diff --git a/ovos_utils/bracket_expansion.py b/ovos_utils/bracket_expansion.py
index 35f02c1..acfe752 100644
--- a/ovos_utils/bracket_expansion.py
+++ b/ovos_utils/bracket_expansion.py
@@ -1,7 +1,80 @@
+import itertools
 import re
-from typing import List
+from typing import List, Dict
 
+from ovos_utils.log import deprecated
 
+
+def expand_template(template: str) -> List[str]:
+    def expand_optional(text):
+        """Replace [optional] with two options: one with and one without."""
+        return re.sub(r"\[([^\[\]]+)\]", lambda m: f"({m.group(1)}|)", text)
+
+    def expand_alternatives(text):
+        """Expand (alternative|choices) into a list of choices."""
+        parts = []
+        for segment in re.split(r"(\([^\(\)]+\))", text):
+            if segment.startswith("(") and segment.endswith(")"):
+                options = segment[1:-1].split("|")
+                parts.append(options)
+            else:
+                parts.append([segment])
+        return itertools.product(*parts)
+
+    def fully_expand(texts):
+        """Iteratively expand alternatives until all possibilities are covered."""
+        result = set(texts)
+        while True:
+            expanded = set()
+            for text in result:
+                options = list(expand_alternatives(text))
+                expanded.update(["".join(option).strip() for option in options])
+            if expanded == result:  # No new expansions found
+                break
+            result = expanded
+        return sorted(result)  # Return a sorted list for consistency
+
+    # Expand optional items first
+    template = expand_optional(template)
+
+    # Fully expand all combinations of alternatives
+    return fully_expand([template])
+
+
+def expand_slots(template: str, slots: Dict[str, List[str]]) -> List[str]:
+    """Expand a template by first expanding alternatives and optional components,
+    then substituting slot placeholders with their corresponding options.
+
+    Args:
+        template (str): The input string template to expand.
+        slots (dict): A dictionary where keys are slot names and values are lists of possible replacements.
+
+    Returns:
+        list[str]: A list of all expanded combinations.
+    """
+    # Expand alternatives and optional components
+    base_expansions = expand_template(template)
+
+    # Process slots
+    all_sentences = []
+    for sentence in base_expansions:
+        matches = re.findall(r"\{([^\{\}]+)\}", sentence)
+        if matches:
+            # Create all combinations for slots in the sentence
+            slot_options = [slots.get(match, [f"{{{match}}}"]) for match in matches]
+            for combination in itertools.product(*slot_options):
+                filled_sentence = sentence
+                for slot, replacement in zip(matches, combination):
+                    filled_sentence = filled_sentence.replace(f"{{{slot}}}", replacement)
+                all_sentences.append(filled_sentence)
+        else:
+            # No slots to expand
+            all_sentences.append(sentence)
+
+    return all_sentences
+
+
+@deprecated("use 'expand_template' directly instead", "1.0.0")
 def expand_parentheses(sent: List[str]) -> List[str]:
     """
     ['1', '(', '2', '|', '3, ')'] -> [['1', '2'], ['1', '3']]
@@ -22,6 +95,7 @@ def expand_parentheses(sent: List[str]) -> List[str]:
     return SentenceTreeParser(sent).expand_parentheses()
 
 
+@deprecated("use 'expand_template' directly instead", "1.0.0")
 def expand_options(parentheses_line: str) -> list:
     """
     Convert 'test (a|b)' -> ['test a', 'test b']
@@ -38,6 +112,7 @@ def expand_options(parentheses_line: str) -> list:
 class Fragment:
     """(Abstract) empty sentence fragment"""
 
+    @deprecated("use 'expand_template' function directly instead", "1.0.0")
     def __init__(self, tree):
         """
         Construct a sentence tree fragment which is merely a wrapper for
@@ -73,6 +148,11 @@ class Word(Fragment):
     Construct with a string as argument.
     """
 
