Should there be a comma after "that"?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

We told them, if your relatives come for a visit and if they have the disease, the entire prison will be dead.

“And they said, ’We don’t want that sir,’” Putranto said.

  1. Should there be a comma after “that”?
  2. Could it be sir’,"? (I think this version is British English. Correct me if I’m wrong.)

Thanks.

2 Likes
2
  1. I wouldn’t put an additional comma there.
  1. The answer to this question depends on the context but from what I understand ‘sir’ is fine here. “Sir” is used in formal situations in any country where English is spoken, not just in Great Britain.
2 Likes
3

Thanks, Torsten.

I was referring to the quotation marks. Is the way I suggested also correct?

“And they said, ’We don’t want that sir,’” Putranto said.

  1. Should there be a comma after “that”?
  2. Could it be sir’,"?

Thanks.

1 Like
4

“And they said, 'We don’t want that, Sir,’” Putranto said.

When you address someone, the comma, in my view, is necessary. And, as Torsten says, the word ‘Sir’ should begin with a capital.

2 Likes
5

Thanks, Anglophile.

I think Torsten did not mean that “sir” should be capitalised. In his reply, the first “sir” is not capitalised but the second is because it started the sentence.

2 Likes
6

That’s right. There is no need to capitalize ‘sir’ if it doesn’t appear at the beginning of a sentence: When to capitalize “sir” and “madam” | Grammar Party

What would you like to start with, sir?

1 Like
7

Torsten, can we take this source for granted?

2 Likes
8

Well, there are two sources here. The first one is @Alan who is the most trustworthy person for me when it comes to any questions regarding the English language and the second one is Erin Servais who is a book editor and author coach with a dozen years in the publishing industry and more than a hundred titles on her résumé.

Looks pretty solid to me.

2 Likes
9

Okay, Torsten. Thank you.
Now, what about Dear Father/father, Brother/brother, Friend/friend etc?

2 Likes
10

I treat them the same way as ‘sir’.

2 Likes
11

The reason for my efforts to confirm the correct position is for me to confidently share it with my students, friends and colleagues as well as non-native users interested in the English language. There are a large number of foreign learners who would take me for granted and quote me as the source.
I hope @Alan will also endorse what we are discussing now.

2 Likes
12

And they said, ’We don’t want that sir ,’” Putranto said.
2. Could it be sir’,"?

What I meant is: Can ‘sir’ be punctuated in both ways, as highlighted above?

1 Like