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Common Core ELA3rd GradeLanguage

L.3.2: Capitalize, Punctuate and Spell Correctly

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2 · Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.

Make a Spelling WorksheetAll 42 3rd Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 3, Language · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What L.3.2 Means in Plain English

Third graders capitalize the main words of a title, put commas in an address (Dayton, Ohio), punctuate dialogue with a comma and quotation marks, and add an apostrophe to show who owns something. Spelling grows too: studied words, suffixes like hoping and cries, and patterns like word families.

When unsure, they check a beginning dictionary. Second graders (L.2.2) capitalized holidays and place names, used commas in letters and wrote simple possessives. Fourth grade (L.4.2) adds quotations from a text and a comma before and, but or so in a compound sentence.

L.3.2 I Can Statements

  • I can punctuate dialogue with commas and quotation marks.
  • I can write possessives like Diego’s and the girls’.
  • I can capitalize the important words in a title.

L.3.2 Worked Example

One line of dialogue from a story draft. The words are fine; the capitals and punctuation are not.

Prompt

Fix the capitals and punctuation in this sentence from a story.

Not YetHana asked can I borrow Diegos copy of james and the giant peach?Nothing shows which words Hana said: no comma after asked, no quotation marks, and can starts her sentence in lowercase. Diegos needs an apostrophe, and the title needs capitals.
Meets the StandardHana asked, “Can I borrow Diego’s copy of James and the Giant Peach?”A comma after asked, quotation marks around her exact words and a capital C. The apostrophe shows the copy belongs to Diego, and the title capitalizes James, Giant and Peach while the small words in the middle stay lowercase.
Moves to Use
Put a comma after the speaker tag, like Hana asked, then open the quotation marks.Capitalize the first word inside the quotation marks.Put the question mark inside the closing quotation marks when the speaker asks it.Add ’s to show one owner: Diego’s copy.In a title, capitalize the first word and the important words; and, the and of stay lowercase in the middle.

Common Mistakes with L.3.2

Addresses with no commas

“Our new address is 14 Elm Street Dayton Ohio.”

Try this: Teach the rule with an envelope: a comma goes between the street and the city and between the city and the state.

Apostrophes on every plural

“The dog’s barked at the cat’s.”

Try this: Ask “Does something belong to it?” before adding an apostrophe; plain plurals like dogs and cats never take one.

Adding a suffix without changing the base word

“hopeing,” “siting,” “babys,” “happyness”

Try this: Teach the three ending rules as a set: drop the silent e, double the last consonant, change y to i, then check in a dictionary.

Where L.3.2 Fits

Comes BeforeL.2.2Capitalize holidays and place names, use commas in letters and apostrophes in possessives.
AlongsideW.3.3Write narratives with dialogue, where the commas and quotation marks get real use.RF.3.3Know the most common prefixes and suffixes, the same word parts spelling builds on.
Comes NextL.4.2Punctuate direct speech and quotations, and put a comma before a conjunction in a compound sentence.

Practice L.3.2

Spelling Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolPut this week’s suffix words on the list (hoping, sitting, cries, happiness) and print practice sheets for the week.Suffix wordsWord familiesGrade 3
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Where does the comma go in the strong sentence, and why?
  2. Write the possessive for each: the leash of one dog, the coats of three girls.
  3. Fix the capitals in this title: “the lion and the mouse.”

L.3.2: Other Names

L.3.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.