Question

select comma or colon for each blank. the queen stood before her subjects and said the following__ “my loyal subjects, it is with great sorrow that i must inform you of the passing of my husband, the king. i assure you i will continue to rule as he did—with fairness and kindness.” ricardo shook his head as he grumbled “i wish i were in charge of deciding how we should all spend our time this saturday.” the defense attorney stood and boldly proclaimed this statement__ “my client is innocent of all charges. he has been an upstanding citizen of this state for thirty - seven years, and he has never—not once—been in a situation where he has acted less than honorably.”

Explanation:

1. For the first blank: A colon is used to introduce a direct, formal quotation that follows an independent clause stating the speaker will share information.
2. For the second blank: A comma is used to separate a speaker tag ("Ricardo shook his head as he grumbled") from the direct quotation that follows it.
3. For the third blank: A colon is used to introduce a formal, direct quotation that follows an independent clause stating a statement was proclaimed.

Answer:

1. Blank 1: Colon
2. Blank 2: Comma
3. Blank 3: Colon