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Common Core ELA5th GradeLanguage

L.5.2: Use Commas, Titles and Correct Spelling

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2 · Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.

Make a Spelling WorksheetAll 43 5th 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 5, Language · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What L.5.2 Means in Plain English

Fifth graders put commas between items in a series, after an opening phrase like “After lunch,” and around yes, no, a tag question or a name spoken to. They mark titles with italics, underlining or quotation marks, and look up any spelling they doubt.

Fourth graders (L.4.2) punctuated dialogue and quotations and put a comma before the conjunction in a compound sentence. Fifth grade adds the comma jobs above and the titles of works. Sixth grade (L.6.2) sets off extra information with commas, parentheses or dashes.

L.5.2 I Can Statements

  • I can use commas in a series and after an opening phrase.
  • I can set off yes, no, tag questions and names with commas.
  • I can mark titles correctly and check spellings I’m unsure of.

L.5.2 Worked Example

Three short sentences that use almost every part of the standard. Read the weak version aloud and listen for where it runs together.

Prompt

Add the missing commas, mark the title and fix the misspelled word.

Not YetYes I read the poem Dreams by Langston Hughes Mr. Patel. After lunch Jamal Ava and I are practicing it for the asembly. That’s the plan isn’t it?Five missing commas, a title that blends into the sentence and one misspelled word. Read aloud, “Jamal Ava” sounds like one person.
Meets the StandardYes, I read the poem “Dreams” by Langston Hughes, Mr. Patel. After lunch, Jamal, Ava and I are practicing it for the assembly. That’s the plan, isn’t it?Commas after Yes and the opening phrase After lunch, between the names in the series, before the name Mr. Patel and before the tag question. Quotation marks show “Dreams” is a poem’s title, and assembly is spelled right.
Moves to Use
Put a comma after yes or no at the start, and before a name you’re speaking to.Put a comma after an opening phrase like After lunch.Separate the items in a series with commas, and set off a tag question like isn’t it?Use quotation marks for a poem, story or song title, and italics or underlining for a book.Check any word you’re unsure of in a dictionary.

Common Mistakes with L.5.2

A comma wherever there’s a breath

“The poem, was short, but my favorite, part was the end.”

Try this: Post the comma jobs on one anchor chart, and have students name the job for every comma they place in a draft.

Every title in quotation marks

A book report that writes “Holes” and “Dreams” the same way

Try this: Sort titles into long works, like books and movies, for italics or underlining, and short works, like poems and songs, for quotation marks.

Leaving out the comma of direct address

“Let’s eat Grandma.”

Try this: Read the sentence aloud both ways, with and without the pause, and decide who is being spoken to before placing the comma.

Where L.5.2 Fits

Comes BeforeL.4.2Use commas and quotation marks for dialogue, and a comma before the conjunction in a compound sentence.
AlongsideW.5.5Edit a draft, the step where these comma and title rules get checked.L.5.1Use standard grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Comes NextL.6.2Set off extra information with commas, parentheses or dashes, and spell correctly.

Practice L.5.2

Spelling Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolTurn the week’s grade 5 list into practice sheets, and add the words students misspelled in their own drafts.Grade 5 listWords from drafts
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Why does the strong version put a comma before Mr. Patel?
  2. Which rule explains the comma after “After lunch”?
  3. Why is “Dreams” in quotation marks and not in italics?

L.5.2: Other Names

L.5.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2

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.