When writing dialogue...?
I have a question about dialogue. If I have the "said" part at the end of dialogue, do I need to put a comma instead of a period before the quotes? Example:
"Hello, my name is Bob." I said.
OR
"Hello, my name is Bob," I said.
[comma vs. period after 'Bob']
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With the comma. You only use the period if there is (1) no dialogue tag (said, thought, gasped, etc.) after the dialogue, which will leave the dialogue bare. You want to have an identifying narrative before or after the dialogue to make sure it's known who's speaking. Also, as a tip, if the speech is longer, use the dialogue tag somewhere in the beginning so there won't be a lot of speech without it being known who's speaking. In this case use the comma after the dialogue tag as well to indicate continued speech.
Example of all of the above at once:
My boyfriend's sister Olivia looked lonely, so I asked her what was wrong.
"I saw a pretty dog today and wanted to pet it, but my mommy said no." Her pout was impressive, I had to admit, but I just couldn't join her side.
"Aw," I cooed, "That's a bummer. Though you shouldn't be touching stray animals, no matter how cute they are. They may have icky things."
Comma.
Yes, the comma one. otherwise it doesn't make much sense cuz it gets divided into two sentences.
Comma must be there for any variation of said and even if it is he/she/they/you/you. Not just I.
no comma unless he continues speaking.
"hello, my name is bob," I said and then "i think your envious."