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Overused Word: Said
Getting Started
Did Someone Say “Synonyms”?
Some grammar experts list said among the 50 most
commonly used words in the English language. Yet, though it
can be a useful word, it gives no information as to the tone
of the speakers within a conversation. In these exercises,
students will experiment with synonyms for said to see how
they can help bring a dialogue to life.
As students should have noticed by now, some of the
substitutes for “said” have somewhat different meanings.
All indicate that the words are spoken aloud. But the word
used determines more specifically how it is enunciated.
With this in mind, have students complete page 24 on their
own. It lists some of these options—but offers students a
chance to suggest synonyms for them.
“There is too much talking in this room,”
___________________ the teacher.
Review with children the way that dialogue like this should
be punctuated. Then ask students to suggest synonyms for
said that might fit well within the blank. For each suggestion
they make, invite a student volunteer to “act out” how the
sentence would sound if spoken this way. (For example,
having the statement “whispered,” “claimed,” “stammered,”
and “screamed” would all obviously sound quite different!)
Make sure students understand how much more specific the
tone of the dialogue becomes by replacing the verb said
with one of these other possibilities. When they have the
idea, distribute a copy of the mini-chart on page 21 to each
student. It suggests additional synonyms for students to use
as they complete the following activities.
Say It Isn’t So . . .
Ask students if they have ever gotten into trouble because
an adult told them that he or she didn’t like the student’s
tone of voice. Tell students that in this activity they are going
to have a chance to change the meaning of a dialogue, simply
by changing the tags—the words like “he said” or “she said”
that clarify who is speaking. With this in mind, distribute page
23, and have students complete it on their own. (Remind
students that the chart suggests additional alternatives for
said to help them. Students should not, however, limit
themselves to these options.)
22
Dialogue Charades
After going over page 24 as a group, direct students to cut
out the synonyms on the worksheet. Then collect them. (As
an alternative, distribute an index card to each student, and
have each student place any random alternative for said on it.)
Place these words in a bag, and then write a simple declarative
sentence on the chalkboard, such as “Every day I walk to
school.” Have students take turns pulling out a card from the
bag. Then, without showing anyone else what it says, have the
student read the statement on the board in the tone suggested
by the card he or she selected. The goal is for classmates to
see whether they can determine which synonym for said the
student used as he or she spoke the sentence.
He Said, She Said
There are times, tell students, when tags such as “he said”
and “she said” are not needed at all in a dialogue. This is
when it is clear, simply by what the speakers are saying, who
is speaking and when. To give students an example of how
this works, read them an excerpt from a book such as Who
Was That Masked Man, Anyway? by Avi. Then challenge
them to create their own fictional dialogue between two or
more people without relying on any tags at all. The goal will
be to have it clear—simply by the things they say—what the
characters’ basic personalities are, and who is speaking when.
Answers: Answers will vary. Possible answers to page 23 that
would result in very different conversational tones include:
snarled/queried; grumbled/ responded; demanded/asked;
asserted/insisted; cried/pleaded; muttered/ answered.
Possible synonyms for page 24: 1. murmured; 2. yelled;
3. mumbled; 4. begged; 5. snapped; 6. asserted; 7. stuttered;
8. sobbed; 9. growled; 10. whimpered.
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Write a sentence like this one on your chalkboard:
Name _______________________________________________ Date _____________________________
Say What?!
Shown below are two copies of the same dialogue. Change the way it sounds by placing different
synonyms for said within the blanks each time. Then compare your versions with the ones your
classmates came up with.
Here are some
replacements for
said you might want
to choose from:
DEMANDED
SCREAMED
MUTTERED
Dialogue #1
“Excuse me, can I help you?” ________________ Alex.
“No, I don’t think so,” ________________ Casey.
“What did you say?” ________________ Alex.
“You heard me,” ________________ Casey.
ASSERTED
STAMMERED
INSISTED
MUMBLED
“No, I really didn’t. Please say it again,” Alex _______________.
“No, never mind. It doesn’t matter, anyway,”
Casey ________________.
STATED
EXCLAIMED
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CRIED
WHISPERED
SNARLED
ROARED
Dialogue #2
“Excuse me, can I help you?” ________________ Alex.
“No, I don’t think so,” ________________ Casey.
“What did you say?” ________________ Alex.
QUERIED
RESPONDED
“You heard me,” ________________ Casey.
REQUESTED
“No, I really didn’t. Please say it again,” Alex _______________.
PLEADED
AGREED
“No, never mind. It doesn’t matter, anyway,”
Casey ________________.
23
Name _______________________________________________ Date _____________________________
You Said It!
Listed below are some words describing how something might be spoken. Next to each, write another
word that is similar in meaning. (If you like, use a thesaurus to help you.)
shouted
muttered
pleaded
retorted
24
2.
3.
4.
5.
declared
stammered
cried
barked
whined
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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whispered
1.