Using dashes, colons, and commas for effect in descriptive writing
I can use punctuation accurately and explain its effect.
Using dashes, colons, and commas for effect in descriptive writing
I can use punctuation accurately and explain its effect.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A dash can be used to indicate a pause, added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.
- Dashes can be used to replace brackets or colons.
- Commas are used to separate words, clauses or ideas within a sentence.
- Colons can be used to connect main clauses, add emphasis to a word or phrase, or introduce an explanation.
- Colons can also be used to introduce lists.
Keywords
Effect - A noun used to denote a consequence, an outcome, a result, or an influence.
Tone - The general mood or feeling of a text.
Accurate - To be correct, exact and without any mistakes.
Punctuation - The marks, such as full-stops and commas, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
Common misconception
That looking at punctuation is very dry and has no impact on the way you see a text or a character.
The way that writers use and play with punctuation can have a profound impact on the way we view a text or character's emotions.
To help you plan your year 7 english lesson on: Using dashes, colons, and commas for effect in descriptive writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 english lesson on: Using dashes, colons, and commas for effect in descriptive writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 english lessons from the Step into the unknown: fiction reading and creative writing unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Comma after the subordinate clause
Commas around the subordinate clause
No comma