Question

which punctuation belongs in the blank in each quotation? select comma or colon for each blank. when she found herself wide awake for an hour last night, lenore lulled herself back to sleep by repeating__ “go to sleep.” the candidate passionately continued “and when i am elected to this most prestigious of offices, i promise to hold the office in the highest esteem. furthermore, i promise to hold you, the people i represent, in the highest esteem.” in “hamlet,” polonius said the following__ “this above all: to thine own self be true, / and it must follow, as the night the day, / thou canst not then be false to any man. / farewell: my blessing season this in thee!”

Explanation:

1. For the first blank: The clause before the quote sets up a direct repetition of spoken words, so a comma is used to separate the introductory clause from the direct quotation.
2. For the second blank: The phrase "continued" introduces a direct, extended quotation that follows, so a colon is used to signal the start of the quoted speech.
3. For the third blank: The quote is a formal, extended statement introduced by a lead-in clause, so a colon is used to introduce this block of direct quoted text.

Answer:

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