0
Tinanam0102 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

said Mary or Mary said

Hi teachers,

1. 'Can you come to my house?' said Mary.

Why isn't 'Mary said'?

2. Mary said, 'Can you come to my house?'

Is this one correct?

3. Is there a name for this?

Thanks
TN
  

Top answer

tinanam0102 1. ' said Mary. This word order is a remnant from Old English and is even today the norm in other Germanic languages such as Swedish, for example.

— Cool Breeze

  • tinanam0102 1.
  • ' said Mary.
  • This word order is a remnant from Old English and is even today the norm in other Germanic languages such as Swedish, for example.
  • " Mary said.
  • Use whichever word order you like best.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
tinanam01021. 'Can you come to my house?' said Mary.
This word order is a remnant from Old English and is even today the norm in other Germanic languages such as Swedish, for example. However, it isn't wrong to say: "Can you come to my house?" Mary said. Use whichever word order you like best.

CB
0
0
Hi Cool Breeze,

Thanks for your help. So I can use either of them:

Mary said, 'Can you come to my house?' or
'Can you come to my house?' said Mary.

Thanks
TN
0

Related Questions