Comma before indirect speech
For instance, you can tell them “I expect you to come to class on time,” or “Do not bully.”
Do I need a comma between "them" and "I"?
Why or why not?
commas indirect-speech
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
add a comment |
For instance, you can tell them “I expect you to come to class on time,” or “Do not bully.”
Do I need a comma between "them" and "I"?
Why or why not?
commas indirect-speech
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
add a comment |
For instance, you can tell them “I expect you to come to class on time,” or “Do not bully.”
Do I need a comma between "them" and "I"?
Why or why not?
commas indirect-speech
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
For instance, you can tell them “I expect you to come to class on time,” or “Do not bully.”
Do I need a comma between "them" and "I"?
Why or why not?
commas indirect-speech
commas indirect-speech
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
edited 10 hours ago
Laurel
33k664117
33k664117
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
asked May 14 '16 at 23:11
newUserNameHerenewUserNameHere
1084
1084
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
A comma is always used before a quotation that is a complete sentence:
My father always said, “Be careful what you wish for.”
M-W defines quotation as:
something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by
someone else in another piece of writing or a speech
Perhaps, regarding your example, you are thinking that because the words within quotation marks do not repeat what someone said, but rather suggest something that may be said in the future, it is not a quotation and should not include the comma.
But common editorial practice, based on the Chicago Manual, Words Into Type, and other such sources, would treat this as a normal quotation and use the comma, because it is intended to convey conversational speech.
A comma is not used when the quotation is not a full sentence, as in
you can tell them you expect them "to come to come to class on time...
when the quotation renames the subject, as in
My father’s mantra was “Be careful what you wish for.”
and when quoted material is integral to the sentence, as in
It's best to begin with a friendly "Hello there!" and move on from
there.
His "Hey, pal!" attitude really gets me.
Your example is none of these, and would typically include a comma.
add a comment |
I don't know if it's a rule in the proscriptive sense, but if I'm unsure I ask myself if I would pause at this point, if yes, a comma is appropriate
in this case I suspect it is also required
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "97"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f325731%2fcomma-before-indirect-speech%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
A comma is always used before a quotation that is a complete sentence:
My father always said, “Be careful what you wish for.”
M-W defines quotation as:
something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by
someone else in another piece of writing or a speech
Perhaps, regarding your example, you are thinking that because the words within quotation marks do not repeat what someone said, but rather suggest something that may be said in the future, it is not a quotation and should not include the comma.
But common editorial practice, based on the Chicago Manual, Words Into Type, and other such sources, would treat this as a normal quotation and use the comma, because it is intended to convey conversational speech.
A comma is not used when the quotation is not a full sentence, as in
you can tell them you expect them "to come to come to class on time...
when the quotation renames the subject, as in
My father’s mantra was “Be careful what you wish for.”
and when quoted material is integral to the sentence, as in
It's best to begin with a friendly "Hello there!" and move on from
there.
His "Hey, pal!" attitude really gets me.
Your example is none of these, and would typically include a comma.
add a comment |
A comma is always used before a quotation that is a complete sentence:
My father always said, “Be careful what you wish for.”
M-W defines quotation as:
something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by
someone else in another piece of writing or a speech
Perhaps, regarding your example, you are thinking that because the words within quotation marks do not repeat what someone said, but rather suggest something that may be said in the future, it is not a quotation and should not include the comma.
But common editorial practice, based on the Chicago Manual, Words Into Type, and other such sources, would treat this as a normal quotation and use the comma, because it is intended to convey conversational speech.
A comma is not used when the quotation is not a full sentence, as in
you can tell them you expect them "to come to come to class on time...
when the quotation renames the subject, as in
My father’s mantra was “Be careful what you wish for.”
and when quoted material is integral to the sentence, as in
It's best to begin with a friendly "Hello there!" and move on from
there.
His "Hey, pal!" attitude really gets me.
Your example is none of these, and would typically include a comma.
add a comment |
A comma is always used before a quotation that is a complete sentence:
My father always said, “Be careful what you wish for.”
M-W defines quotation as:
something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by
someone else in another piece of writing or a speech
Perhaps, regarding your example, you are thinking that because the words within quotation marks do not repeat what someone said, but rather suggest something that may be said in the future, it is not a quotation and should not include the comma.
But common editorial practice, based on the Chicago Manual, Words Into Type, and other such sources, would treat this as a normal quotation and use the comma, because it is intended to convey conversational speech.
A comma is not used when the quotation is not a full sentence, as in
you can tell them you expect them "to come to come to class on time...
when the quotation renames the subject, as in
My father’s mantra was “Be careful what you wish for.”
and when quoted material is integral to the sentence, as in
It's best to begin with a friendly "Hello there!" and move on from
there.
His "Hey, pal!" attitude really gets me.
Your example is none of these, and would typically include a comma.
A comma is always used before a quotation that is a complete sentence:
My father always said, “Be careful what you wish for.”
M-W defines quotation as:
something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by
someone else in another piece of writing or a speech
Perhaps, regarding your example, you are thinking that because the words within quotation marks do not repeat what someone said, but rather suggest something that may be said in the future, it is not a quotation and should not include the comma.
But common editorial practice, based on the Chicago Manual, Words Into Type, and other such sources, would treat this as a normal quotation and use the comma, because it is intended to convey conversational speech.
A comma is not used when the quotation is not a full sentence, as in
you can tell them you expect them "to come to come to class on time...
when the quotation renames the subject, as in
My father’s mantra was “Be careful what you wish for.”
and when quoted material is integral to the sentence, as in
It's best to begin with a friendly "Hello there!" and move on from
there.
His "Hey, pal!" attitude really gets me.
Your example is none of these, and would typically include a comma.
edited May 14 '16 at 23:56
answered May 14 '16 at 23:43
user66965
add a comment |
add a comment |
I don't know if it's a rule in the proscriptive sense, but if I'm unsure I ask myself if I would pause at this point, if yes, a comma is appropriate
in this case I suspect it is also required
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
add a comment |
I don't know if it's a rule in the proscriptive sense, but if I'm unsure I ask myself if I would pause at this point, if yes, a comma is appropriate
in this case I suspect it is also required
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
add a comment |
I don't know if it's a rule in the proscriptive sense, but if I'm unsure I ask myself if I would pause at this point, if yes, a comma is appropriate
in this case I suspect it is also required
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
I don't know if it's a rule in the proscriptive sense, but if I'm unsure I ask myself if I would pause at this point, if yes, a comma is appropriate
in this case I suspect it is also required
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
answered May 14 '16 at 23:16
chrischris
1153
1153
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f325731%2fcomma-before-indirect-speech%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
