Agree with above post. I don't like it when authors use "he said" / "she said" or variants thereof in a longer discussion. It's more than enough to indicate who is the first and second speaker. After that, the dialog can just switch back and forth:
(Text translated from Dutch to English, from a book I recently finished.)
Quote:
"Are you sure about this?", Richard said.
"Yes, it seems that the virus is spreading", Paula replied.
"Were you able to devise a way to stop it?"
"Not yet... the lab is working on it around the clock."
"I hope so. Many people are getting very ill; who knows what happens after that. This virus may be deadly."
"We are trying all we can."
Richard picked up his jacket and walked toward the door. "Keep me posted about anything you discover." He walked out into the rain, pulling the door closed behind him.
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What I've always wondered about
: where do the comma's go?
Quote:
"This is very bad," Richard said.
"This is very bad.", Richard said.
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Which is the correct way, or is it a matter of taste? I've seen both... if it is deemed correct, my preference would be the second variant, as it seems more logical to me. If it is deemed to be "officially" incorrect, I'll do it as in the first example.