How should you punctuate a sentence that includes a quotation with a speaker tag after it?

How should you punctuate a sentence that includes a quotation with a speaker tag after it?

• A. End punctuation goes after the speaker tag.
• B. End punctuation is outside the quotation marks.
• C. End punctuation should be placed before the quotation marks.
• D. End punctuation stays inside the quotation marks, then the speaker tag follows.

Answer: (D)

In this punctuation rule, the punctuation for the spoken words stays inside the quotation marks, and the speaker tag follows after the closing quote. This keeps the words being spoken as a unit, with the punctuation that belongs to them included. For example: "I can't wait," she said. The comma belongs to the spoken sentence, so it goes inside the quotes. After the closing quotation mark, you write the speaker tag. If you put the end punctuation after the speaker tag or outside the quotes, it would separate the punctuation from the words spoken, which can be confusing.

In this punctuation rule, the punctuation for the spoken words stays inside the quotation marks, and the speaker tag follows after the closing quote. This keeps the words being spoken as a unit, with the punctuation that belongs to them included. For example: "I can't wait," she said. The comma belongs to the spoken sentence, so it goes inside the quotes. After the closing quotation mark, you write the speaker tag. If you put the end punctuation after the speaker tag or outside the quotes, it would separate the punctuation from the words spoken, which can be confusing.