Hello everyone, my name's Ms. Keller.

I'm so glad you could join me for today's lesson.

In this lesson, we are going to be focusing on different types of punctuation and exploring how they can add impact to our writing.

In particular, we are going to be focusing on colons, semicolons, and dashes.

So let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to use colons, semicolons, and dashes to elevate our opinion writing.

So let's have a look at today's key words.

We have independent clause, colon, semicolon, dashes, and clarity.

So do take a moment, perhaps pause the video and read through these definitions really carefully and check that you are familiar with the meanings, because we're going to be encountering these words quite frequently in today's lesson.

But before we move on, I just want to draw your attention to that word there at the bottom, clarity.

Because that is really the reason why we're going to use these punctuation marks.

They really help to clarify, so to add clarity to our writing.

And clarity links to the word clear, it makes something clearer.

And what we mean by clear writing is, the quality of being coherent and intelligible.

And both of those words link to the idea that people will understand our meaning.

So do keep that in mind as we go through today's lesson.

So how is it going to look? Well, we're going to start off by thinking about these three punctuation marks, and thinking about the different times where we might use them.

And then in the second half of the lesson we're going to focus on using punctuation to elevate our own opinion writing.

So I'd like to start off by thinking about colons.

So colons are a punctuation mark that can serve several different purposes.

And if you look there in brackets, you will see that we've got the symbol for a colon, those two dots.

So the most common uses for a colon are firstly, to indicate that what follows is an explanation, or elaboration of what came before.

Now that is a little bit of a difficult perhaps definition to get your head around.

So let's have a look at this example, and hopefully you'll see what I mean.

"The situation is clear: We need to ensure all zoos are closed immediately." So if we see there's a clear link here between that first bit and the second bit.

The situation is clear to Sofia, because as far as she sees it, we need to ensure that all zoos are closed.

So I would almost think about this way of using a colon as your main idea or your category coming before that colon, and then an explanation or a reason, or an example that proofs first half coming after.

And the second way, and probably a much more commonly used way is to introduce a list.

So here again, we've got this idea of a category.

"Animals in captivity have a life filled with many things." What are those things? Well, we're about to go our examples because we know we've got that colon.

So what follows that colon, misery, homesickness, and fear.

So in a way, these two uses are similar, because basically what comes after a colon helps to develop or add detail to what came before.

So now let's have a look at semicolons.

So semicolons are used mostly for one main purpose, and that is to join together two independent clauses.

So I'd like to hand over to you at this point, what is an independent clause? So take a moment to have a think on your own.

If you are working on your own, perhaps make some notes on your paper, on your laptop, or in your exercise book, or if you are working with other people, once you've had a chance to think, share your responses with the people around you and see if you have come up with similar ideas.

So pause the video here while you take some time to think and discuss it.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play, and we'll continue.

Welcome back.

I could hear lots of you giving that definition a really good go.

So let's see how what you came up with matches up to the correct definition.

An independent clause is a clause which could make sense as a sentence on its own.

And a clause is just simply part of a sentence.

Sentences are often constructed by building lots of different clauses together.

And this case an independent clause could be a sentence on its own.

So it's a complete idea which doesn't require any information to be understood.

So if for example, we took the sentence, the cat went outside because he liked to catch mice.

We've got that independent clause there at the beginning, the cat went outside.

Okay, we've got our reason, because he liked to catch mice, and that bit doesn't make sense on its own, because if we said, because he liked to catch mice, we don't know who likes to catch mice.

However the cat went outside, we don't need any other information to understand.

We've got our cat, we've got our setting, outside, and we've got our action, the cat is going out there.

So let's see how that relates to semicolons then.

So in particular, semicolons can be used when the two clauses are related in some way.

And also the semicolon could be replaced with a conjunction, like and, or but.

So a really great way to check, if you've written a sentence and you think, oh, I might be able to put a semicolon in there.

A great way to check is to insert the word and, or but, and see if it fits.

And if it does, maybe you'll be able to use a semicolon instead.

So here is an example.

"In the intricate web of our ecosystem, every creature plays a vital role; confining them to zoos disrupts this delicate balance, and compromises the essence of their existence." So over to you again then.

Is Sofia's use of a semicolon here correct? So read over Sofia's response carefully.

