What's the difference?

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Anonymous  #128076  Thu, 18 Aug 05 06:40 AM

Hello. I hope you can help me. Can you tell me what the difference is between these expressions?

"Keep silent, boys", said the teacher.

"Keep silent, boys", the teacher said.

Thank you very much.

  
TimKowal  #128084  Thu, 18 Aug 05 07:23 AM
Absolutely nothing, except what you see and hear when you read it.  It would simply be a stylistic choice.  Grammatically they are tautological (identical).
Tim

  
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yunus  #128099  Thu, 18 Aug 05 08:15 AM

both are true. You can say or write what you want

 

  
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Mister Micawber  #128111  Thu, 18 Aug 05 09:25 AM

With pronouns, however, the inverted form sounds stilted and old-fashioned, and is seldom used nowadays:

(??) 'Keep silent boys,' said I / you / he / they / we.
  
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