All the words

[alexisjane]

So, the epic second (third?) draft of the BB begins, and in an effort to break away from the  "He said. He said" thing, I'm making myself a crib sheet (or twelve) of words to use instead of, or in addition to 'said', so it reads a bit better.

I've taken suggestions from about five different sources and have amalamated them into a giant, vaguely alphabetical list. I'm going to try to wrangle it into something more usable at some point but I thought I'd leave it here just in case anyone else might find it useful.

If you spot any duplicates or omissions, do please let me know.

Gonna try and get some actual work done now : )

Miss your faces ♥

abruptly   
absently   
accepted   
accused   
acidly   
acknowledged
added
addressed
admitted
advertised   
advised
affirm   
affirmed
after a moments reflection  
agonized   
agreed
alleged   
appealed   
angrily   
announced
apologetically
approvingly
answered
apologized
apply for   
arranged   
articulated   
approved
argued
artfully
asked
asserted
asseverate   
assumed   
assured
attract   
aver   
avow  
avowed
babbled
badgered
barked
bawl   
bawled
beamed  
beckoned   
began
begged
bellowed
beseeched  
blubbered   
blurted   
bet
bickered
bleated
blurted
boasted
boomed                     
bossed   
bragged
breathed
broadcast  
broke in
bubbled
bugged
burst out
cackled
cajole   
called
calmly   
carped   
caustically   
cheerfully
commented lightly
complacently
concurred thoughtfully
crossly
cautioned
censured   
chatted
chattered
cheered                
chided
chimed in
chirped
chittered
choked
chortled
circulate   
chorused
chuckled
claim   
claimed
clarified
clucked
coaxed                     
comforted   
conceded   
concurred
condemned  
confer   
commanded
commented
complained
concluded
confessed
confided   
confirm   
consoled  
contend    
confided
confirmed
congratulated
continued
convinced
cooed
corrected
coughed
countered
crave   
cried
cried out  
criticized
croaked
crooned   
crowed
cursed
dared
decided
declared
defend   
denote  
demanded
demurred
denied
described
dictated  
disclosed  
disposed   
disseminate   
distribute   
drawled
didn’t question his judgement
disagreed
disclosed
divulged
doubted
objected                   
drawled
dribbled
dryly
echoed
emitted   
empathized
encourage
entreated   
encouraged
ended
exact   
exasperated
exclaimed
exposed  
explained
explode
expression denoting disapproval
false cheerfulness   
faltered   
finished
fretted
friendly fashion
fumed  
gasped
gawked
gawped   
gently   
get out   
gibed
giggled
given   
gloated
glowered 
grieved   
grated   
greeted
grimaced
grinned   
groan   
groaned
growled
gruffly
grumbled
grunted
guessed
gulped
gurgled
gushed
handed on   
happily   
held   
hesitated   
hinted
hissed
hollered
hotly
howled
huffed
hummed
hypothesized
imitated
impart   
impatiently   
implied
implored  
importune   
inclined   
in a casual tone   
in a chiding tone   
in a courteous manner
in a curious tone   
in a dry tone  
in a flirtatious way   
in a level tone
in a level way  
in a non committal way  
in a perpetually tired voice
in a quiet way   
in a rasping tone   
in a small panicky voice
in a soothing tone   
in an attempt to…   
in quiet amazement
indulgently   
indicate   
informed
informed in an easy tone
innocently   
inquired
inquired doubtfully
invited   
insisted
interjected
interrupted
intoned
irritably
jabbered   
jeered
jested
jibed
joked
justified  
keened  
lamented
laughed
lectured
leered   
lied
lilted  
lisped
loftily   
loudly
made the effort to sound reassuring
maintained
make known  
make public   
marked   
marveled
meaning the words more seriously than they sounded  
mentally shrugged
mentioned
mewled
moaned   
mimicked
moaned
mocked
motioned
mourned
mumbled
murmured
mused
muttered
nagged
naturally   
necessitated 
needed   
nodded
nodded agreeably
not wanting to sound pushy
noted
notified
objected
observed
offered  
offhandedly
optimistically
opined
ordered
panted
passed on   
pleaded   
postulated   
preached   
premised  
presented
presupposed
proclaimed   
prodded   
professed   
proffered
promulgated
publicized   
published   
perplexed
pestered
piped
pleaded
pleasantly   
pled
pointed out
politely   
probed
pondered
praised
prayed
proclaimed
promised
promised in a motherly/fatherly way
prompted gently
promptly 
proposed
protested
provoked
puled   
purred
put forth   
put in
put out  
puzzled
quaked   
quavered
queried
questioned
quietly
quipped
quivered   
quizzed
quoted
raged
ranted
reasoned
reassured
recalled
reckoned
reckoned that
rejoiced   
rejoined   
released    
remonstrated
repeated   
recounted
reflectively   
reiterated
related
remarked
remembered
reminded
repeated
replied
reprimanded
required  
requisition
reported
requested
resounded
responded
retaliated
retorted
revealed
roared
roughly
sadly   
said   
said sympathetically   
sang
sassed
scoffed
scolded
screamed
seethed   
sent on   
settled   
shared   
she went on   
shed tears
shot
shouted
shrieked
shrugged   
shuddered   
snarled   
shrilled
sighed
simpered
sincerely   
slurred
smiled
smiled faintly  
smugly   
smirked
snapped
snarled
sneered
sneezed
snickered
sniffled
snivelled   
snorted
sobbed
soberly   
softly   
solicited   
sought   
sounded slightly brittle   
sparingly   
spat
specified
speculated   
spluttered
spoke
spread
sputtered
squeaked
squealed
stammered
started
stated
sternly   
stormed
stressed
supposed   
stuttered
suggested
surmised
swore  
tartly   
taunted
tautly   
teased
teased softly  
tempted
tested
testified   
thundered  
ticked off   
thanked
theorized
threatened
tightly   
told
told off   
tore a strip off   
touted   
trailed off   
transferred
transmitted   
trembled  
trumpeted  
trilled
truthfully
uncertainly
unexpectedly
urgently
understood   
undertook   
upbraided
urged
uttered
vaguely  
verified 
vociferated   
voiced 
voice soft with affection
volunteered
vouched for
vouchsafe  
vowed
wailed   
wanted   
warned
went on
went on loyally   
wept
wheedle
wheezed
whimpered
whined
whispered
wilfully misunderstood   
with a controlled smile   
with a fond smile
with a gloomy sigh   
with a note of relief   
with a sad grimace
with a sad smile   
with a sense of guilt   
with a sigh of irritation  
with burgeoning excitement   
with conviction   
with determination
with fire   
with firm persistence   
with gentle remonstrance   
with gentle teasing   
with graceful simplicity   
with mock astonishment   
with pleasure   
with quiet empathy
with simple directness 
without sounding unduly curious
wondered
worried
wryly
yakked
yelped  
yowled
yawned
yawped   
yelled

