1. Thanshin

    Thanshin Active Member

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    "Hi." He said. vs "Hi" he said.

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Thanshin, Jun 2, 2010.

    Something I was about to mention in some reviews and I'm starting to think maybe in English it's done differently.

    I'd always write:

    "Hi" he said.

    Unless the descriptor isn't referred to what's been said.

    "Hi" he said.
    "Hello." The reply came from under the table.
     
  2. madhoca

    madhoca Contributor Contributor

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    The correct punctuation would be:

    "Hi," he said.
    "Hello." The reply came from under the table.

    or:

    "Hi!" he said.
    "Hello." The reply came from under the table.

    If you wanted to have the response one sentence, it would be:

    "Hello," he replied from under the table.

    You can check out Cogito's useful thread on dialogue for this.
     
  3. Thanshin

    Thanshin Active Member

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    Thanks. I'll keep correcting it.
     
  4. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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  5. Thanshin

    Thanshin Active Member

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    Read it about three minutes ago. :)

    Also the PoV and Show and Tell threads, both about topics I mentioned in several reviews and wasn't sure if I should describe in more detail.

    Now I'm not afraid of the possibility of having to explain the concepts every time, I can just link to your profile.
     
  6. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    Watch out for differences between British and US punctuation, though! Wikipedia explains them in its article on American and British English differences.
     

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