Does "Oh" count as an interjection in "Oh, no," that is, should there be a comma after the "Oh?" For example:
"Oh, no," she said under her breath.
Or is it just a stylistic thing, rather than a grammatical one?
"Oh, no," she said under her breath.
Or is it just a stylistic thing, rather than a grammatical one?
Hi,
Generally speaking, there's no need to place a comma before no in Oh no(!). Usually, it is perceived as one
grammatical unit. Consider this example: "Oh no! I've left my keys in the room".
Compare:
Oh, that's fantastic!
Oh, I'm very sorry to hear you were treated unfairly.
However, if no is used as an answer to a question and oh is for emphasis, then placing a comma before no is
reasonable:
-- Have you ever been to the UK?
-- Oh, no.
Regards
Generally speaking, there's no need to place a comma before no in Oh no(!). Usually, it is perceived as one
grammatical unit. Consider this example: "Oh no! I've left my keys in the room".
Compare:
Oh, that's fantastic!
Oh, I'm very sorry to hear you were treated unfairly.
However, if no is used as an answer to a question and oh is for emphasis, then placing a comma before no is
reasonable:
-- Have you ever been to the UK?
-- Oh, no.
Regards
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Comments
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, section 6.35, 17th edition, no comma is needed with "Oh no."