Capitals in Quotations Worksheet — Grade 4
Grade 4 students practice capitalizing the first word of direct quotations and learn how capitalization changes when a speech tag interrupts a quote.
Direct quotations give writing a real voice, and knowing when to capitalize inside quotation marks is an important skill for Grade 4 writers. This worksheet builds that skill step by step. Students begin by identifying the word in a sentence that needs a capital letter, then practice filling in a missing word with the right case. Next, they rewrite sentences that break the rule, and finally they compose an original sentence of their own. A key focus is the interrupted quotation: when a phrase like 'she said' splits a sentence in two, the second half does not start with a capital unless it begins a brand-new sentence. Working through all four sections gives students confidence in both recognizing and applying this rule in everyday writing.
Capitals in Quotations Worksheet — Grade 4
This sheet practises one key rule: capitalizing the first word of a direct quotation. Read each section's directions carefully before you start.
Remember
- Always capitalize the first word inside quotation marks when you write a direct quotation. Example: She said, 'The bell rang.'
- If a speech tag interrupts a quotation mid-sentence, do not capitalize the word that continues it. Example: 'Run,' she said, 'quickly.'
- If the second part of a split quotation begins a brand-new sentence, capitalize its first word. Example: 'Sit down,' he said. 'Class begins now.'
Part A — Find the word to capitalize
Circle the one word in each sentence that should begin with a capital letter but does not.
- 1.
Ms. Ortega said, "the science experiment starts today."
- 2.
"our class planted seeds in the school garden," said Kofi.
- 3.
Sofia asked, "did you bring your library books?"
- 4.
"tomorrow we will visit the science museum," said our teacher.
- 5.
Jerome asked, "what page are we on in the workbook?"
Part B — Fill in the blank
Write the word in parentheses in the blank. Use a capital letter only if the rule says it needs one.
- 6.
Ms. Chen announced, "____ will have a quiz on Friday." (we)
- 7.
"____ is the sun the closest star to Earth?" Priya asked. (why)
- 8.
"I finished the puzzle," said Amara, "____ it took all afternoon." (but)
- 9.
Grandma said, "____ soup is ready on the kitchen table." (the)
- 10.
"Turn to page twelve," said Mr. Diaz, "____ we will read aloud." (then)
Part C — Rewrite correctly
Rewrite each sentence so that capital letters in the quotation follow the correct rule.
- 11.
Carlos said, "my favorite book is about dinosaurs and fossils."
- 12.
"please line up quietly at the door," said the teacher.
- 13.
"I love art class," said Yuki, "And I learn a lot there."
- 14.
"The rain stopped," said Pita. "now we can play outside."
Part D — Write your own
Write one sentence that includes a direct quotation. Make sure the first word of the quotation has a capital letter.
- 15.
Write one sentence with a direct quotation spoken by a person you choose. Capitalize the first word of the quotation correctly.
Answer key
Part A — Find the word to capitalize
- 1.the
- 2.our
- 3.did
- 4.tomorrow
- 5.what
Part B — Fill in the blank
- 6.We
- 7.Why
- 8.but
- 9.The
- 10.then
Part C — Rewrite correctly
- 11.Carlos said, "My favorite book is about dinosaurs and fossils."
- 12."Please line up quietly at the door," said the teacher.
- 13."I love art class," said Yuki, "and I learn a lot there."
- 14."The rain stopped," said Pita. "Now we can play outside."
Part D — Write your own
- 15.Example: "The moon looks so bright tonight," said my dad.
What this worksheet teaches
- Identify the first word of a direct quotation that needs a capital letter.
- Rewrite sentences so that quotation capitalization follows the correct rule.
- Write an original sentence with a direct quotation capitalized correctly.
What is on the page
In Part C — Rewrite correctly, “Carlos said, "my favorite book is about dinosaurs and fossils."” is corrected in the key to “Carlos said, "My favorite book is about dinosaurs and fossils."”
Part D — Write your own gives the prompt “Write one sentence with a direct quotation spoken by a person you choose. Capitalize the first word of the quotation correctly.” and prints a model answer in the key: “"The moon looks so bright tonight," said my dad.”
The language it drills
“"our class planted seeds in the school garden," said Kofi.” has one answer in the key: “our”.
Notes for the grown-up
- Students most often forget to capitalize the very first word inside quotation marks; scan their writing for opening lowercase letters inside quotes.
- For interrupted quotations, remind students that if the speech tag replaces a comma, the quotation continues and needs no new capital letter.
- A student is ready to move on when they correctly handle both simple and interrupted quotations in their own writing without a prompt.
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