Year 5 English: Commas that make the meaning clear
Part of the Year 5 English brackets, dashes, commas and hyphens chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Commas that make the meaning clear
Key pattern
A comma can change the meaning of a sentence. Without it, the reader may read the sentence in the wrong way.
Let's eat, Grandma. means the speaker is talking to Grandma.
Let's eat Grandma. could suggest something quite different. A comma prevents this confusion.
Key ideas
- A comma can separate a name or a person from the rest of the sentence.
- A comma can show where the reader should pause to understand the meaning.
- Read the sentence aloud in your head, and listen for the pause.
- Use a comma to avoid a sentence that could mean two things.
Method. Read each sentence and decide what it means.
- Read the first. Sam come here could read as a sentence about Sam, not a call to him.unclear
- Read the second. With a comma, Sam is named as the person being called.clear
- Write the answer. Sam, come here
Check. The comma makes the meaning clear. ✓
Watch out. Commas change meaning. Check that the meaning you intend is the one the reader will see.
Method. Put commas around the name of the person being spoken to.
- Find the name. Ben is the person being thanked.Ben
- Add the commas. Put a comma before and after Ben.Thanks, Ben, for the book.
- Write the answer. Thanks, Ben, for the book.
Check. Thanks, Ben, for the book. ✓
Method. Put a comma after an opening time word.
- Find the opening word. Yesterday starts the sentence.Yesterday
- Add the comma. A comma goes after the opening time word.Yesterday, we played football in the rain.
- Write the answer. Yesterday, we played football in the rain.
Check. Yesterday, we played football in the rain. ✓
Exercise 7B Practice: commas for meaning
Method. Put a comma before the name of the person spoken to.
- Find the name. Dad is the person being spoken to.Dad
- Add the comma. A comma goes before Dad.Let's go, Dad.
- Write the answer. Let's go, Dad.
Check. Let's go, Dad. ✓
Method. A name used to speak to someone is set off by a comma.
- Find the name. Ann is the person spoken to.Ann
- Add the comma. Put a comma before Ann.Thank you, Ann.
- Write the answer. Thank you, Ann.
Check. Thank you, Ann. ✓
Method. A comma goes after an opening word that tells when.
- Find the opening word. Later tells when.Later
- Add the comma. Put a comma after Later.Later, we will walk to the shop.
- Write the answer. Later, we will walk to the shop.
Check. Later, we will walk to the shop. ✓
Method. Look at which sentence shows Grandma is spoken to.
- Read the first. Lets eat Grandma could suggest eating Grandma.unclear
- Read the second. Let's eat, Grandma speaks to Grandma.speaks to Grandma
- Write the answer. Let's eat, Grandma.
Check. Let's eat, Grandma. ✓
Method. Add a comma after the phrase that starts the sentence.
- Find the starting phrase. After the match starts the sentence.After the match
- Add the comma. A comma after match shows the pause.After the match, the players went home.
- Write the answer. After the match, the players went home.
Check. After the match, the players went home. ✓
Method. Put commas between items in a list.
- Find the items. Apples, bananas and grapes are three items.three items
- Add the commas. Commas go between the first two items.apples, bananas and grapes
- Write the answer. We packed apples, bananas and grapes.
Check. We packed apples, bananas and grapes. ✓
Method. A comma separates the name from the rest of the sentence.
- Find the name. Grandad is a name used to speak to someone.Grandad
- Add the comma. Put a comma after Stop.Stop, Grandad is coming.
- Write the answer. Stop, Grandad is coming.
Check. Stop, Grandad is coming. ✓
Method. Think about the two meanings.
- Look at the first meaning. Let's eat Grandma could mean eating Grandma.eating Grandma
- Look at the second. Let's eat, Grandma means the speaker is talking to her.talking to her
- Write the answer. without the comma, it could suggest eating Grandma; with the comma, the speaker is talking to Grandma
Check. The comma changes the meaning. ✓
Method. Put a name in the sentence and set it off with commas.
- Choose the name. Mia is the person spoken to.Mia
- Add the commas. Commas around Mia show she is spoken to.I will help you, Mia, after school.
- Write the answer. I will help you, Mia, after school.
Check. The commas make the meaning clear. ✓