Commas to Avoid Ambiguity – Year 5 Make a Match Game

This ‘Make a Match’ game is a fun way for pupils in Year 5 to learn how commas can provide clarity and avoid ambiguity. Pupils will match images to the correct sentence.

The KS2 resource pack includes a game that you can play as a class or in small groups. It’s also perfect for adult-led interventions to revisit key knowledge and skills.

Once you’ve created the resource you can use it time and time again to rehearse this skill.

What pupil-facing resources are inside?

• 14 Make a Match sentence/phrase cards
• 14 Make a Match image cards

How to use the cards

Game 1: Pupils can match the sentences to the image cards, thinking about how commas change the meaning of the sentences.
Game 2: Distribute the cards and play snap. Pupils can shout snap if they place a matching sentence and image card one after the other.
CHALLENGE: Can pupils create their own sentences demonstrating when you need commas to provide clarity and avoid confusion? They can use the sentence cards as a scaffold.

What is a comma?

A comma is a punctuation mark that you use to separate items within a list or to separate some phrases and clauses within a sentence.

How do they provide clarity?

We can use commas to prevent confusion when writing, for example, by making the subject and object of a verb clear.

Examples of commas to avoid ambiguity

• Let’s eat grandma! (Grandma may be eaten for dinner!)
• Let’s eat, grandma! (We are inviting our grandma to eat with us)

How can I teach using commas to avoid ambiguity?

National Curriculum English programme of study links

Pupils should learn how to use commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity.

This resource is part of the Grammar Games collection.
View more from this collection

• Teacher notes
• 14 sentence/phrase cards
• 14 image cards