English·Grammar & Punctuation·procedural
Brackets and dashes for parenthesis
Use brackets, dashes, and commas to indicate parenthesis — additional information inserted into a sentence that could be removed without changing the sentence's core meaning
Suggested ages 9–10
Learning journey
Your child is mastering advanced grammar and punctuation — using complex sentence structures with relative clauses, understanding how to change word meanings with prefixes and suffixes, and creating cohesive, well-connected writing.
Evidence of understanding
- Insert a parenthetical phrase using paired brackets, e.g. 'The oldest building (built in 1642) stands in the town square'
- Use paired dashes to add an aside or extra detail within a sentence, e.g. 'My brother — who is older than me — lives in London'
- Choose between brackets, dashes, and commas for parenthesis based on how much emphasis the aside should receive, recognising that dashes give most prominence and brackets give least
Assessment prompt
When Brackets and dashes for parenthesis adds a little extra detail inside a sentence — like "The teacher, who is very strict, gave us homework" — do they correctly use brackets, dashes, or commas around that added bit?
Standards alignment
Eng.App2.Y5.Punc.1GB · uk-nc-2013
Parenthesis
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2
Eng.UKS2.Write.VGP.2cGB · uk-nc-2013
Indicate parenthesis
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2