Question

correct any errors in capitalization or punctuation. your answer should be a single sentence.
the librarian suddenly looked up from his desk and inquired, \how long have you been standing there?.\
the librarian suddenly looked up from his desk and inquired, \how long have you been standing there?.\

Explanation:

1. Capitalize the first word of the direct quote ("how" → "How") as it starts a complete sentence.
2. Remove the incorrect period after the question mark inside the quotation marks, as only one end punctuation (the question mark) is needed for an interrogative direct quote.

Answer:

The librarian suddenly looked up from his desk and inquired, "How long have you been standing there?"