11 RULES OF WRITING - RULE 6

RULE 6 -- Use proper punctuation to integrate a quotation into a sentence. If the introductory material is an independent clause, add the quotation after a colon. If the introductory material ends in "thinks," "saying," or some other verb indicating expression, use a comma

RULE 6 -- EXAMPLES

Incorrect -- Correct

Tumbling down the hill, Jack yelled: "Gosh, I'm sick of this."
Tumbling down the hill, Jack yelled, "Gosh, I'm sick of this."

Her letter spoke to him in harsh tones, "You never fail to repulse me."
Her letter spoke to him in harsh tones: "You never fail to repulse me."

He views the problem as a slight delay or a sickness that will eventually disappear, "I will go back to sleep for a few minutes and forget all this nonsense."
He views the problem as a slight delay or a sickness that will eventually disappear: "I will go back to sleep for a few minutes and forget all this nonsense."

RULE 6 -- REFERENCES
More information about this rule is available from the following sources.

Printed References: (see References section)
Hacker: P6-f