3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 13
Punctuation Power
Commas, apostrophes and quotes
What your child practices
Choosing end marks, using commas in lists and dates, writing contractions and possessives with apostrophes, and putting quotation marks around speech.
Maine Learning Results learning standard: Language 2 · commas, apostrophes and quotation marks
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- End a statement with a period, a question with ?, and strong feeling with !
- Use commas between things in a list.
- An apostrophe takes the place of missing letters: do not → don’t. Quotation marks go around the exact words someone says.
Example: What is the contraction for “cannot”? Join the two parts: can + not. The apostrophe stands for the missing letters. Answer: can’t
Punctuation Power in Maine
In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 4 of 13 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Word Jobs and before Spelling Patterns.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- 3rd grade guide for Maine parents
- Printable 3rd grade English Language Arts sheet
- Maine report cards explained
Source: Maine Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly?
- Let's play tag, “said Maya.”
- “Let's play” tag, said Maya.
- “Let's play tag,” said Maya.
- “Let's play tag, said Maya.”
“Let's play tag,” said Maya.
Hint: Quotation marks go around only the exact words someone says, like a speech bubble. Maya's exact words are: Let's play tag.
Question 2
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
- I need, glue scissors and paper.
- I need glue, scissors, and, paper.
- I need glue, scissors, and paper.
I need glue, scissors, and paper.
Hint: Put commas between the items in a list: glue, scissors, and paper. No comma before the list starts or after “and.”
Question 3
Which end mark belongs in the box?
Wow, we won the game
- .
- ?
- !
!
Hint: Does the sentence show a strong feeling, like surprise or excitement? Use an exclamation mark (!).
Question 4
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
- The bakery sells bread muffins and bagels.
- The bakery sells bread, muffins, and, bagels.
- The bakery sells bread, muffins, and bagels.
The bakery sells bread, muffins, and bagels.
Hint: Put commas between the items in a list: bread, muffins, and bagels. No comma before the list starts or after “and.”
Question 5
What is the contraction for “do not”?
- dont
- don't
- do'nt
don't
Hint: A contraction squeezes two words together. An apostrophe (') takes the place of the missing letters: do not → don't.
Question 6
Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly?
- “Where are my boots? asked Amir.”
- Where are my boots? “asked Amir.”
- “Where are my boots?” asked Amir.
- “Where are” my boots? asked Amir.
“Where are my boots?” asked Amir.
Hint: Quotation marks go around only the exact words someone says, like a speech bubble. Amir's exact words are: Where are my boots?