Year 6 · SPaG · Spring: Parenthesis, dashes and hyphens
Year 6 single dashes and pairs of dashes worksheet and PowerPoint
To use a single dash to add an extra comment and a pair of dashes to mark a parenthesis, and to tell a dash from a hyphen.
Dashes
A dash (–) is longer than a hyphen (-). It separates extra information from the rest of the sentence. A single dash adds a comment at the end; a pair of dashes marks a parenthesis.
| single dash | The test was easy – or so I thought. |
|---|---|
| pair of dashes | Our cat – Whiskers – sleeps on the sofa. |
| not a hyphen | A hyphen joins words (well-known); a dash separates parts of a sentence. |
Examples
- We won – at last!
- The explorers – tired and hungry – reached the camp.
Key words
- dash
- a long line that separates extra information
- hyphen
- a short line that joins words
- afterthought
- something added at the end
- pair
- two dashes, one before and one after
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 a sports day. Use a single dash in three of them and a pair of dashes in the other three.
Pupil target: I can use dashes.
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 single dashes and pairs of dashes PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 28 of 72 in the Year 6 SPaG scheme, in the Spring term, block “Parenthesis, dashes and hyphens”. It is taught before the SATs grammar test in May.
Other lessons in this block
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