#COMMAS TO CLARIFY MEANING EXAMPLES HOW TO#

In English there are always exceptions to every rule, but in general, if the situation does not meet the requirements of one of these rules, a comma is most likely not necessary.ġ. Use of the comma can be categorized into ten rules. Consistency in the use of commas allows the reader to be assured of proper interpretation of the writer's intentions. The comma is used according to specific rules that relate to grammatical structures within the sentence. When a sentence is spoken aloud, a comma often represents a pause, which in verbal conversation functions to clarify meaning. Original model texts demonstrate the objective in context, and creative writing tasks allow children to put their learning into practice.The comma functions as a tool to indicate to readers a certain separation of words, phrases, or ideas in order to prevent misreading the writer's intended meaning. Its comprehensive and flexible 5-step TEACH, PRACTISE, REVISIT, APPLY, REVISE approach ensures even the most complex grammatical concept can be taught with ease and, crucially, remembered by pupils. If you are looking for a single option offering EVERYTHING you need to teach commas for clarity (or any other objective from the grammar curriculum for KS1/KS2, for that matter), then this Real Grammar resource pack, from Plazoom, could be exactly what you need. Commas for clarity KS2 – complete resource pack (the owls flew after it had become dark)Īre we all on the same page? In which case, let’s bring on those teaching resources – and put an end to ambiguity!ġ. After dark, owls flew above the fields.(The dark owls flew after something had happened) After, dark owls flew above the fields.The puppy, said the young girl, was always up to mischief.The puppy said the young girl was always up to mischief.Let’s eat, grandma! (We are inviting our grandma to eat with us).Let’s eat grandma! (Grandma may be eaten for dinner!).How can we define ‘ambiguity’?Īmbiguity means there may be more than one way to interpret something.

To clarify means to explain something so that it’s easier for people to understand (other words in the same family include clarifying, clarified and clarification).

How do they provide clarity?Ĭommas can be used to avoid confusion when writing, for example, by making the subject and object of a verb clear identifying who is being named, or who is delivering reported speech or avoiding potential misunderstanding. Luckily, there’s no need for you or your class to panic because we’ve scoured the internet and picked out some of our favourite teaching resources, worksheets, display materials, lesson planning packs and more, to help ensure that everyone’s sentence punctuation is as close to perfection as possible.įirst, though, let’s make sure we all know exactly what we’re talking about… What is a comma?Ĭommas are usually placed between items in a list or between some phrases and clauses within sentences.

#COMMAS TO CLARIFY MEANING EXAMPLES HOW TO#

During Year 3, it can be spotted marking out subordinate clauses and of course, from Year 4, it starts doing its duty at the end of fronted adverbials.īy Year 5, then, children might feel that the last thing they need is yet another lesson about commas but a quick check of the National Curriculum confirms that there’s a further objective to cover: how to use commas to avoid ambiguity in writing and make the meaning of sentences clear. In Year 2, for example, pupils meet it for the first time, separating items in a list. Such a discreet little flick of a punctuation mark yet one that’s capable of doing some impressively heavy lifting in a whole range of sentence types. Commas for clarity – complete resource packĪh, the humble comma.

Commas to clarify meaning examples