Rule 6 from 11 Rules of Writing
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.
Examples
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Incorrect: Tumbling down the hill, Jack yelled: "Gosh, I'm sick of this."
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Correct: Tumbling down the hill, Jack yelled, "Gosh, I'm sick of this."
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Incorrect: Her letter spoke to him in harsh tones, "You never fail to repulse me."
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Correct: Her letter spoke to him in harsh tones: "You never fail to repulse me."
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Incorrect: 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."
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Correct: 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."
References
More information about this rule is available from the following sources.
Printed Resources: (see Books on Writing section) - Hacker: P6-f
