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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.

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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.Did the coach say "two more laps" — the whole sentence is a question, but the coach's words are not. Where does the question mark go?
  • A.Inside the closing quotation mark
  • B.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • C.Before the opening quotation mark
2.A report calls the storm "the worst in fifty years." Why is there no comma before the quotation?
  • A.The quotation is a question
  • B.The quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
  • C.Reports never use commas
3.In "After lunch," said Mrs. Park, "we will start," why does we begin with a small letter?
  • A.The second part carries on the same sentence
  • B.Quotations never begin with a capital
  • C.It is not a name
4.In Lena whispered, "The baby is asleep," which mark comes straight after whispered?
  • A.No mark at all
  • B.A comma
  • C.A period
5.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.Double quotation marks
  • C.Single quotation marks
6.In US style, where do a comma and a period go when they meet a closing quotation mark?
  • A.Always outside it
  • B.Inside only if the quotation is a question
  • C.Always inside it
7.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 after Grandma
  • C.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
8.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

LessonPrint · L.5.2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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