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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.

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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 word names how formal or informal language is for a situation?
  • A.rhyme
  • B.register
  • C.dialect
2.What is a dialect?
  • A.A kind of poem
  • B.A mistake in spelling
  • C.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
3.When you write a school report, which variety of English should you use?
  • A.The dialect you use with friends
  • B.Text-message shorthand
  • C.Standard English in a formal register
4.In a story, a farmer says, "We're fixing to plant the corn." What does the way he speaks show?
  • A.A spelling mistake by the author
  • B.That the farmer is not telling the truth
  • C.How people talk in his part of the country
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.In a play, one character says "Good day to you, sir" and another says "Hiya!" What does the difference show?
  • A.The two characters speak in different registers
  • B.They are speaking different languages
  • C.One of them has made a mistake
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Varieties of English

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.register
  2. 2.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  3. 3.Standard English in a formal register
  4. 4.How people talk in his part of the country
  5. 5.How that person would really speak
  6. 6.The two characters speak in different registers
  7. 7.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
  8. 8.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's

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