Two things I've been pondering recently:
I don't think there is a hard and fast rule, but are there any guidelines for 'Chris said' vs. 'said Chris'?
"I don't know," said Chris.
"I don't know," Chris said.
Chris said, "I don't know."
Said Chris, "I don't know." (I think this one is an error.)
The guideline I've been using is to put the said as close to the comma as possible, except that pronouns always come before the verb: 'she said' vs 'said she.' And whenever the sentence is any more complicated then a simple noun-verb to always put the noun before the verb. Example:
"I don't know," Chris said, furrowing his brow. (preferred)
"I don't know," said Chris, furrowing her brow. (not preferred)
Anyone have any further insight? I'm just tired of trying to figure out how to arrange my dialog tags, and so I want a clear guideline to save time.
And the other thing I've been wondering is, is the following correct (or preferred) grammar?
Chris said, "I don't know," and furrowed his brow.
I don't think there is a hard and fast rule, but are there any guidelines for 'Chris said' vs. 'said Chris'?
"I don't know," said Chris.
"I don't know," Chris said.
Chris said, "I don't know."
Said Chris, "I don't know." (I think this one is an error.)
The guideline I've been using is to put the said as close to the comma as possible, except that pronouns always come before the verb: 'she said' vs 'said she.' And whenever the sentence is any more complicated then a simple noun-verb to always put the noun before the verb. Example:
"I don't know," Chris said, furrowing his brow. (preferred)
"I don't know," said Chris, furrowing her brow. (not preferred)
Anyone have any further insight? I'm just tired of trying to figure out how to arrange my dialog tags, and so I want a clear guideline to save time.
And the other thing I've been wondering is, is the following correct (or preferred) grammar?
Chris said, "I don't know," and furrowed his brow.