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KS2 English textbook

Chapter 7: Brackets, dashes, commas and hyphens

  • Strand Grammar and punctuation
  • Level Year 5
  • Practice 79 questions with step-by-step solutions

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 2 English, Year 5. Content: Use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate extra information (parenthesis) (P5-1), Use commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity (P5-2), Use hyphens to avoid ambiguity, such as re-cover and recover (P5-3), Punctuate direct speech, with inverted commas, a comma after the reporting clause and end punctuation inside the inverted commas (P5-4, WV9, G4-7, TM4).

Open Year 5 chapter

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • Choose brackets, dashes or commas to add extra information
  • Use a comma so that a sentence means what the writer intends
  • Use a hyphen to show the meaning of a word clearly
  • Punctuate direct speech with inverted commas and the right end mark
  • Proof-read a short passage for punctuation

You should already know

  • Capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks (Year 4, Chapter 5)
  • Direct speech and inverted commas (Year 4, Chapter 5)

Where this leads

  • Writing stories and poems (Chapter 11 of this book)

Lessons in this chapter

  1. 7.1 Brackets, dashes and commas for extra information
  2. 7.2 Commas that make the meaning clear
  3. 7.3 Hyphens to avoid ambiguity
  4. 7.4 Speech punctuation: inverted commas, the comma and the end mark
  5. 7.5 Proof-reading a passage for punctuation
  6. Summary and key words
  7. Check-up and practice test questions

Read the whole chapter on one page (good for printing).

Practise with real exam questions

The DfE publishes every past KS2 test, with mark schemes, for free.

KS2 English past papers