+    @deprecated("use 'expand_template' function directly instead", "1.0.0")
+    def __init__(self, tree):
+        """DEPRECATED"""
+        super().__init__(tree)
+
     def expand(self):
         """
         Creates one sentence that contains exactly that word.
@@ -89,6 +169,11 @@ class Sentence(Fragment):
     Construct with a List<Fragment> as argument.
     """
 
+    @deprecated("use 'expand_template' function directly instead", "1.0.0")
+    def __init__(self, tree):
+        """DEPRECATED"""
+        super().__init__(tree)
+
     def expand(self):
         """
         Creates a combination of all sub-sentences.
@@ -114,6 +199,11 @@ class Options(Fragment):
     Construct with List<Fragment> as argument.
     """
 
+    @deprecated("use 'expand_template' function directly instead", "1.0.0")
+    def __init__(self, tree):
+        """DEPRECATED"""
+        super().__init__(tree)
+
     def expand(self):
         """
         Returns all of its options as seperated sub-sentences.
@@ -133,6 +223,7 @@ class SentenceTreeParser:
     ['1', '(', '2', '|', '3, ')'] -> [['1', '2'], ['1', '3']]
     """
 
+    @deprecated("use 'expand_template' function directly instead", "1.0.0")
     def __init__(self, tokens):
         self.tokens = tokens
 
diff --git a/ovos_utils/dialog.py b/ovos_utils/dialog.py
index 237b1c1..d44636d 100644
--- a/ovos_utils/dialog.py
+++ b/ovos_utils/dialog.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
-from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_options
+from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_template
 from ovos_utils.file_utils import resolve_resource_file
 from ovos_utils.lang import translate_word
 from ovos_utils.log import LOG, log_deprecation
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ def render(self, template_name, context=None, index=None):
             line = template_functions[index % len(template_functions)]
         # Replace {key} in line with matching values from context
         line = line.format(**context)
-        line = random.choice(expand_options(line))
+        line = random.choice(expand_template(line))
 
         # Here's where we keep track of what we've said recently. Remember,
         # this is by line in the .dialog file, not by exact phrase
diff --git a/ovos_utils/file_utils.py b/ovos_utils/file_utils.py
index 0b02f6b..003f21e 100644
--- a/ovos_utils/file_utils.py
+++ b/ovos_utils/file_utils.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler
 from watchdog.observers import Observer
 
-from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_options
+from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_template
 from ovos_utils.log import LOG, log_deprecation
 
 
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ def read_vocab_file(path: str) -> List[List[str]]:
         for line in voc_file.readlines():
             if line.startswith('#') or line.strip() == '':
                 continue
-            vocab.append(expand_options(line.lower()))
+            vocab.append(expand_template(line.lower()))
     return vocab
 
 
diff --git a/test/unittests/test_bracket_expansion.py b/test/unittests/test_bracket_expansion.py
index 8e1c31e..5d6bcbe 100644
--- a/test/unittests/test_bracket_expansion.py
+++ b/test/unittests/test_bracket_expansion.py
@@ -1,31 +1,118 @@
 import unittest
 
+from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_template, expand_slots
 
-class TestBracketExpansion(unittest.TestCase):
-    def test_expand_parentheses(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_parentheses
-        # TODO
 
-    def test_expand_options(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import expand_options
-        # TODO
+class TestTemplateExpansion(unittest.TestCase):
 
-    def test_fragment(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import Fragment
-        # TODO
+    def test_expand_slots(self):
+        # Test for expanding slots
+        template = "change [the ]brightness to {brightness_level} and color to {color_name}"
+        slots = {
+            "brightness_level": ["low", "medium", "high"],
+            "color_name": ["red", "green", "blue"]
+        }
 
-    def test_word(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import Word
-        # TODO
+        expanded_sentences = expand_slots(template, slots)
 
