Colon Before Formal Quotations from Documents or Speeches
The Colon
Rulebase Summary
Use a colon to introduce formal quotations from legal documents, statutes, speeches, historic documents, or other well-known writings. The colon signals that what follows is a direct, formal citation.
Examples
Q. Section 12.4 of the agreement states, "Neither party shall assign this contract without prior written consent."
Q. Section 12.4 of the agreement states: "Neither party shall assign this contract without prior written consent."
Colon introduces a formal quotation from a legal document.
THE COURT: The statute reads as follows, "Any person who knowingly makes a false statement shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."
THE COURT: The statute reads as follows: "Any person who knowingly makes a false statement shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."
Colon before formal citation of a statute.
Transcript Notes
In reporting, the distinction between a comma and a colon before quoted material is a judgment call — what seems formal to one person may not seem formal to another, so it is not really a matter of right or wrong.
When the quote is lengthy enough to be set off in blocked format, a colon should probably replace the comma.
For reporting purposes, prefer the colon over the dash when the information after it is in apposition, because transcripts already contain so many dashes for interruptions and broken-off sentences that adding more can be confusing for the reader.
Style Guide References (3)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP