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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 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

L.5.2

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.Mia said, "The bus is here" — the sentence ends after here. Where does the period go?
  • A.Inside the closing quotation mark
  • B.After the word said
  • C.Outside the closing quotation mark
2.In "I can carry that," said Omar. "It is not heavy," why does It begin with a capital?
  • A.Every quoted word takes a capital
  • B.It is a name
  • C.It begins a new sentence
3.Grandma's words are Where are my keys, and "asked Grandma" comes after them. What goes after keys?
  • A.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
  • B.A question mark after Grandma
  • C.A comma inside the closing quotation mark
4.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
5."Stop" yelled Jo — Jo's word is shouted. Where does the exclamation point go?
  • A.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • B.At the very end, after Jo
  • C.Inside the closing quotation mark
6.Dad said "soon"; we waited an hour. Where does the semicolon go?
  • A.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • B.Inside the closing quotation mark
  • C.Before the word soon
7.The words "Look out" are followed by "shouted Sam" and the sentence ends. What goes after Sam?
  • A.A period
  • B.A comma
  • C.An exclamation point
8.In "After lunch," said Mrs. Park, "we will start," why does we begin with a small letter?
  • A.It is not a name
  • B.The second part carries on the same sentence
  • C.Quotations never begin with a capital

LessonPrint · L.5.2 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Inside the closing quotation mark
  2. 2.It begins a new sentence
  3. 3.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
  4. 4.The quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
  5. 5.Inside the closing quotation mark
  6. 6.Outside the closing quotation mark
  7. 7.A period
  8. 8.The second part carries on the same sentence

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.