Powerful Verbs (conversation)
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In this session we are going to look at ways of making our writing more powerful, vivid and interesting.
We are going to look at how people say things in conversation and try to replace the word said with an alternative verb.
Here are some examples of the word said:
"Don't go in there!" he said loudly.
"Don't go in there," she said quietly .
" Wait for me," he said hurriedly.
Do you notice that we are having to say HOW something was
said? We are adding an adverb (a word that gives more information about a verb) each time.
There is a more powerful and shorter way of doing this.
I have replaced the word said with a more appropriate verb:
"Don't go in there!" he screamed.
"Don't go in there," she whispered .
"Wait for me!" he shouted.
Do you think this is better?
I don't have to keep saying how something was said. The words: screamed, whispered and shouted also give the reader an idea of how the person speaking is feeling.
There are many powerful ways to replace the word said.
Here are some of them.
| yelled | shouted | growled | bellowed | exclaimed |
| roared | grumbled | stammered | sobbed | whimpered |
| cried | pleaded | whispered | mumbled | interrupted |
| retorted | continued | explained | squealed | laughed |
| replied | warned | objected | asked | answered |
There are many more you could use.
Try the following table and see how you do. I have put in how the speaker is feeling when they speak.
I have done the first one for you.
| Speech | Speaker is feeling | Alternative to said |
| "My leg hurts," she ____ | pain, upset | cried, sobbed, whimpered |
| " I found it on the field. Don't tell anyone," he ____ | secretive | |
| "It's mine I found it. Give it back," he ____ | upset | |
| "It's mine I found it! Give it back
now," he ____ |
very annoyed | |
| "Keep off the grass!" she____ | angry | |
| "I don't know how to open it?" she ____ | unsure | |
| "It's easy you just turn the key" he ____ | helpful |
Here are the answers. You could have chosen any of those listed.
You may have a better alternative. Be sure to look at any punctuation to help decide which one to use
| Speech | Speaker is feeling | Alternative to said |
| "My leg hurts," she ____ | pain, upset | cried, sobbed, whimpered |
| " I found it on the field. Don't tell anyone," he ____ | secretive | whispered |
| "It's mine I found it. Give it back," he ____ | upset | pleaded, sobbed, cried |
| "It's mine I found it! Give it back
now," he ____ |
very annoyed | yelled, roared, screamed |
| "Keep off the grass!" she____ | angry | yelled, shouted, roared, bellowed, growled |
| " I don't know how to open it?" she ____ | unsure | asked, muttered |
| "It's easy you just turn the key" he ____ | helpful | explained, replied, answered, retorted |
I hope that you now have a good idea of how to use powerful alternatives to the word said in your writing.
I have put the list of words on a page that you can print out and keep in your book to help you.
Come back again when we look at using more powerful verbs in other areas of your writing.
Good luck!
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Note, if you are a
teacher and you want more FREE English resources you can visit |