In punctuation, use commas before direct speech introduced with phrases such as "he said".
Punctuating direct speech is a technical skill. If you begin your sentence by introducing the direct speech, you will need a comma first. Here is an example which has been correctly punctuated:
She said, "I am not at all happy about having to climb this staircase in the dark."
The comma separates the introduction from the speech even when using a longer,