"Okay," Amy said as she looked around. "Okay," Amy said, as she looked around. Is there a rule for when the comma should/should not be there? Sorry for asking two questions.
In that case, the first one is correct (no comma). However, if it was like this: "Okay," Amy said, looking around Then there would be a comma. (the "as" part negates the comma in this case) And haha don't be sorry.
i have to strongly disagree... imo, whenever 'as' is used to introduce a qualifying phrase, it does have to be preceded by a comma... and 'as' does not take the place of a comma there any more than when/after/while/etc. would...
I think the first one (without a comma) implies a certain urgency while the second one (with a comma) feels much calmer and controlled. I'd say it's truly a style choice rather than a strict grammar rule. I'd like to see if there is a rule for this, though, because I can see arguments for both sides.
I have a question. Are you an English teacher? You seem to know everything about English. I'm sorry if the sentences I typed here are grammatically incorrect.
I'm not sure myself, but when I write, I usually tend to flow with the first. However, the latter sounds better
no, reg, i'm not an actual [as in 'certified'] english teacher, though i do have to do a lot of teaching in my role as a writing mentor...
Oxford Style Manual: "Adverbial material, whether clauses, phrases, or single adverbs, obeys no single rule regarding commas..."
