Lead-In Words at the End of the Sentence
The Quotation Mark
Rulebase Summary
When the lead-in words come at the end of the sentence (after the quoted material), separate the quote from the lead-in words with appropriate punctuation for what is being said or asked inside the quoted material. Use the punctuation appropriate for the lead-in words as the terminal punctuation for the sentence.
Examples
A. "I intend to ask for a raise." he said.
A. "I intend to ask for a raise," he said.
Statement quote — comma replaces period before lead-in words.
Q. "I intend to ask for a raise," did he say?
Q. "I intend to ask for a raise," did he say?
Question lead-in — question mark ends the overall sentence.
Transcript Notes
When lead-in words come at the end, they are not capitalized because they remain the main subject and verb of the sentence, even though they appear after the quoted material.
Style Guide References (2)
BGGP
BGGP