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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 9 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.After the word said
  • B.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • C.Inside the closing quotation mark
2.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
3.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
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.Inside the closing quotation mark
  • C.After the word asked
5.Dad said "soon"; we waited an hour. Where does the semicolon go?
  • A.Outside the closing quotation mark
  • B.Before the word soon
  • C.Inside the closing quotation mark
6.The words "Look out" are followed by "shouted Sam" and the sentence ends. What goes after Sam?
  • A.A comma
  • B.An exclamation point
  • C.A period
7.In "After lunch," said Mrs. Park, "we will start," why does we begin with a small letter?
  • A.Quotations never begin with a capital
  • B.The second part carries on the same sentence
  • C.It is not a name
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 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Inside or Outside the Quotation Marks?

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Inside the closing quotation mark
  2. 2.Outside the closing quotation mark
  3. 3.Inside the closing quotation mark
  4. 4.Inside the closing quotation mark
  5. 5.Outside the closing quotation mark
  6. 6.A period
  7. 7.The second part carries on the same sentence
  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.