Worksheet

The Copycat on the Fence: Punctuating Dialogue

Read an original story about a mockingbird that copies sounds, then use commas and quotation marks to punctuate dialogue correctly.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.3.2.c

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
8 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students place commas and end marks inside quotation marks in dialogue.
Students use a comma between a speaker tag and a quotation.
Students find and fix punctuation mistakes in lines of dialogue.

How to use

Read the story aloud and point out where each speaker's words begin and end. Then have students answer the questions and check their dialogue against the story.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.3.2.c

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Preview

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Name Date

The Copycat on the Fence: Punctuating Dialogue

Use commas and quotation marks when characters speak.

Read the story

Read the story. Look at the commas and quotation marks around the words people say.

The Copycat on the Fence

1Early one spring morning, Imogen and Grandpa Elias sat on the back steps. A gray bird with a long tail landed on the fence.

2"Listen," Grandpa whispered. "That bird is a mockingbird."

3The bird whistled a sweet tune three times. Then it gave a loud, scratchy cry. "Wasn't that a blue jay?" Imogen asked.

4Grandpa chuckled. "It sounded like a blue jay, but the mockingbird made that sound," he said. "Mockingbirds copy the songs of other birds."

5Just then, Imogen's little brother Otis came outside. The screen door gave its long, rusty squeak behind him. A moment later, the mockingbird squeaked the very same way.

6"It sounds just like our door!" Otis shouted.

7"It has heard that door many times," Grandpa said with a smile.

8"Shh, you will scare it away," Imogen said. The bird flicked its tail and flew to the roof. White patches flashed on its wings.

9Otis sat down and asked, "What will it copy next?"

10"I don't know," said Grandpa, "but if we sit very still, we might find out."

Commas and quotation marks

Quotation marks go around the exact words a character says. A comma or end mark goes inside the closing quotation mark.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

A. "Look at that long tail" said Otis.
B. Look at that long tail, said Otis.
C. "Look at that long tail," said Otis.
D. "Look at that long tail", said Otis.

Circle the TWO sentences that are punctuated correctly.

Grandpa said "Mockingbirds sing in spring.""The bird is singing again," said Imogen."Let's be quiet" Imogen whispered.Otis said, "I like this bird."Can it copy a cat?" asked Otis.

Write the missing comma or question mark in each blank.

"Where did the bird go " asked Otis.
"It flew up to the roof " said Imogen.
Grandpa pointed and said "Look at the white patches on its wings."
"Will it come back tomorrow " Imogen asked.

Read paragraph 2. Why is there a comma after the word Listen?

A. It shows that Grandpa is asking Imogen a question.
B. It separates what Grandpa says from who says it.
C. It separates two names in a list of names.
D. It shows that Grandpa is speaking in a loud voice.

Find and fix

Check each line of dialogue. Then write dialogue of your own.

Sort the sentences. Is each one punctuated correctly, or does it need a fix?

"I hear a robin," said Grandpa."Is that the mockingbird again" asked Otis.Imogen said, "It is copying a cardinal.""The sun is coming up," Otis said.Grandpa whispered, "Stay very still."It flew away", said Imogen.