Book words to use instead of said in dialogue

Before we get to the full list of 350 verbs to replace said, here is a quick concise. Plus key tips on how to use these words to create masterful dialogue. Now hear this 3 mistakes youre making with emphasis in. Jan 16, 2020 its common to use the verb say over and over again when writing dialogue. An even better way to use attributions in dialogue is to use a beat of action instead, like this. Words never to use in dialog tags how to use these 50 words correctly in dialog. Perhaps in a novel or short story, selecting other words for said can help you. Do have some more gravy, bob, said darla, spooning it out herself. Adjectives, adverbs, and nouns should used with said, rather than instead of said, because they are descriptive words. If you have an action or introspection that follows the dialogue, you dont need to use saidasked. If the dialogue would normally end with a comma, you will almost certainly be following the dialogue with a tag e. When it comes to writing dialogue in your book, you have to keep it briefer and more poignant than in real life. In most cases, the word said will do just fine dont try to come up with lots of fancy synonyms. Names in dialogue always use a comma before andor after the name when addressing someone directly in dialogue even if the name isnt a proper name.

How to use said correctly in a story, what to use instead of it, and other ways to convey how a word or line of dialogue was said. New writers commonly use these words instead of said by mistake. Alternatives to he said in dialogue writing stack exchange. Explore the traits of writing conventions and word choice. Said can often be the right to use when writing dialogue, but there. How to use dialogue tags like a pro novel writing help. Instead of using the tags functionally to let us know who is speaking which line, and nothing more, the writer has. Using other words instead of ask will spice up your dialogue. When writing dialogue in a story, the conversation is only half the. To better describe the feelings behind the reported speech and other statements in narrative writing, its important to use vocal verbs and adverbs.

Yes, most of the time you can just use he said and she said to indicate dialogue but sometimes you need some other words for said to help you make a stronger statement. She points to a seated area of white leather chairs. Here is an example where the word said works just fine. Do you really need to use he said and she said after every bit of dialogue. The 242 words are arranged into a variety of lists to. Resist the urge to use queried instead of asked, or exclaimed instead of said. Dialogue adventures lesson plan is suitable for 4th 6th grade. When you incorporate quotes or dialogue that make an argument, use these synonyms for said in your attributions.

To print the list above click the button below to download the pdf file. Synonyms of said can often do a much better job when you are writing a feature article or story especially something with a lot of dialogues and. A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film. Facebook book writing tips, writing words, words to use. Nov 20, 2018 in 95% of circumstances, i think said is the only acceptable dialogue tag this is my very personal opinion as both a reader and a writer.

Said is an invisible word that doesnt get in the way of good dialogue, whereas screeched, shrilled, and so on simply call attention to the writers inability to elicit emotion inside the quotes. A dialogue about using dialogue tags other than said. Nov 06, 2018 its a smattering of boring conversation segued by repetitive use of dialogue tags. If the dialogue ends a sentence, that is it does not flow into a tag, and the dialogue would naturally end with a period, the period is again retained. Then make it clear from the dialogue itself, or from the characters actions as he or she speaks, precisely how the words are being spoken. Use physical gesture and motion instead of said other ways to say she said avoid dialogue tags entirely. It is the silent butler of dialogue discreetly serving us the voices of our characters. Find 30 ways to say dialogue, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at, the worlds most trusted free thesaurus. Dec 08, 2010 when dialogue trails offthe character has lost his train of thought or doesnt know what to say use the ellipsis. When writing dialogue in a story, the conversation is only half the battle. Im not saying that its wrong to use any other dialogue tag besides said, but recently ive been noticing that there are certain dialogue tags that, for some reason, are jarring.

A lot of fresh writers make the mistake of remembering what our third grade teachers taught us. But these days, using other words instead of said is one of the key signifiers of purple prose. And adding action after each sentence adds way too much verbiage. Weve all read oldtimey books and seen characters exclaiming and ejaculating nonstop. Too many can make your dialogue start to feel like a compendium of emotive speechverbs. If youre writing dialogue or a personal narrative, it helps to know these awesome words to. Well written dialogue should never rely on tags such as the ones below, but should convey its own attitude.

Be careful not to treat the word said as a word to be avoided. Apr 17, 2020 since, these are not all of the words to watch for, you should be mindful of not using actions instead of said in speech tags. I hate using it, yet use of any thing else is discouraged. Join now novels 4week course, how to write dialogue, for detailed guidance on formatting, creating subtext and context, and more. Of course, you can replace any of these with more vivid, specific phrases she said. This is one case where repetition really doesnt matter. A discussion between two or more people or groups, especially one directed towards exploration of a particular subject or resolution of a problem. There is nothing wrong with using the word said in written dialogue. The word said is one of the most useful words in the language. Its about knowing the rules before you breakbend them. What your choice of dialogue tags says about you jane friedman. Not only is he said she said repetitive, but its also not very descriptive. I lied, charles thought, but maybe she will forgive me.

