Grammar and punctuationGrades 1–2
End punctuation worksheets
Each sentence is printed in correct capitalization but without its last mark, followed by an empty square. Students write a period, question mark or exclamation mark. Designed for grades 1 and 2, with an answer key.
- Fresh problems every time
- Answer key on its own page
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On this page
What this page asks of a child
Before a child can punctuate, they have to hear what a sentence is doing. Is it telling something, asking something, or reacting with strong feeling? This sheet puts that choice in front of them again and again, one short sentence at a time.
The capitals are already right, so nothing else is competing for attention. All the child does is look at the sentence, decide, and write a single mark in the box.
What prints
Every item is one line: a sentence without its final mark, then a small empty square about the size of a thumbnail just after the last word. The sentences are rows in a single column, spaced out so a young writer has room. They come from a bank of 36, such as "Where did you put the scissors" or "Watch out for the bees". The bank mixes telling sentences, questions and exclamations, so a page is never all one kind.
The instructions under the title say to use a period after a telling sentence, a question mark after a question and an exclamation mark after strong feeling.
The settings
- Skill opens on "End punctuation (. ? !)". Switching it gives the rewrite, capitalization, nouns or verbs sheets from the same generator.
- Number of problems goes from 6 to 14. This page opens with 12, which fits on one sheet with space to spare.
- On download you can pick a paper size and include the answer key. The key reprints each sentence and shows the correct mark in the box in bold color.
Worked example: three lines from one page
Suppose the page contains these items.
- "Can we go to the beach on Sunday". The first word is Can, and it asks something. The child writes a question mark.
- "Our class planted beans in small cups". Nothing is asked and no strong feeling is shown, so a period goes in the box.
- "Wow, that rocket is fast". The word Wow and the speed point to strong feeling, so the child writes an exclamation mark.
The answer key shows how each line ends in the bank, and a few sentences could be read two ways when spoken. Treat the key as the starting point for a short talk about tone.
A useful rule of thumb for the question mark is to say the sentence aloud in a voice that rises at the end. Many questions begin with words like who, what, where, when, did, can or is, and children can circle those starters.
Where to go next
If the child gets most boxes right, rewrite the sentence worksheets add capital letters to the job. To practice the capital side by itself, try capitalization worksheets. Reading the sentences aloud with expression, exclamations loud and questions curious, makes the marks feel real rather than arbitrary.