Is she using that semicolon accurately according to these two bullet points? And why, or why not? So pause the video here while you take some time to review Sofia's response, and perhaps discuss it with the people around you, or make some notes.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So was Sofia's use of a semicolon correct? Well, let's use these two success criteria in order to find out.

So first of all, this sentence needed to have two clauses that were related in some way.

So were these two independent clauses related? Well, I would argue that they are, because in the first one, we've got this idea that every creature plays a role.

And then in the second independent clause, we've got that pronoun them, which we know is referring to the every creature in the other independent clause.

So they are linked or related in some way.

And the second one then the semicolon could be replaced with a conjunction like and or but.

So, could we replace the semicolon with either of these conjunctions? Well, yes we could.

Because we could say in the intricate web of our ecosystem, every creature plays a vital role, and confining them to zoos disrupts this delicate balance.

So yes, we could.

So overall here, Sofia's use of the semicolon was correct.

Okay, so onto the last piece of punctuation that we're going to be focusing on today, dashes.

So dashes have one main use, and that is to insert a parenthesis in a piece of writing that adds more detail or extra information.

It's really important to point out at this point a really common misconception.

Dashes and hyphens are not the same thing.

They do look fairly similar, in that they are both a short horizontal line.

However, a hyphen is what separates two words that we've joined together.

Whereas dashes are sentence level punctuation.

So if you ever see them join two words together, you know that that is a hyphen and not a dash.

So this meaning for dashes then inserting a parenthesis.

My first question to you is this, what is a parenthesis.

Now I imagine some of you may have heard this word and some of you have probably never heard this word at all.

If you've never heard of this word, use some of those techniques we were using earlier, have a look at the context of that definition, and see if you could work out perhaps a synonym that you think might fit into that gap to insert a what into a piece of writing.

So pause the video here while you take some time to have a think, make some notes, discuss it with the people around you.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I overheard some really interesting responses there.

For example, I overheard lots of people mentioning that they had seen this word parenthesis in their maths lessons.

So let's see what a parenthesis is.

Well, it's a word or a phrase which is inserted into a sentence.

And usually surrounded by brackets, dashes, or commas.

So a really great way of thinking of a parenthesis here is like an interruption.

It's almost as though somebody's taken this sentence, chopped it in half, and then inserted that parenthesis, that interruption somewhere in the middle.

Now why were some people saying that they'd heard of it in maths? And how does that link to this definition here? Well actually parenthesis is also a word for the brackets.

And in maths they're often called parentheses, a pair of brackets.

So actually we can see that really important link there.

But it's really important to remember that a parenthesis can refer to that single bracket symbol, but also can refer to this interruption, which doesn't need to always be surrounded by brackets, but it can.

And actually when we're surrounding it by brackets, it is almost slightly less formal, I would argue, than separating it with dashes or commas.

So do bear that in mind.

So in particular then, we use dashes, there are a couple of things we need to think about.

First of all, we should ensure that the extra information is a strong interruption.

And what I mean by that is that if we use dashes to separate this interruption, or parenthesis, actually tends to have quite a jarring effect.

Whereas if we were to use commas, it tends to smooth it into the larger sentence.

So do bear in mind whether your interruption is a strong interruption that you really want to separate and stand out.

And we might use brackets for example, if we just want to tack on some extra information.

So again, they all have slightly different functions, these different types of punctuation.

So we need that strong interruption and we also need to ensure that we're using dashes as a pair.

They must in order to be used here, to have that interruption, they need to be used as a pair.

So we know when we've left that original sentence and then we know when we've gone back into that original sentence.

So here is Sofia's example.

"Zoos will tell you they have rehabilitation programmes, but these programmes - which are drastically underfunded, are just for show with little rehabilitation actually undertaken." So over to you again then, is Sofia's use or dashes here correct? And why or why not? So pause the video while you review Sofia's response against this success criteria.

And then when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's see whether Sofia is using dashes correctly here.

Well, she has met only one of the success criteria.

So actually her use here isn't correct.

She does have that strong interruption, which are drastically underfunded, because we've got the idea that she is developing this information about these rehabilitation programmes.

However, she only used one dash, so we don't know where that interruption ends, and where we've returned to that original sentence.

So if we see here, we have now got that second dash, which are drastically underfunded is the parenthesis.

So we need to make sure we're always showing where that parenthesis starts and finishes.

