Question

What is the correct way to punctuate the bolded portion of this quotation? “OK,” the representative began I can do it the new way.” began, “I began” “I began “I began, I

Answer 1

The answer is Began,"I

Answer 2

Answer:

The answer is indeed: [...] began, "I..."

Explanation:

The sentence we are studying here is written in direct speech. A sentence in direct speech replicates the exact words said by a certain person. To make that clear, the words said by the person are placed within quotation marks and separated from the rest by a comma.

• "OK," the representative began, "I can do it the new way."

The words inside the quotation marks are the exact words said by the representative. That's why there are commas separating them from the structure the representative began.