comma before phrase in quotes (quotation; apposition): phrase, "make

This is admittedly a nit-picky issue, but it's one that I've faced a lot lately in papers I've been writing for grad school. Please look at the use of the comma in these two sentences. Should it be there? Should it be absent? Can you explain why or why not?

1. The phrase, "make something of oneself" means...

2. She smiled and uttered the sentence, "You mean nothing to me."

I appreciate your help!

Hello bmsmith2, and Welcome to the Forum! :)

If you fancy a long read about the niceties of 'to coma or not to coma', then you could peruse the old threads on the subject.

Punctuation Rules in English , and there's a load more in here. (these are from the FAQ section) - enjoy! :)

In my opinion, the comma in sentence 1 is unneeded and incorrect. The one in sentence 2 is used properly; text introducing speech is normally set off by a comma.