So let's pause here and check our understanding.

So which of the sentences below uses a colon correctly? So take a look at these sentences and make your mind up.

And when you're ready for me to feedback the correct answer, then click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said A, zoos face a dilemma: how to justify their existence in a time of increased focus on animal welfare.

And we know that that's correct use of the colon there because we've got this idea that zoos face a dilemma, a sentence which works on its own.

And then we've got that extra information that is almost an example or a development of that first clause.

So what is the dilemma? The dilemma is how to justify their existence in a time of increased focus on animal welfare.

Okay, another check for understanding, this time, semicolon.

So true or false? A semicolon can be used to separate any two clauses.

So pause the video again while you have a think, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said false.

So why is that? It's because the two clauses must be independent clauses.

Which means that they have to make sense on their own without any extra information.

So it's really important to remember that because, other types of clauses, we need to different types of punctuation to separate them.

Okay, time for one final check for understanding, and this time on dashes.

So which of the options below are true for using dashes? So pause the video here while you have a think, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said A and D, they should be used as a pair, and they add a parenthesis that could be considered a strong interruption.

Okay, so we've made it to the first practise task of today's lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is take a look at the table below.

You have got two sentences that use a colon, two sentences that use a semicolon, and two sentences that use dashes.

So what I'd like you to do in each case is decide which pupil has used the punctuation correctly to read each of the two sentences from pupil A and pupil B, and decide who you think is using that punctuation correctly and who you think has used it incorrectly.

So pause the video here while you take some time to read these responses really carefully and review them against what you can remember about the success criteria for each punctuation mark.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, please play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

It was really impressive to hear so many of you, perhaps sharing your answers with the people around you and justifying why you'd chosen the sentences that you had, because that showed me that you were using those important success criteria for each punctuation mark in order to justify why it was accurate, and why it wasn't.

And what's so fantastic about that is if you can do it here with pupil A and pupil B, chances are you'll be able to do that with your own work, which means that your level of accuracy is going to improve, 'cause you'll be constantly checking your own work as you are going along.

So let's start by having a look at which of these sentences used the punctuation correctly.

So for each of them, then the colon was pupil B, "Recycling is crucial: it reduces waste, conserves resources and lowers pollution." So we've got a classic example there of a colon being used to introduce a list.

Before the colon, we've got the category of that list, recycling is crucial.

So we know we're going to be getting a list of reasons why recycling is crucial, and then that is exactly what we get after the colon: reduces waste, conserves resources, and lowers pollution.

The semicolon then, again, pupil B, "Taking breaks is important for your mental health; it allows your mind to rest and recharge." So how do we know that this was an accurate use of a semicolon? Well, first of all, both of these clauses are independent clauses, they would function as sentences on their own, but also we've got that important link there in the subject matter, they are connected, because they're both talking about why taking breaks is important for your mental health.

And finally dashes then.

We've got pupil A this time.

"Social media and online shopping - both powered by technology - are integral parts of modern life." And we know that this is accurate because we've got that all important pair and we've got the strong interruption.

What does social media and online shopping have in common? They're both powered by technology.

So now we've just looked at how we would use them correctly.

Let's see if we can redraft the other three responses.

So take a moment with the people around you or make some notes on your own, how could we correct the remaining three sentences? So pause the video here, and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's explore how we might have corrected these sentences starting with pupil A's sentence that uses a colon.

So currently we've got, "Recycling: helps the planet by reducing waste and lowering pollution." We could potentially have changed that too.

"Recycling helps the planet: reducing waste can help to lower pollution." So now we've got that statement and then we've got that all important development that came after it.

So what we see after the colon is, a way in which people can help the planet by using recycling.

A semicolon, then.

So originally pupil A had written, "It's important to look after your mental health; like getting enough sleep and eating well." So how could we have redrafted this sentence? Well, we could have said something like, "It's vital to look after your mental health; getting enough sleep and eating well can improve your mood." And what we've done now is transform both of those into independent clauses.

Because before, "Like getting enough sleep and eating well" was not an independent clause, that would not have stood on its own as a sentence, whereas now, it would.

And the final sentence then pupil B's use of dashes.

"Technology has made communication easier - and it has also changed how we work." So how could we have redrafted this? "Technology - by making communication easier- has changed how we work." And now we've got that full sentence with a strong interruption.

