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Grammarholic Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Dialogue tags

Can I leave the following as is, and leave out the commas after 'asked', 'said', 'read', and 'muttered'? What is the purpose of these commas after the dialogue tags? Okay as is below?

She asked 'Why are you going?'

Molly said 'It is time for us to leave.'

The sign read 'Swim at your own risk.'

Jacqueline muttered 'I think Bob and Sue are having an affair.'
  

Top answer

I'm pretty sure all of us here will recommend that the comma always precede the direct quote. Otherwise, it might be confusing. There's nothing stopping you from using an indirect method: She asked why he/she was going.

— Wilpeter

  • I'm pretty sure all of us here will recommend that the comma always precede the direct quote.
  • Otherwise, it might be confusing.
  • There's nothing stopping you from using an indirect method: She asked why he/she was going.
  • Molly told us it was time for us to leave.
  • There was a 'Swim at your own risk' sign there.
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10 Answers
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I'm pretty sure all of us here will recommend that the comma always precede the direct quote.
Otherwise, it might be confusing. There's nothing stopping you from using an indirect method:
She asked why he/she was going.
Molly told us it was time for us to leave.
There was a 'Swim at your own risk' sign there.
Jacqueline muttered that she thought Bob and Sue were having an affa
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wilpeterOtherwise, it might be confusing.
May I ask how it could be confusing without a comma?
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GPYMay I ask how it could be confusing without a comma?
Readers who are used to reading well-written sentences will expect a comma. The absence of that comma will lead them to assume it was omitted for a reason—such as to indicate that it is not an actual quote but a generalization or a paraphrased version. Being misled slows you down and is undesirable.
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wilpeterReaders who are used to reading well-written sentences will expect a comma. The absence of that comma will lead them to assume it was omitted for a reason—such as to indicate that it is not an actual quote but a generalization or a paraphrased version. Being misled slows you down and is undesirable. Most of us here, however, are used to looking for the errors.
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Whaever follows said, asks or read is a direct object, so I would not place a comma before it.
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4444mvWhaever follows said, asks or read is a direct object, so I would not place a comma before it.
I was obviously wrong in assuming that 'most of us' would agree. GPY feels it is unnecessary but agrees it is commonly inserted. 4444mv gives a reason for not using it (the first word being "Whatever") and would apply that rule to his use. The problem remains
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wilpeter 4444mvWhaever follows said, asks or read is a direct object, so I would not place a comma before it.I was obviously wrong in assuming that 'most of us' would agree. GPY feels it is unnecessary but agrees it is commonly inserted. 4444mv gives a reason for not using it (the first word being "Whatever") and would apply that rule to his use. The problem remains that w
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4444mvWhat does the OP mean?
The Original Poster (yourself).
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wilpeter 4444mvWhat does the OP mean?The Original Poster (yourself).
Ah Ok!Emotion: smile Thanks!
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