Lead-In Words in the Middle of a Quotation
The Quotation Mark
Rulebase Summary
When the lead-in words come in the middle of the quoted material, surround them with punctuation and use the punctuation appropriate for the quoted material as the terminal punctuation for the sentence.
Examples
A. "My husband is" she stated "on the road to recovery."
A. "My husband is," she stated, "on the road to recovery."
Commas surround lead-in words splitting the quotation.
A. "The contract" he explained "was never finalized."
A. "The contract," he explained, "was never finalized."
Lead-in words in the middle — set off with commas.
Transcript Notes
This pattern typically arises when a document, statute, or contract is being read into the record and the speaker inserts commentary between portions of the quoted text. Pay close attention to where the quoted material ends and the speaker's own words begin so the punctuation correctly reflects the structure.
Style Guide References (1)
BGGP