Introductory phrases and commas

Question

Online grammar checkers verify this sentence as correct:

I told him “I just put commas where my brain pauses.” He said, “You need
  to get your brain examined.”

The online software seems to be fine with or without a comma in the first line, but it insists that I use a comma in the second line after 'He said'.

My question is: Why do I not need a comma after the phrase 'I told him' in the first line? Isn't that an introductory phrase too?

ruakh · Answer

The simple answer is that online grammar checkers do not actually understand English. Machine intelligence has come a very long way in the past thirty years and more, but it still has a long way yet to go.

The software that you're consulting recognizes a few simple patterns, but it can't really tell when a comma is and is not appropriate. If you give it a case where "he said" should not be followed by a comma, I bet it will wrongly flag it:

He said "everything he was required to", according to his lawyer.

Introductory phrases and commas

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