For all you grammar experts out there, a little help please.
Can dialogue before a beat legitimately end with a period?
For example:
“All quiet.” she reported. or should it always be, “All quiet,” she reported. The auto-grammar checks online found both these ok, but I'm getting pulled up over on Authonomy. Can anyone clarify?
Hi John.
Wrightly or wrongly I use your second example.
I would use the comma after the word QUIET, because I believe the reporting-clause finishes the sentence. It was the way I was taught, but that was many moon-shots ago.
However, times have changed and both examples may be acceptable.