3rd Grade Punctuation

• 3rd grade
• Common Core L.3.2
• 4 lessons

3rd grade punctuation covers commas in addresses, capital letters in titles, quotation marks in dialogue and possessives for more than one owner. Every lesson below takes about 10 minutes and has a quiz and a free worksheet.

3rd grade punctuation lessons, in order

Most schools teach these in roughly this order. Each builds on the one before, so start at the top if you're not sure where your child is.

1. 1. Apostrophes for OwnershipUsing apostrophes for possessives and avoiding them in plurals. L.2.2c, L.3.2d
2. 2. Commas in AddressesUsing commas in addresses. L.3.2b
3. 3. Capitalizing TitlesCapitalizing the appropriate words in titles. L.3.2a
4. 4. Quotation Marks in DialogueUsing commas and quotation marks in dialogue. L.3.2c, L.4.2b

Review from earlier grades: Contractions, Commas in Letters.

What the standards say

These are the Common Core 3rd grade punctuation standards the lessons on this page cover. Most US states use the same or very similar goals.

• L.3.2a: Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
• L.3.2b: Use commas in addresses.
• L.3.2c: Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
• L.3.2d: Form and use possessives.

Mixed review quiz

Ten questions drawn from the 3rd grade lessons: apostrophes for ownership, commas in addresses, capitalizing titles, quotation marks in dialogue. Tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. Use it as a quick check before a test or at the end of a unit; any question your child misses points to the lesson to revisit.

1. 1.Which is correct?

   🔈
   the dog's bone the dogs bone
   Show answer

   the dog's bone.

2. 2.Where does the comma go? Miami Florida

   🔈
   after Miami after Florida
   Show answer

   Miami, Florida.

3. 3.Which title is correct?

   🔈
   The Lion King the Lion King
   Show answer

   The Lion King.

4. 4.Which is correct?

   🔈
   Leo said, "I'm hungry." Leo said, "I'm hungry". Leo said "I'm hungry."
   Show answer

   Leo said, "I'm hungry."

5. 5.Tap the word that shows ownership.

   🔈

   Mia's kite flew higher than the birds.

   Show answer

   Mia's. Birds is just a plural.

6. 6.What does the comma in Salem, Oregon separate?

   🔈
   the city and the state the street and the city
   Show answer

   the city and the state.

7. 7.Which title is correct?

   🔈
   Jack and the Beanstalk Jack And The Beanstalk
   Show answer

   Jack and the Beanstalk.

8. 8.Which is correct?

   🔈
   Dad said, "Dinner is ready." Dad said, "dinner is ready."
   Show answer

   Dad said, "Dinner is ready."

9. 9.Which uses the apostrophe to show ownership, not a contraction?

   🔈
   Leo's hat Leo's here
   Show answer

   Leo's hat.

10. 10.Which needs a capital letter?

    🔈
    the name of the state the word street in "my street"
    Show answer

    the name of the state.

3rd grade punctuation worksheets

• Apostrophes for OwnershipDecide plural or possessive, write possessives for one and many owners, fix apostrophe mistakes and label family belongings.
• Commas in AddressesAdd commas between cities and states, fix envelope addresses, write sentences with places and address a pretend envelope.
• Capitalizing TitlesSort title words into capital and lowercase, fix book titles, write titles for your own stories and keep a reading log.
• Quotation Marks in DialogueAdd quotation marks and commas, fix punctuation in dialogue, flip the speaker and write a short conversation.

Practicing punctuation at home

Read the writing aloud.

Where your child stops, a period probably belongs. Where they pause, maybe a comma.

Hunt in real books.

Find a comma in a list, a question mark or quotation marks, and ask why it's there.

Write real things.

Thank-you notes, lists and comic strips practice letters, commas and quotation marks with a real reader.

One mark a week.

Focus on one rule this week. Fixing everything at once turns writing into a page of corrections.

More 3rd grade practice

See every reading and writing skill for the year on the 3rd grade page, or the 3rd grade grammar lessons. Other grades: 2nd grade punctuation and 4th grade punctuation. All lessons: punctuation.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask