Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on where each punctuation mark goes around a quotation in US style, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.In Lena whispered, "The baby is asleep," which mark comes straight after whispered?
A.No mark at all
B.A period
C.A comma
2.In "After lunch," said Mrs. Park, "we will start," why does we begin with a small letter?
A.It is not a name
B.Quotations never begin with a capital
C.The second part carries on the same sentence
3.A report calls the storm "the worst in fifty years." Why is there no comma before the quotation?
A.Reports never use commas
B.The quotation is a question
C.The quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
4.Mia said, "The bus is here" — the sentence ends after here. Where does the period go?
A.Inside the closing quotation mark
B.Outside the closing quotation mark
C.After the word said
5.Grandma's words are Where are my keys, and "asked Grandma" comes after them. What goes after keys?
A.A comma inside the closing quotation mark
B.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
C.A question mark after Grandma
6.Kai said that his mom told him to "wait here." Kai is quoted saying his mom's words. In US style, what goes around a quotation inside a quotation?
A.Parentheses
B.Single quotation marks
C.Double quotation marks
7.Ava's words are We won, and "said Ava" comes after them. Where does the comma after won go?
A.Inside the closing quotation mark
B.There is no comma
C.Outside the closing quotation mark
8.In US style, where do a comma and a period go when they meet a closing quotation mark?
A.Always inside it
B.Always outside it
C.Inside only if the quotation is a question
LessonPrint · L.5.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.A comma
2.The second part carries on the same sentence
3.The quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
4.Inside the closing quotation mark
5.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
6.Single quotation marks
7.Inside the closing quotation mark
8.Always inside it
Questions about Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?
What does the Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? worksheet cover?
It practices where each punctuation mark goes around a quotation in US style — 8 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core L.5.2: Use commas in series and after introductory elements, and spell grade-level words. The instruction to students is “Circle the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2 — L.5.2, under Language for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on L.5.2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks? free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for L.5.2
Use commas in series and after introductory elements, and spell grade-level words.