Sometimes fiction
writers need accentuation or verbalization in the line of dialogue to convey
the way the words are expressed and repeating "he said, she said," in
dialogue tags don't quite do the job. There are abundant words to use instead, and
you would surprise how much more professional your work will look if you use
them appropriately. If you are struggling to find that elusive and perfect
substitute, here’s a list of words (categorized by emotion) that might help.
Excitement
Babbled, beamed,
blurted, broadcasted, burst, cheered, chortled, chuckled, cried out, crooned,
crowed, declared, emitted, exclaimed, giggled, hollered, howled, interjected,
jabbered, laughed, praised, preached, presented, proclaimed, professed,
promulgated, quaked, ranted, rejoiced, roared, screamed, shouted, shrieked,
swore, thundered, trilled, trumpeted, vociferated, wailed, yawped, yelled,
yelped, yowled.
Uncertainty
Asked, doubted,
faltered, fretted, guessed, hesitated, hypothesized, inquired, lilted,
quavered, queried, questioned, shrugged, speculated, stammered, stuttered, supposed,
trailed off, wondered.
Generosity
Comforted,
consoled, empathized, invited, offered, proffered, released, volunteered.
Sadness
Agonized, bawled,
blubbered, grieved, groaned, lamented, mewled, mourned, sobbed, wept.
Contemplation
Contemplated,
mused, pondered.
Desire
Attracted,
requested, wanted.
Persuasion
Advised, alleged,
appealed, asserted, assured, avowed, beckoned, begged, beseeched, cajoled,
claimed, conceded, concluded, concurred, contended, defended, disposed,
encouraged, entreated, held, hinted, implied, implored, importuned, inclined,
indicated, insisted, pleaded, postulated, premised, presupposed, protested,
stressed, suggested, touted, urged, vouched for, wheedled.
Storytelling
Announced,
answered, began, called, commented, continued, denoted, disclosed, divulged,
explained, imparted, noted, observed, proposed, rejoined, replied, revealed,
shared, solicited, sought, testified, transferred, transmitted, went on.
Provocation
Exposed, imitated,
joked, leered, lied, mimicked, mocked, provoked.
Anger
Accused, barked,
bellowed, bossed, carped, censured, condemned, criticized, demanded, fumed,
gawped, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed ordered, raged, remonstrated,
reprimanded, retorted, scoffed, scolded, seethed, snapped, snarled, ticked off,
told off, upbraided.
Conviction
Addressed,
advertised, articulated, bragged, commanded, confided, decided, dictated,
ended, exacted, finished, informed, made known, maintained, necessitated,
pointed out, promised, reassured, remarked, repeated, reported, specified,
stated, told.
Fear
Cautioned,
shuddered, trembled, warned.
Acceptance
Accepted,
acknowledged, admitted, affirmed, agreed, assumed, conferred, confessed,
confirmed, justified, settled, understood, undertook, verified.
Words That Indicate Sound
Breathed, choked,
croaked, drawled, echoed, grunted, keened, moaned, mumbled, murmured, panted,
sang, sniffled, sniveled, snorted, spluttered, squeaked, uttered, voiced,
whimpered, whined, whispered.
