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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33449
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33449
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

How many ways are there to say "Oooooooo!" Only one that I can think of. Therefore the only dialog tag you need is "said".

The only reason to use a dialogue tag other than "said" is if the intonation of the dialogue is not clear either from the words themselves or from the context in which they are uttered. (If there is more than one way to say "Oooooooo!" then I have to think it should be clear from the context in which it is uttered, in which case, again, the only dialogue tag you need is "said".)

Now, if the intonation is counter to what the context suggests, then there is grounds for using an alternate dialogue tag.

> "Yippee," he grumbled.

But by and large you should focus on making the intonation apparent from the context in which it is uttered. If it is clear from the context, it is superfluous and distracting to doubled down on the effect with a descriptive dialogue tag.

In fact, I think it would be a pretty good rule of thumb, covering at least 99% of all cases, to say that if you feel the need of a dialogue tag other than said, it is an indication that you need to rework the dialogue or the setting in which it occurs so that the intonation is apparent without any additional signaling.

**Edit to address Pierre Arlaud's question:** But why stick with "said" rather than throw in a variety of dialogue tags? Some words are purely structural. They exist simply to establish grammatical relationships and the reader does not read anything else into them.

> "Hello" said John.

Is equivalent to:

> John: Hello

But when you add another dialogue tag, you are adding information.

> "Hello" squealed John.

What you don't want to do in writing is repeat something that is already in evidence. This produces writing that calls attention to itself rather than letting the writer see through it to the scene being described. You only want to add information to a scene if doing so adds to or refines what has already been said.

Most of the time, alternate dialogue tags don't add to or refine what has been said because the character's inflection is already obvious from the words or the context in which it is spoken.

So, while it is occasionally necessary to supply an alternate dialogue tag to supply inflection information that is otherwise not obvious from the words or context, you should only do so where this is the case and where there is no clean way to make the inflection obvious from the words or context.

Original score: 23