The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Subject-verb inversion in direct speech

In direct speech, if the quotation precedes the reporting verb, the subject and the reporting verb can be inverted:

"I'm so sorry,"

Maria said / said Maria

.

If the subject is long, usually there is inversion:

"Good morning,"

said the stranger in the black jacket

.

But if the subject is a personal pronoun, there is no inversion:

"Good morning,"

he said

.

Related topics:

Punctuation in direct speech