Which sentence uses a colon to introduce a quotation?

Which sentence uses a colon to introduce a quotation?

• A. He said, 'Meet me at noon.'
• B. He said: 'Meet me at noon.'
• C. He said 'Meet me at noon.'
• D. He said; 'Meet me at noon.'

Answer: (B)

Colon signaling introduces the exact words that follow after an introductory claim like “He said.” When what follows is a complete sentence, the colon cleanly ties the tag to the quotation and sets off the spoken material with a formal emphasis. In this sentence, “Meet me at noon.” is the precise quote, so the colon shows that those are the words spoken. Using a comma would also be possible in casual dialogue (He said, "Meet me at noon."), but the prompt specifically asks for the colon form, which is why this option is the best choice. A semicolon isn’t used to introduce a quotation, and omitting punctuation after the introductory verb would break standard direct-quotation formatting.

Colon signaling introduces the exact words that follow after an introductory claim like “He said.” When what follows is a complete sentence, the colon cleanly ties the tag to the quotation and sets off the spoken material with a formal emphasis. In this sentence, “Meet me at noon.” is the precise quote, so the colon shows that those are the words spoken.

Using a comma would also be possible in casual dialogue (He said, "Meet me at noon."), but the prompt specifically asks for the colon form, which is why this option is the best choice. A semicolon isn’t used to introduce a quotation, and omitting punctuation after the introductory verb would break standard direct-quotation formatting.