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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 7 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.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
2.Ava's words are We won, and "said Ava" comes after them. Where does the comma after won go?
  • A.There is no comma
  • B.Inside the closing quotation mark
  • C.Outside the closing quotation mark
3.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
4.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
5.In Lena whispered, "The baby is asleep," which mark comes straight after whispered?
  • A.No mark at all
  • B.A comma
  • C.A period
6.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.Before the opening quotation mark
  • C.Outside the closing quotation mark
7.Two characters are talking. What does the writer do each time a different character starts to speak?
  • A.Use smaller quotation marks
  • B.Leave out the quotation marks
  • C.Start a new paragraph
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 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The second part carries on the same sentence
  2. 2.Inside the closing quotation mark
  3. 3.A question mark inside the closing quotation mark
  4. 4.It begins a new sentence
  5. 5.A comma
  6. 6.Outside the closing quotation mark
  7. 7.Start a new paragraph
  8. 8.Always inside it

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