Whereas before, actually, we didn't really need that dash at all, because the sentence, "Technology has made communication easier and it has also changed how we work" would've made sense without any extra punctuation.

So now we've got that interruption, now the dashes work.

Now we've explored how to use each of these punctuation marks, it is time to have a go at using them ourselves to elevate opinion writing.

So what is opinion writing? How might it differ from a speech? So just take a moment to discuss this with the people around you, or make a few notes, and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back, lots of fantastic responses there.

So I'd just like to summarise some of the great responses that I overheard.

So you could have said, with an opinion piece, the interaction is one-way - you're persuading with your writing alone, whereas in a speech, you need to maintain the audience interest, and possibly interact with them through questions or rhetorical devices.

So you've got that really important difference there between the fact that people read opinion writing, whereas they listen to a speech, which means you have the opportunity also to perform it.

Whereas here you're just relying on your words alone.

Also, the tone and opinion piece tends to be formal and structured, with a careful selection of words to convey the intended message clearly.

Whereas, a speech often allows for a much more conversational and expressive tone.

You can use colloquial language, so these are much more informal spoken language terms or vocabulary.

And you can even add humour or emotional elements to connect with your audience.

So we've allowed to use that much more conversational tone to show our personality perhaps in a speech.

And also an opinion piece follows a traditional essay structure, with an introduction, body paragraphs, presenting arguments, and a conclusion summarising the main points.

A speech may have a similar structure, but it can be more flexible.

You may use anecdotes, or quotes, or personal stories.

So that's really important to remember as well.

And also an opinion piece has more room to develop an argument, and will likely use more complex sentences as a result.

Whereas a speech will typically use these less, focusing on short, impactful statements and repetition.

Again that's linking to that idea that speech is something that is delivered aloud.

Because when we are listening, it is not as easy for us to follow longer, more complex sentences.

So we'll need to keep restating those central arguments so our audience don't forget.

Whereas with opinion writing, they have that hard copy of the text in front of them so they can always refer back to it if they need to.

So next question then, where are you most likely to see opinion writing? So again, take a moment to think, and perhaps discuss it with the people around you.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done If you identified that opinion pieces are most commonly found in newspapers, or magazines, blogs, editorial columns and opinion sections of online news platforms. Essentially, opinion writing is something we mostly associate with the media, newspapers and magazines, that sort of thing, or those online versions.

So now we're gonna have a look at how colons, semicolons, and dashes, that we've been learning about in the beginning of the lesson can ensure that our opinion writing is technically accurate.

Why is it important that our pieces of writing are technically accurate? What does it mean to be technically accurate? So pause the video here while you have a think and discuss it with the people around you, or make some notes, and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

Again, some really interesting responses that I want to share with you all there.

So just to summarise some of the answers that I overheard.

It will enhance the readability of our work.

So essentially it will make it easier for our readers to read it, comprehend it, and understand it.

Secondly, really impressed here to hear people using that keyword we were talking about at the beginning.

It will give clarity and purpose to our writing, so it will make our ideas clearer for our reader to understand, and it will also make the purpose of our writing clearer to the reader as well.

And finally, it can allow us to emphasise certain points of our writing.

So it gives us a bit of control over how we're articulating those ideas.

It allows us to suggest or convey to our readers that this is an important point, this is essential idea that we need them to remember.

So we're going to look at how accurate use of this sophisticated punctuation can really elevate the quality of our opinion pieces.

So really helping to make them clearer, helping to show that purpose, and helping us to emphasise and have control over our ideas.

So let's look at an example of how using sophisticated punctuation well can elevate the quality of our work.

Here we have an original version.

So, "Zoos are an archaic tradition.

They belong in Victorian times.

To a time before David Attenborough's dulcet tones filled the living room of almost every British home to teach us about the way animals live in the wild." Here we've now got the same sentence with the semicolon, and some dashes added.

So let's explore the effects of these punctuation marks then.

So first of all, this semicolon at the top.

So the semicolon now links the first two sentences as clauses, it joins them together.

And actually, they're much more powerful as linked statements, and it helps to develop the argument more effectively, because it's given us that reason, why is using archaic tradition, they belong in the Victorian times.

And then down the bottom there we've got this pair of dashes.

So here the dashes emphasise the sheer volume of British homes influenced by David Attenborough.

