likely that those sentences can be classified as such. 

As a writer, crafting cumulative sentences has a few steps. 

First, writers must begin with an independent clause that communicates a complete thought. Then they can use a coordinating conjunction like “and” or a comma to continue that thought. 

For example, here is a short excerpt from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in which she writes a cumulative sentence:

“Elizabeth, as they drove along, watched for the first appearance of Pemberley Woods with some perturbation; and when at length they turned in at the lodge, her spirits were in a high flutter.”

The independent clause “Elizabeth, as they drove along, watched for the first appearance of Pemberley Woods with some perturbation,” is followed by several dependent clauses which tell us where the carriage is traveling and about how Elizabeth feels.