Comments

[junkerin.livejournal.com]

Cool but so far I´m with my BB but I´ll print it out to use the next time :-)

Thank you! Great work since English isn´t my native language I´m allways in need for a substitute.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

This is gonna come in really handy, thanks honey! Oh, MISS YOU! <3 xx

[fufaraw]

Those are all really nifty, and I use a lot of them. But I'm also fond of attribution by action. Or stretches of dialog without attribution, as long as you can keep track of who's speaking.

"I'm serious." Dean reached for the coil of rope, and Sam shrugged.

"Sure, I get it."

"Do you? Do you, really?"

Sam picked up the duffel and shoved in the handful of implements piled on the table. "I said sure, Dean."

It helps break up the adverbial attribution, and you can use body posture, facial expression, gesture, or movement, etc. as clues to mood or emotion, rather than 'he said, petulantly'. But that's me. Whatever works for you.

[masja-17.livejournal.com]

Wow! So many words for 'said'. I'd guess talking are important to humanity?

*no, not gonna count them*

<3

[skeletncloset.livejournal.com]

Stephen King said that "said" works. Using other verbs sometimes sounds pretentious and there is no real use for he said, she said when the dialogue is between two. Simpler the better. I tend to agree. Sometimes the choice of words and punctuation say everything the reader needs to know about a character's delivery.

[skeletncloset.livejournal.com]

The word "vociferated" makes me cringe.