Joe said, "You're awesome."
"Why thank you," Mel replied.
Should there be a comma after "Why"?
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http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1798/what-is-the-purpose-of-using-the-word-why-in-why-thank-you – Noah Nov 05 '16 at 18:58
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Read that question and there should be a comma, yes. – Noah Nov 05 '16 at 18:58
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"Why" works here as an interjection to express mild surprise. When interjections are at the start of a sentence, they can be followed by a comma or an exclamation mark.
Juan M
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1Conversely, if that punctuation is omitted it would read like a single clause of "why thank you" which could be interpreted as "why should I thank you?". – Jon Hanna Nov 05 '16 at 17:45
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1They can be. But should they? (I think yes. Your answer doesn't take a stand, as far as I can tell.) – aparente001 Nov 06 '16 at 02:24