Year 5 · SPaG · Parenthesis, brackets and dashes
Year 5 using commas to show parenthesis worksheet and PowerPoint
To use a pair of commas to mark a parenthesis, and to check that both commas are there.
Commas for parenthesis
A pair of commas can mark off extra information. Put one comma before it and one after it. Read the sentence without the extra information: it must still make sense.
| pair of commas | My teacher, Mrs Khan, is very kind. |
|---|---|
| check | Is there a comma before and after the extra information? |
| not | One comma on its own does not make a parenthesis. |
Examples
- The cake, a chocolate one, was eaten in minutes.
- Zara, my best friend, won the spelling prize.
Key words
- comma
- a mark , that separates parts of a sentence
- pair
- two commas: one before and one after
- parenthesis
- the extra information between the commas
- extra information
- words you can take out without spoiling the sentence
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write six sentences about people in your family. In each one, use a pair of commas to add extra information about them.
Pupil target: I can use a pair of commas to add extra information.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the using commas to show parenthesis PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 4 of 43 in the Year 5 SPaG scheme, in the block “Parenthesis, brackets and dashes”.
Other lessons in this block
- Recognising parenthesis
- Using brackets to show parenthesis
- Using dashes to show parenthesis
- Parenthesis together
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