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Varieties of English is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on recognizing dialect and register differences, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.3. 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 13 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.

Varieties of English

L.5.3

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.In a story, a farmer says, "We're fixing to plant the corn." What does the way he speaks show?
  • A.That the farmer is not telling the truth
  • B.How people talk in his part of the country
  • C.A spelling mistake by the author
2.The narrator writes in standard English, but the characters speak in dialect. Why?
  • A.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
  • B.The author changed their mind halfway
  • C.Because the narrator is not allowed to speak
3.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • B."I might could help" in some Southern US varieties
  • C.Forgetting the capital letter at the start of a sentence
4.Which word names how formal or informal language is for a situation?
  • A.rhyme
  • B.dialect
  • C.register
5.What is a dialect?
  • A.A kind of poem
  • B.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  • C.A mistake in spelling
6.Which shows a difference between spoken and written English?
  • A.Writing is always formal
  • B.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  • C.Speech uses more commas
7.In a poem, the speaker says "I ain't got no fear of the dark." Why might the poet write it this way?
  • A.To give the speaker a real, local voice
  • B.To show the poem is a list
  • C.Because the poet does not know grammar
8.Why might an author write a character's speech in dialect?
  • A.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
  • B.Because dialect is the only correct way to write
  • C.To make the story harder to read

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Varieties of English

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.How people talk in his part of the country
  2. 2.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
  3. 3."I might could help" in some Southern US varieties
  4. 4.register
  5. 5.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  6. 6.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  7. 7.To give the speaker a real, local voice
  8. 8.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.