What is this skill?
Quotation marks wrap around the exact words a person says. In "Let's go to the park," said Maya, the quotation marks hold Maya's words and nothing else, and the part outside tells who said them. Third graders learn the small rules that go with this: the first word spoken starts with a capital letter, the comma, question mark or exclamation point goes inside the closing quotation mark, and when the speaker's name comes before the words, a comma follows the verb, as in Priya said, "I finished my book."
In this practice most questions ask which of three sentences is punctuated correctly. They cover a comma before the closing marks ("The bus is here," said Dad), a question mark inside the marks (Jamal asked, "Can I have a turn?"), an exclamation point ("I love dinosaurs!" shouted Leo), a period inside the marks (Amara whispered, "I have a secret."), and a capital letter on the first spoken word (Mom said, "Dinner is ready."). The hardest ones split the quote around the speaker, as in "Wow," said Zoe, "that's a big dog!" A group of yes-or-no questions give a sentence and ask whether it is punctuated correctly or needs a fix, including the missing closing mark in Mateo said, "I like pizza.
Why it matters
Dialogue is how stories feel alive, and third graders start writing stories with characters who talk. Without quotation marks a reader cannot tell the narrator's words from a character's, and the page gets confusing quickly.
The rules for where the comma and the period go are a reading skill as well. A child who understands them reads dialogue in books with the right voice, because the marks show where the speaker's words start and stop.
It is a skill with a clear set of steps, which helps children who like a rule to follow. Once the steps are learned they apply to every quote a child writes.
Common mistakes
- Putting the punctuation outside the closing mark, as in "I have a secret". The practice includes this kind of wrong choice for the period, the question mark and the comma. The rule for U.S. writing is that they go inside.
- Forgetting the second mark, so the quote never closes. Ask "where do the speaker's words stop?" and put the mark right there.
- Putting the speaker's tag inside the quote, as in "Thank you, said Priya." The words said Priya are not spoken by Priya, so they stay outside.
- Leaving out the comma before the closing mark when the speaker comes after the words ("The bus is here" said Dad). A comma tells the reader that the speaker is about to be named.
How to help at home
- Read a comic or a page of dialogue together and point to the speech bubble. Then find the same sentence in a book, where quotation marks do the job of the bubble.
- Have your child write what the family says at dinner, with quotation marks and a speaker tag. Silly quotes are fine, and a dinosaur can be the speaker.
- Act it out. One person says a line, the other writes down only the spoken words with quotation marks around them.
- Print the free worksheet and check the answer key together. Ask your child to say why each wrong choice is wrong, which shows they know the rule and did not just guess.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus quotation marks practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Choices: "Let's go to the park, said Maya., Let's go to the park," said Maya., "Let's go to the park," said Maya.
Answer: "Let's go to the park," said Maya. Quotation marks go at the start AND the end of the spoken words, and the comma goes inside before the closing mark.
Example 2
Is this sentence punctuated correctly?
The sign said, "Keep off the grass."
Answer: Correct. The words on the sign are quoted, with a comma after "said" and the period inside.
Example 3
Which sentence puts the period in the right place?
Choices: Amara whispered, "I have a secret.", Amara whispered, "I have a secret"., Amara whispered "I have a secret."
Answer: Amara whispered, "I have a secret.". The period goes inside the closing quotation mark, and a comma follows "whispered."
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.