-    def test_sentence(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import Sentence
-        # TODO
+        expected_sentences = ['change brightness to low and color to red',
+                              'change brightness to low and color to green',
+                              'change brightness to low and color to blue',
+                              'change brightness to medium and color to red',
+                              'change brightness to medium and color to green',
+                              'change brightness to medium and color to blue',
+                              'change brightness to high and color to red',
+                              'change brightness to high and color to green',
+                              'change brightness to high and color to blue',
+                              'change the brightness to low and color to red',
+                              'change the brightness to low and color to green',
+                              'change the brightness to low and color to blue',
+                              'change the brightness to medium and color to red',
+                              'change the brightness to medium and color to green',
+                              'change the brightness to medium and color to blue',
+                              'change the brightness to high and color to red',
+                              'change the brightness to high and color to green',
+                              'change the brightness to high and color to blue']
+        self.assertEqual(expanded_sentences, expected_sentences)
 
-    def test_options(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import Options
-        # TODO
+    def test_expand_template(self):
+        # Test for template expansion
+        templates = [
+            "[hello,] (call me|my name is) {name}",
+            "Expand (alternative|choices) into a list of choices.",
+            "sentences have [optional] words ",
+            "alternative words can be (used|written)",
+            "sentence[s] can have (pre|suf)fixes mid word too",
+            "do( the | )thing(s|) (old|with) style and( no | )spaces",
+            "[(this|that) is optional]",
+            "tell me a [{joke_type}] joke",
+            "play {query} [in ({device_name}|{skill_name}|{zone_name})]"
+        ]
 
-    def test_sentence_tree_parser(self):
-        from ovos_utils.bracket_expansion import SentenceTreeParser
-        # TODO
+        expected_outputs = {
+            "[hello,] (call me|my name is) {name}": [
+                "call me {name}",
+                "hello, call me {name}",
+                "hello, my name is {name}",
+                "my name is {name}"
+            ],
+            "Expand (alternative|choices) into a list of choices.": [
+                "Expand alternative into a list of choices.",
+                "Expand choices into a list of choices."
+            ],
+            "sentences have [optional] words ": [
+                "sentences have  words",
+                "sentences have optional words"
+            ],
+            "alternative words can be (used|written)": [
+                "alternative words can be used",
+                "alternative words can be written"
+            ],
+            "sentence[s] can have (pre|suf)fixes mid word too": [
+                "sentence can have prefixes mid word too",
+                "sentence can have suffixes mid word too",
+                "sentences can have prefixes mid word too",
+                "sentences can have suffixes mid word too"
+            ],
+            "do( the | )thing(s|) (old|with) style and( no | )spaces": [
+                "do the thing old style and no spaces",
+                "do the thing old style and spaces",
+                "do the thing with style and no spaces",
+                "do the thing with style and spaces",
+                "do the things old style and no spaces",
+                "do the things old style and spaces",
+                "do the things with style and no spaces",
+                "do the things with style and spaces",
+                "do thing old style and no spaces",
+                "do thing old style and spaces",
+                "do thing with style and no spaces",
+                "do thing with style and spaces",
+                "do things old style and no spaces",
+                "do things old style and spaces",
+                "do things with style and no spaces",
+                "do things with style and spaces"
+            ],
+            "[(this|that) is optional]": [
+                '',
+                'that is optional',
+                'this is optional'],
+            "tell me a [{joke_type}] joke": [
+                "tell me a  joke",
+                "tell me a {joke_type} joke"
+            ],
+            "play {query} [in ({device_name}|{skill_name}|{zone_name})]": [
+                "play {query}",
+                "play {query} in {device_name}",
+                "play {query} in {skill_name}",
+                "play {query} in {zone_name}"
+            ]
+        }
+
+        for template, expected_sentences in expected_outputs.items():
+            with self.subTest(template=template):
+                expanded_sentences = expand_template(template)
+                self.assertEqual(expanded_sentences, expected_sentences)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()