Which sentence demonstrates proper quotation marks and punctuation?

• A. He said, "The deadline is tomorrow."
• B. He said "The deadline is tomorrow".
• C. He said, "The deadline is tomorrow".
• D. He said, The deadline is tomorrow.

Answer: (A)

Direct quotation punctuation in reporting speech follows a simple rule: place a comma after the reporting verb, then start the spoken material with opening quotation marks, and end the spoken part with a period inside the closing quotation marks. The correct sentence does exactly that: He said, "The deadline is tomorrow." Here, the comma after the verb separates the tag from the spoken words, the double quotation marks enclose what was said, and the period sits inside the closing quotation mark.

The other forms fall short for specific reasons. One option omits the necessary comma after the reporting verb, making the sentence feel rushed or fused. Another puts the period outside the closing quotation mark, which isn’t standard in American usage. The remaining form drops the quotation marks entirely, so the spoken words aren’t clearly identified as direct speech.