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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 18 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.Which shows a difference between spoken and written English?
  • A.Speech uses more commas
  • B.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  • C.Writing is always formal
2.Why might an author write a character's speech in dialect?
  • A.To make the story harder to read
  • B.Because dialect is the only correct way to write
  • C.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
3.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
4.Which word names how formal or informal language is for a situation?
  • A.register
  • B.dialect
  • C.rhyme
5.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.The shortest possible words
  • B.Formal written standard, always
  • C.How that person would really speak
6.Which sentence is in a formal register?
  • A.Get back to me!
  • B.I would be grateful if you could reply soon.
  • C.Write back soon, OK?
7.The narrator writes in standard English, but the characters speak in dialect. Why?
  • A.Because the narrator is not allowed to speak
  • B.The author changed their mind halfway
  • C.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
8.What is a dialect?
  • A.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  • B.A kind of poem
  • C.A mistake in spelling

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Varieties of English

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Speech can trail off; writing usually finishes the thought
  2. 2.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
  3. 3.How people talk in his part of the country
  4. 4.register
  5. 5.How that person would really speak
  6. 6.I would be grateful if you could reply soon.
  7. 7.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
  8. 8.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group

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