Grammar Terms: Modal Verbs and Clauses
Know and use Year 5 grammar terminology accurately when discussing reading and writing: modal verb, relative pronoun, relative clause, parenthesis, bracket, dash, cohesion, ambiguity
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
- Label a relative clause in a sentence and identify the relative pronoun that introduces it, using correct terminology
- Explain why a pair of brackets or dashes creates a parenthesis and describe its function using the term 'parenthesis'
- Use the terms 'modal verb', 'cohesion', and 'ambiguity' when discussing how a writer has achieved particular effects in a text
Assessment prompt
If you ask Grammar Terms: Modal Verbs and Clauses what a "modal verb" or a "relative clause" is, can they give you a clear explanation and point to an example in a sentence?
Standards alignment
Terminology for pupils
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2
Learn grammar for years 5 and 6
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2
Use grammatical terminology
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2