he said that "you were correct." vs he said, "you were correct."

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. The first phrase uses double quotation marks inside single quotation marks to indicate a quote within a quote. The second phrase uses a comma before the quotation to introduce a passage of direct speech. The choice between the two depends on the style guide or your personal preference.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 27, 2024 • 13077 views

he said that "you were correct."

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a quote within a quote.

This phrase is used when quoting someone who is quoting someone else. The double quotation marks inside the single quotation marks help differentiate the two levels of quotation.

Show examples from the web [+]

What you told me about the coming of the railway, it seems you were correct.
It appears you were correct, Mr. Ellman.
If you were correct, try and guess the next word! Alternatively, you can attempt one of the many other vocabularies bundled with & kanagram;.
He said that "today the internet and satellite TV are probably the biggest hope for global information freedom".
When elected he said that "football is a game before a product" and has pledged to defend it against overwhelming domination by business.
When elected he said that "football is a game before a product" and has pledged to defend it against overwhelming domination by business.
It seems that everything he said is correct.
Orphans! ... they were correct.
In global terms he said that "Al-Qaeda will remain an international threat for years to come".
He said that "the world - not just Europeans, are looking to us".
He said that "the elections have shown the political maturity of the Mozambican people".
At the seminar he said that "we could release particles of sulphur (to deflect sunlight and heat) in the upper atmosphere to cool the global climate".
He said that "old Europe" could provide the answers by listening to its peoples who had expressed their views so clearly in streets all around Europe.
He said that "Europeans have not only been spectators, but we were involved, and, in some cases, supported the injustice".
He said that existing regulation was impinging on communities of sparsely populated coastal regions and that "people are not taken into the equation".
Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute he said that "the region is once again in flames".
Before leaving Kinshasa, delegation Chairman Jürgen Schröder summed up the mood when he said that "people are tired of wars and transitional governments".
I'll confess that you were correct before in suspecting me, but everything I did was at her behest.
Then you can take great pleasure in knowing you were correct all along.
You said that those comments were not correct.

he said, "you were correct."

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to introduce direct speech.

This phrase is used to directly quote what someone said. The comma before the quotation marks is a common way to introduce direct speech.

Show examples from the web [+]

What you told me about the coming of the railway, it seems you were correct.
It appears you were correct, Mr. Ellman.
If you were correct, try and guess the next word! Alternatively, you can attempt one of the many other vocabularies bundled with & kanagram;.
It seems that everything he said is correct.
He said, "you're welcome".
Orphans! ... they were correct.
I'll confess that you were correct before in suspecting me, but everything I did was at her behest.
Then you can take great pleasure in knowing you were correct all along.
All that he said otherwise, he said out of drunkenness and it is not correct.
He said, "You can call me Dah-Dah," whatever that meant.
And he said, "you're such a big man," that I should drive us home.
He said, "You can't wake a person who's pretending to sleep." Okay. Fast forward.
"You actively revelled in her anguish", he said, 'adding her punishment would be proportionate and considered.
He said, "You can call me Dah-Dah," whatever that meant.
That said, Mrs Kinnock, you are undoubtedly correct.
There should be, he said, democratic control of the European Patent Office and this directive was not the correct method to legislate.
There should be, he said, democratic control of the European Patent Office and this directive was not the correct method to legislate.
But in the end, we decided that our choices were correct.
Besides, with the information in our possession, my calculations were correct.
- Your suspicions about a neurological disorder Were correct.

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he said that "you were correct." vs he said, "you were correct."

he said that "you were correct."

he said, "you were correct."

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