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Doctanian Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Comma after "said" in quote.

Let's say I have another character quote someone else. Should a comma go after "said"?

Example:

"Yeah, he pretty much said, 'that's stupid'"

Also, as an extra, should there be a period bewteen the quotation marks?

"Yeah, he pretty much said, 'that's stupid'."

Thanks.
  

Top answer

The comma should be there, according to most style guides, but nowadays it is sometimes omitted for flow, especially when the quote is short. This is a decision that the editor will make. ' "

— Mister Micawber

  • The comma should be there, according to most style guides, but nowadays it is sometimes omitted for flow, especially when the quote is short.
  • This is a decision that the editor will make.
  • ' "
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3 Answers
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The comma should be there, according to most style guides, but nowadays it is sometimes omitted for flow, especially when the quote is short. This is a decision that the editor will make.

The period goes inside the inner quotation:

"Yeah, he pretty much said, 'That's stupid.' "
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Hi Doctanian,

Why get so complicated? Just treat the whole sentence as reported speech and be done with it:

"Yeah, he pretty much said that's stupid."

Another point is this: The expression 'pretty much said' tells us that it is not a direct quote anyway. The speaker is only reporting the gist of what the other person said.
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The flight attendant said, "Put your tray tables upright and fasten your seatbelts."
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