If it was reported speech, Oli, it would have to be written as such: Oli said John has missed the point.
Or: John, said Oli, has missed the point. Stylistic differences. Stops things getting boringly monotonous. I was taught both at school.
I can't find any info about the way you structured it, but I'm not going to say you're wrong. Maybe it's one of those obscure rules that never gets taught anymore? :shrug: All I know is that I would put quotes around the quoted speech in the sentence the way you structured it. http://perso.orange.fr/absolutenglish-972/notes/grammar/reportedspeech.htm
Damn, story of my life: everything I know is old-fashioned Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Me neither..its rubbish. Its the same tripe behind the well known example..A Bear Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Well if you feel that Bears commonly eat in restaurants, and then proceed to shoot fellow customers (presumably smokers Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) it makes perfect sense (to pedantic clots). Recently a well known Times columnist wrote a full page article using no punctuation whatsoever apart from full stops. Most people were half way through before they realised it...even without punctuation there was no problem whatsoever in understanding what it said.
Not a bear, a panda. A bear doesn't eat shoots and leaves.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
It does if you remember that pandas eat eucalyptus shoots and leaves. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
No you misunderstand..it was the title of a best seller by an english linguist..and a very tedious one. A Bear eats shoots and leaves was the TITLE of her best-selling book. Lynn Truss?
Honey, I own that book, look again. Its a Panda! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! And its an awesome book!
Actually SAM you are just as pedantic because a Panda is a Bear..so in what respect is it not a bear? Jeezus..I'm not used to such literal, autistic, semantic stringencies on my forum..its a bit more freeform and spontaneous..I'll get used to things. Somehow.
Listen Kiddo...when the next school massacre is perpetrated by a Panda Bear then I'll take you seriously...until then keep your counsel.
