Commas in Letters

• 2nd grade
• CCSS L.2.2b

A friendly letter has a comma after the greeting (Dear Grandma,) and after the closing (Love,). The writer's name goes on the next line.

Where do commas go in a letter?

A friendly letter has five parts: the date, the greeting, the body, the closing and the signature. Two of those parts end with a comma: the greeting at the top and the closing at the bottom.

The greeting says who the letter is for: Dear Uncle Ray, or Hi Sam,. The closing is the goodbye: Love, or Your friend,. Kids also use a comma in the date at the top.

This is a 2nd grade skill in the Common Core standards (L.2.2b). Thank-you notes, birthday cards and letters to pen pals all use it.

The five parts of a friendly letter

Read down the right column and you'll see a whole tiny letter.

The first word of the closing is capitalized, but the rest isn't: Your friend, not Your Friend,.

Greetings and closings to try

Every one of these ends with a comma.

1. Dear Aunt Lucy,
2. Dear Mr. Lopez,
3. Hi Jake,
4. Dear Grandpa,
5. Hello Ms. Kim,
6. Love,
7. Your friend,
8. Sincerely,
9. Thank you,
10. See you soon,

Items 1–5 are greetings. Items 6–10 are closings. For a teacher or a business, Dear and Sincerely are the safe choices.

How to teach commas in letters

Five short steps, about 10 minutes each.

1. Read a real card. Look at a birthday card your family received. Point to the greeting and closing commas.
2. Label the parts. Print a short letter. Your child labels date, greeting, body, closing and signature.
3. Write a sticky-note letter. A three-line note to a family member: greeting, one sentence, closing.
4. Pick a closing. Talk about which closing fits: Love for Grandma, Sincerely for the principal.
5. Send a real letter. Your child writes a thank-you note and mails it.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Practice: commas in letters quiz

10 questions. Your child can tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. The first try on each question counts toward the score.

1. 1.Which greeting is correct?

   🔈
   Dear Grandma, Dear Grandma. Dear, Grandma
   Show answer

   Dear Grandma,

2. 2.Which closing is correct?

   🔈
   Love, Love.
   Show answer

   Love,

3. 3.Which closing is capitalized correctly?

   🔈
   Your friend, Your Friend,
   Show answer

   Your friend,

4. 4.What part of a letter is Dear Mr. Lopez,?

   🔈
   greeting closing body
   Show answer

   greeting.

5. 5.What goes right after the closing?

   🔈
   the writer's name, on the next line the date
   Show answer

   the writer's name, on the next line.

6. 6.Which closing fits a letter to the school principal?

   🔈
   Sincerely, See ya,
   Show answer

   Sincerely,

7. 7.How many commas go in a greeting?

   🔈
   1 2 0
   Show answer

   1, after the name.

8. 8.Which part of a letter has your message?

   🔈
   body greeting
   Show answer

   body.

9. 9.Which is correct?

   🔈
   Hi Sam, hi Sam,
   Show answer

   Hi Sam,

10. 10.Which part goes at the very top of a letter?

    🔈
    the date the signature
    Show answer

    the date.

Commas in Letters worksheet (free PDF)

Commas in Letters Worksheet, 2nd grade

Add commas to greetings and closings, label the parts of a letter, fix mistakes and write a short thank-you note. Prints on US Letter paper, with an answer key.

Download the PDF

Try it at home

• Birthday cards: your child writes the greeting and closing in every card.
• Thank-you notes: after a gift, write a three-line note together.
• Lunchbox notes: write your child a note with a greeting and closing; they write one back.
• Pen pal: set up letters with a cousin or grandparent.
• Email: show how an email greeting uses the same comma.

What comes next

Next, kids learn apostrophes in contractions and apostrophes for ownership. See all 2nd grade skills on the 2nd grade page, or browse all punctuation lessons.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask