In my novel, should I write 'said he' or 'he said'?

Question

Should I write:

1. "Hi", said he. "How are you?"

Or:

2. "Hi", he said. "How are you?"

I know you can write both, but what do you feel sounds better?

Answer 1

If the question is just between the two, and you were writing in modern day English you should write, Hi, he said. I also very much suggest, He said, hi. Remember you don't want to write too much "he said". It will get boring. You can write some paragraphs as a narrator. Be very descriptive. This is what makes it interesting and mentally visual. If you are descriptive then you can omit the he said stuff more often. When your ready with the book I can tell you how to self publish, get your book number and bar-code for free and other extremely helpful tips.  

Answer 2

"He said" sounds better because we are used to hearing it.  If you are writing something out-of-the-ordinary with a specific feel, "said he" might have a nice dramatic touch that adds power to the tone.  But if you're writing an entire novel, we who are used to "he said" might get sick of reading "said he."

Answer 3

he said, sounds much better

Answer 4

In this context the second one sounds more natural.

Answer 5

the second one, the fist one sounds a bit twisted but it really depends on the content before and after and what sounds right. The second one sounds more informal and basic but in your novel, the first one may sound better.

Good luck with your novel and I hope this helps! x

Answer 6

I don't know. Lots of England writers would write 'said he'. But I like 'he said' better.

Answer 7

He said sounds better. But look:

If you're going to put an adverb or describe the way he said something:

'Hi' he said, uninterested

Use he said.

But if you're going to describe the person or just end the sentence:

'Hi' said Bob, who was wearing his black hat again.

Answer 8

What about: "Hi, how are you?" he asked.

Or  try just the words in quotation marks without the 'he said' bit.  It might not be 100% proper, but it is gaining more acceptance to not even attribute dialog to a specific character directly.  However, most authors do this only in the middle of dialog exchanges.

Answer 9

Said he is more rich and royal, it sounds ancient.

He said is more casual, it's going for a more common appeal.

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Answer 10

definately he said. Its more natural. I don't think I have EVER had a conversation where I told someone that someone said something and used 'said he'. If you notice how you talk you should naturally say 'and then he said "How are you?"' It's going to jar a reader too much if you use 'said he'. Its not a natural flow of words- its too archaic and formulated.

Answer 11

while both are right, he said sounds better

Answer 12

he said sounds allot more natural. Plus I've never read-said he- in a book before. And I read allot :/

Answer 13

The greeting is very modern, and he said is a more modern way to say it, said he is a bit more classical, so go with the he said. You could even try to think of a more descriptive word, like, "Hi," he muttered, "How are you?" which gives a bit more feeling, showing he doesn't really want to say this but feels he has to? Maybe "Hi," he exclaimed, "How are you?" showing that he really wants to talk to this person. He said or said he isn't as descriptive, and can be taken n different ways.

Answer 14

he said, definetly

Answer 15

"he said" sounds much better!!!!!!! "said he" is unconventional n is uncomfortable read.......this is normally used by "H.G Wells" n i didn't enjoy it much..........

Answer 16

they both sound good