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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Comma before quote

Hi. How would you use a comma in a sentence with a quotation in the middle? Would you leave it out or keep it in?

For example, would it be:

Liz said, "Everyone's doing a great job" to motivate her students.

OR

Liz said "Everyone's doing a great job" to motivate her students.

OR

Liz said, "Everyone's doing a great job," to motivate her students.

In other words, when a quote (that is a complete thought) comes in the middle of a sentence, do you still put a comma right before it? Do you maybe use a comma before and after it, in order to avoid confusion?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

I'd only use two commas (style 3) if the quote were too large to manage otherwise or if there were semantic confusion; for this case, I think I'd choose: Liz said "Everyone's doing a great job" to motivate her students.

— Mister Micawber

  • I'd only use two commas (style 3) if the quote were too large to manage otherwise or if there were semantic confusion; for this case, I think I'd choose: Liz said "Everyone's doing a great job" to motivate her students.
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7 Answers
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I'd only use two commas (style 3) if the quote were too large to manage otherwise or if there were semantic confusion; for this case, I think I'd choose:

Liz said "Everyone's doing a great job" to motivate her students.
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Hi. What should we do when we have some words in quotes like below? Putting commas inside the quotes seems to render an awkward impression but if one has been putting commas inside the quotes in other instances in sentences in the writing, putting them outside would give an impression of inconsistency. What should we do?

He would not use the words "mix," "dilute," and "combine" in
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I put them outside because they look ridiculous within. Nevertheless, some style guides, particularly British ones, insist that the comma be placed inside.

However, consistency would not be an issue between how you deal with sentential quotations and how you deal with single-word emphases (those are not quotes you have presented-- they are just words qua words).
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AnonymousHe would not use the words "mix," "dilute," and "combine" in the sentence but would rather use the word "mixing."

When you are writing about words, use either italics or single quotes.

He would not use the words 'mix', 'dilute', and 'combine' in the sentence but would rather use the word 'mixing'.

He would not use the words m
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Single quotes are not accepted by some editors or stylists, ferdis, but using italics is a good solution to the problem, thanks.
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Use a comma after verbs of communication, such as "asked" or "said," when they come right before a quote

Read more: How to Use a Comma Before Quotation Marks | eHow.com
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That is one traditional solution, but 'eHow Mom' is not a very authoritative website for writing style.
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