Editorial Tip: Use of Colons and Attribution
Use of Colons
When it is not a complete sentence, use lower case on the first letter of the first word after the colon.
When a full sentence follows a colon, uppercase the first letter of the first word, just as you would in any other sentence.
Attribution
Quotes generally should be attributed, even when it’s a one-person story and it’s pretty clear it’s that person talking.
Per the AP Stylebook, said is almost always the correct word to start the attribution — instead of commented, remarked, related, laughed, etc.
For more about proper Purdue style, go to the University’s Editorial Style Guide.
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