Your fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will create a class list of multiple synonyms for the word said, and then examine punctuation used when writing dialogue. If it did, each book would be exceptionally longer, due in part to the fact that humans often say a lot of pointless things. Despite there being many other words for said, remember. Note that some of these represent animal sounds growl, hiss, roar.

Jun 12, 2011 my story contains a lot of dialogue, i dont have a problem writing it. We are using the rules for standard american english. Here are some examples of the most common way to attribute dialogue to a certain character using he said or she said. Maple covered her lips with her index finger until she had the attention of the entire class. Other than using asked when the speaker is asking a question and replied, responded, or answered when the speaker is answering a question, its usually better to use said in a dialogue tag. For something more elegant, you can replace the attributions with actions. Were going to kick off our list by giving you a lot of other words for said by emotion, starting with synonyms for said that convey a happy, joyful, or positive tone. There is also a fulltext listing with words for said categorized by emotion or association. Apr 04, 2018 there are abundant words to use instead, yet purists believe youre probably best not using them, since readers pay such little attention to said it effectively becomes invisible. Mar 28, 2019 an exception to choosing descriptive synonyms is for the word said in dialogue tags he said, she said. For example, while said is always going to accurately describe a piece of dialogue or a quote from an outside source, there are words to use instead of said that can reveal the intention behind dialogue or the information conveyed in a quote. Mar 15, 2011 if your character has just explained something in dialogue, the reader knows it and doesnt need a she explained tag. Using alternate words instead of ask gives you the opportunity to add emotion to your dialogue. Jan 14, 2021 when writing dialogue in a story, the conversation is only half the battle.

There is some controversy among writers about using other words beside said and ask. Let your dialogue do the talking bookbaby blog book. Said is dead word wall with words to use instead of said. Adjectives, adverbs, and nouns should used with said, rather than instead of said, because. The above words remind us that tags that indicate volume and tone are typically reserved for extremes. You may also use italics without quotation marks for direct internal dialogue. How to avoid repetitive words and phrases in fiction writing. Jun 23, 2015 they think words like asked or said are boring or repetitive, so they try to use more interesting alternatives. To view the alphabetized list of examples of words to use instead of said, touch the button below to go the examples page. But can anyone give me a list of other things i can put to make it more realistic and unrepetitive.

More than 3 or 4 people in a conversation can be difficult, one on one is much easier to follow for the reader and easier to write. But punctuating your dialog correctly is essential if you want your story to. Jan 06, 2020 in the everyday speech of most people, we really only use a couple of dialogue tags when discussing direct discourse. Synonyms for dialogue include communication, conversation, discourse, interchange, talk, argument, colloquy, confabulation, chat and converse. Below are 272 alternatives for said that, used sparingly, can help your characters jump off the page. Theyre the salt and spice in dialogue, not the whole meal. Vocal verbs and adverbs help provide motivation behind statements, questions, and replies and convey important information to readers. Writers use dialogue tags to describe the context around the words in quotation. Be sure to refresh the page by pressing both the ctrl key and the f5 key to ensure you are seeing the latest version looking for a specific word. What your choice of dialogue tags says about you jane. Using a oneword reporting verb is a much better alternative than adding an adverb to a dialogue tag. You may draw attention to the character who has said a line by immediately following speech with that characters actions.

A good practice to follow is that when its understandable who is speaking the line of dialogue, you can remove the verb completely. Never use a verb other than said to carry dialogue vs dont use. Press the ctrl key and the f key to open up a search box for instructions on how to properly use the words below, click the instructions button below. Below are 272 alternatives for said that, used sparingly, can help your characters. Instead of writing he said loudly, either change the verb to one that means saying loudly, such as shouted, or attribute the loudness in the dialogue beat. You dont need to go out of your way using the word expostualted when you literally can just simply use the word said. Sarah said, ms webb said, and my amazing teacher said all on the same page. If you must use something different for the occasional question, you could throw in asked for variety, but not too often. Apr 06, 2021 the infographic at the end of this article gives you a full list of 350 words you can use in place of said.

But i feel like im repeating myself constantly with saying, she said, he said, mary said, joseph said. This dialogue thesaurus packet is a compilation of words writers use instead of said. A very important part of writing dialogue is coming up with the right. To say that laughed is an appropriate synonym is simply false. The phrase asked katie is the dialogue tag in the sentence. Depending on where the dialogue tags are, you use different punctuation and capitalization.

It doesnt matter whether youre writing a novel, a short story. Notice that quotation marks and other punctuation are used as if the character had spoken aloud. Use of said is probably the main thing that makes me feel like a bad writer. He said, she said mechanics of dialogue creative writing. The infographic at the end of this article gives you a full list of 350 words you can use in place of said. They were wrong, but i think its wrong to say using chunky words as dialogue tags is bad, too. The other half has to do with the tone, volume, and context of peoples words. You have other options like not using a dialogue tag at all, or showing whos talking by action outside dialogue. Sometimes writers are tempted to use nonspeech verbs in speech tags. These follow the guidance of the 7 steps to a language rich interactive clas.