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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.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
2.In Lena whispered, "The baby is asleep," which mark comes straight after whispered?
  • A.No mark at all
  • B.A comma
  • C.A period
3.Ava's words are We won, and "said Ava" comes after them. Where does the comma after won go?
  • A.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • B.There is no comma
  • C.Inside the closing quotation mark
4.Ben asked, "Is it raining" — Ben's words are the question. Where does the question mark go?
  • A.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • B.After the word asked
  • C.Inside the closing quotation mark
5.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 begins a new sentence
  • C.It is a name
6.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 quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
  • C.The quotation is a question
7.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
8.Two characters are talking. What does the writer do each time a different character starts to speak?
  • A.Start a new paragraph
  • B.Leave out the quotation marks
  • C.Use smaller quotation marks

LessonPrint · L.5.2 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Single quotation marks
  2. 2.A comma
  3. 3.Inside the closing quotation mark
  4. 4.Inside the closing quotation mark
  5. 5.It begins a new sentence
  6. 6.The quoted words fit into the writer's own sentence
  7. 7.Inside the closing quotation mark
  8. 8.Start a new paragraph

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