Year 5 Punctuation

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In Year 5, the complexity of the punctuation your child is expected to use increases, however many children still benefit from reviewing previous learnings acquired between Year 1 and Year 4. You can go through earlier primary content with your child by visiting the pages linked above!

This guide will talk you through some key concepts and examples of punctuation use that they’ll be expected to know by the end of Year 5. Let’s get started!

Commas and Semicolons in a Series

A series is a list of three or more items.

If those items are single words, then we can separate them using a comma.

After each item in the list, we include a comma:

- Sam the Spying Giraffe likes to eat bananas, apples, pizza, and ice cream.

If the items in the list contain commas, then we separate the items with a semicolon. Often, you will use a colon (:) to introduce this type of list.

Example

There are lots of talented animals in The Pink Punk Birds band: Florence the flamingo, vocals; Fingle the fox, flute; Viola the vole, violin; and Chan the cheetah, cello.

• Each item in the list includes the animal’s name, species, and role in the band
• A semicolon separates each item in the list
• A comma separates the animal and their instrument within each item

Practice Tip

Challenge your child to take a quiz involving missing colons or incorrectly placed colons. You can either write down some questions on paper, or use the quizzes available on Night Zookeeper, just like the one pictured below!

Commas in Sentences

Sentences are made up of clauses, which are different parts of a sentence. A main clause is a complete thought, which makes sense on its own. Another name for a main clause is an independent clause.

Sometimes we add an introductory element to the beginning of a sentence before the main clause. The introductory element can be a dependent clause (a clause which doesn’t make sense on its own) or an adverb.

The introductory element begins the sentence. Always follow an introductory element with a comma. The independent clause makes sense on its own as a complete thought.

Dependent Clause Example

When he got home, Will grabbed a drink and went up to his room.

Adverb Example

Earlier, Riya made a beautiful collage for Florence.

Commas in Dialogue

When we respond to a question, we need to use commas to help make our response clear. If your child responds to a question with yes or no, they should always separate these responses from the rest of their sentence with a comma.

Example 1

“Did you have a good time?” asked Will.

“Yes, I had a great time!” said Riya.

Example 2

“Do you think the Night Zookeeper will let the Voids into Igloo City?” asked Eek.

“No, never!” said the Professor emphatically.

Similarly, when they address somebody, they must use a comma to separate their name from the rest of the sentence:

“Hi, Will,” said a girl’s voice.

Titles of Works

When your child refers to a book title or the title of a piece of work in your writing, they need to punctuate it correctly. There are three different ways to do this! Just make sure they're consistent throughout their writing with the style they choose.

Underlining

• In The Giraffes of Whispering Wood, Will accidentally creates a mysterious portal during a trip to the zoo.

‘Quotation Marks’:

• In ‘The Giraffes of Whispering Wood’, Will accidentally creates a mysterious portal during a trip to the zoo.

Italics:

• In The Giraffes of Whispering Wood, Will accidentally creates a mysterious portal during a trip to the zoo.

How Night Zookeeper can help

Night Zookeeper can help your child level up their punctuation skills in a matter of weeks!

Our award-winning reading & writing program covers all the punctuation rules young learners should understand at this primary education level, featuring word games, interactive lessons, exciting challenges, and much more.

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