Answer :
The correct sentence is: "The basement bathroom leaks," he claimed.
Here's why:
Quotations and Punctuation: When a sentence includes a quotation, the punctuation mark goes inside the quotation marks if it is part of the quoted material. In this case, the comma is part of the narrative structure, so it should be inside the quotation marks before continuing the sentence.
Capitalization: The word following the quotation does not need to start with a capital letter unless it is a proper noun or the start of a new sentence. Here, 'he' is not capitalized because it continues the sentence.
Grammatical Flow: The correct structure maintains the narrative flow, indicating that the sentence containing the quote and the attribution ('he claimed') is a single continuous sentence. This flow is achieved by using the comma before the closing quotation mark. The other options break the sentence improperly, either by misplacing punctuation or incorrect capitalization.
Understanding these punctuation rules is important for clear writing and proper grammar.
The correct sentence is: "The basement bathroom leaks," he claimed.
Here's why this is the correct sentence:
Quotation Marks and Punctuation: In American English, commas and periods typically go inside the closing quotation marks. So, if a sentence ends with a quotation, the punctuation mark also goes inside the quotation marks.
Capitalization and Sentence Structure: After the quotation, the word 'he' is not capitalized because it is a continuation of the sentence. In English grammar, the first letter of a quote is capitalized if it's a complete sentence. However, the part after the quote (in this case, 'he claimed') is not the start of a new sentence, so 'he' should remain lowercase.
Understanding Dialogue Attribution: This format is used when attributing the speaker of a quote. The clause 'he claimed' provides information about who is speaking, so it is not a separate sentence but rather a part of the original sentence structure.
So, in summary, the correct format combines the quoted sentence with the speaker attribution, ensuring proper placement of punctuation and correct capitalization within the dialogue.