And they emphasise the number of people who care about animal welfare.

So when we're trying to convince somebody perhaps to care about animal welfare by showing that if they don't, they're in the minority, we are helping to make our writing a lot more persuasive.

So let's see how this argument continues.

So, "We need to address an issue that goes hand in hand with this one.

The issue of environmental protection.

If we truly cared about animal welfare, then we would focus more on conserving oceans and rainforests.

The true home of these animals." So let's see how we could have redrafted it.

So if you see we've got that colon at the top, and then we've added a semicolon at the bottom.

So let's just explore the impact of this punctuation.

So first of all, the colon helps the writing to have greater clarity.

It's more urgent and to the point than including the point about environmental protection within its own sentence.

If we notice in the original version it says, we need to address an issue, and then later, the issue of environmental protection.

And actually this repetition here is a bit long-winded.

By using the colon, we can say we need to address an issue, and then we are able to use that really impactful two word statement, environmental protection, really focusing the reader's attention on our central argument.

And then thinking about that semicolon then.

So actually we've had to change a little bit of the sentence, but here the semicolon is achieving the same purpose.

It's far more engaging to use punctuation to develop ideas.

Too many unlinked sentences can seem robotic or repetitive.

So now the sentence says, if we truly cared about animal welfare, then we would focus more on conserving oceans and rainforests.

It's our duty to preserve these natural habitats.

And now we've had to change it slightly, because arguably, the true home of these animals wouldn't necessarily have worked as an independent clause here joined by the semicolons.

But actually, I think we've now managed to build a really detailed sentence that shows the development of ideas.

So let's pause and check our understanding.

So using sophisticated punctuation effectively can add something and something to our writing.

So take a look at these options and decide which two words you think best fill these gaps.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

And well done if you said A, they can add clarity and purpose to our writing.

So onto our final practise task of today's lesson.

So Jacob wrote the following paragraph as part of his opinion article about animal conservation.

So what I would like you to do is redraft Jacob's piece.

So it includes examples of colons, semicolons, and dashes.

So we are really looking for places that Jacob can use this sophisticated punctuation to elevate his article and really improve that clarity for his reader.

So pause the video here while you take some time to review Jacob's paragraph and redraft.

And when you're ready for us to go through it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Can I just say a massive well done for how well we all approached that task? It was so great to see so many of you looking for opportunities to really improve the clarity of Jacob's paragraph here.

Because redrafting is such an important skill.

Because if we can look at our own work and redraft on the go, review, and redraft, we are always ensuring that we write to the best of our ability, and we're elevating our writing as much as we can.

So let's just explore how we might have used this punctuation in Jacob's paragraph.

So here I've added that colon to the first sentence to add clarification.

So, "In the realm of animal conservation, a pressing debate looms over the role of zoos: sanctuaries designed to safeguard wildlife, or confinements that compromise the very essence of freedom." So we've got this idea here that the colon is adding that clarification, it's defining what the zoo is supposed to be.

And then later on we've got that semicolon.

So, "Zoos once viewed as educational institutions, fostering appreciation for biodiversity, have come under scrutiny; the noble intentions are often questioned amid concerns of animal welfare." So again, we've linked those two related clauses, allowing us to develop that idea quite effectively.

And then finally, dashes.

"The issue at hand centres on ethical - as well as moral complexity." So here we are adding in that extra information, that it's ethical and moral complexities that we are dealing with.

So do take some time to check that you have managed to add in all these different types of punctuation into your redrafted version.

And if you haven't, don't worry, perhaps you can use some of these examples here on screen as inspiration.

You can perhaps magpie some ideas, and maybe tweak them to suit the context of your paragraph.

So pause the video while you review and redraft, if you need to.

And when you're ready to continue, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, so we've made it to the end of today's lesson, and a massive well done for all your hard work today.

I hope that you're feeling a lot more confident when it comes to using colons, dashes, and semicolons in your opinion writing.

So let's just summarise what we covered in today's lesson.

In a sentence with a colon, one side of the colon makes sense.

The other side provides detail or clarification.

A colon can also be used to build a list.

Semicolons link or contrast two independent clauses that each makes sense on their own.

A pair of dashes can be used in place of commas to enhance readability.

And dashes are always more emphatic than commas.

They express a point more forcibly, and create a longer pause.

So thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Have a fantastic day, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.