Thread: said he

I came across this line while reading the Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs":

"There is a chance for you to make some money, friend Watson," said he.
http://www.sbnet.ru/books/eng/Doyle/cbsh/3garride.txt

Why isn't it "bla bla bla, he said"? I always thought that was the only correct way for... (arrrgh... which verb should I use here? for "marking off"?...) author's remark after a character's cue in English.

P.S. Please, correct my mistakes, the grammatic and the stylistic ones, if you find any, and find time and patience also. Thanks.

Says who?

Inverted word order is alive and well in English fiction, especially hundred-year-old fiction like that quote!

Please_ correct my mistakes, the grammatical

I don't think "grammatic" is a real word.
You could also say
Please correct my mistakes, grammatical and stylistic.
(by way of illustrating another inversion!). =:^)

And to sign off with some lyrics further illustrating inversion G&S !

G&S is not for the faint of heart.

And then you have the oft used Irish dialect and their use of "says I."

Thank for the replies.

Guys... I'm very sorry for being touchy, but is really so hard to help with this line?

correct way for... (arrrgh... which verb should I use here? for "marking off"?...) author's remark

Originally Posted by Оля

Thank for the replies.

Guys... I'm very sorry for being touchy, but is really so hard to help with this line?

correct way for... (arrrgh... which verb should I use here? for "marking off"?...) author's remark

What's the Russian? Mark off means something entirely different than I think you want.

Are you trying to say: "'blah blah blah,' he said" is the way an author indicates what a character says.

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

Are you trying to say: "'blah blah blah,' he said" is the way an author indicates what a character says.

Yes, that's it! Thank you very much!

In Russian it's "правильное оформление слов автора после реплики героя".