“Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.”
From a memo advertising man David Ogilvy sent to employees at his agency in 1982, titled: “How to Write”.
Earlier I wrote that most of the time you should use said when reporting someone’s words. Said is the best verb of attribution.
Said is a wise choice of word for journalists. It is neutral and judgement free. This makes it a safe and accurate choice.
A simple word like said is readily understood and unambiguous — that’s always a sign of good writing.
You might choose something else if you’re writing poetry, literature or fiction. Yet for everyday writing use the simplest option. Your readers will thank you.
Don’t let anyone tell you that sticking with said makes your writing boring. Nor should you listen to those who tell you the word is overused.
It is less boring than sitting through a defamation action because someone misinterpreted an alternative word.
It is less boring than expecting your reader to look up the meaning of an alternative word.
Readers can misunderstand almost every alternative to said.
The term ‘verb of attribution’ is correct. Yet, outside of academic discussions about language, it is not the best phrase to use in your writing.
‘Verb of attribution’ is the kind of formal, technical language that puts readers off, even when they know what it means.
Remember when list posts were all the rage?
There’s nothing wrong with writing lists – especially when publishing online – so long as you don’t overdo it.
When the list items are short, you can use bullet points. Or, if the order is important, choose numbered bullets.
Both options make text easy to scan and read quickly.
Another, more elegant, approach is to write out your list using a variation on the following theme:
First, something happened. Second, something else. Next, we used a little elegant variation to make things more interesting. Then, we did this. Last, we finished up.
Ideally a list written this way should have only a few points. Keep it to four or five at most. Six is pushing it. Seven is far too many.
When writing numbers this way you should spell out the words from first to ninth1 then write 10th, 15th, hundredth. You should never get as far as ninth.
Some people use firstly, secondly, thirdly and so on. While strictly speaking both approaches are grammatically correct, adding -ly is old-fashioned and unnecessarily fussy.
What’s more, you’ll end up looking silly if you want to deal with lots of items and reach eleventhly or even millionthly.
So, stick with the simpler format.
or perhaps tenth. This depends on your taste or if you have one, your house style guide, but remember to stay consistent. ↩︎
When reporting someone’s words, it’s best to use said in most cases.
Newspaper and other style guides disagree over whether to use past tense (said) or present tense (says).
It doesn’t matter which. Pick one and stick with it. At times you may need to write someone says this now, but said something different in the past.
While you can use said even with written words - if you are quoting what someone wrote in a mail or in tweet - it is better to make it clear the person wasn’t talking at the time.
Alternative verbs are mainly pompous or value-laden. I once worked with a journalist who sprinkled his copy with words like averred or commented because he thought said was too dull.
Neither word adds useful information. The pompous language may frighten off some readers. To me it read like something from Edwardian times.
##Not using said sows seeds of doubt
Your readers may interpret any alternative to said as suggesting the speaker is lying, misinformed or doesn’t know what they are talking about. Think of claimed or according to.
It is perfectly OK to used claimed or according to when you want readers to understand there may be some doubt.
One alternative I allow myself is the verb ask. This only works when someone is clearly asking a question.
##How about when writing fiction?
Fiction writer Elemore Leonard has another perspective on this. In his excellent Ten rules of writing he said:
Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with “she asseverated,” and had to stop reading to get the dictionary.
Leonard wrote fast-paced fiction with terrific dialogue, if sticking with the one word was good enough for him, it is good enough for the rest of us.
Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed I wrote: Elmore Leonard said not says. The writer died in 2013, that’s definitely past-tense.
I’m a journalist.
Writing for newspapers and magazines has been my main job for almost 40 years.
For most of the past decade, I’ve worked seven days a week, 50 weeks of the year. Earlier in my life I had regular jobs which had paid holiday and I didn’t always need to work through the weekend. But still long hours.
I estimate that over the long haul I’ve written an average of 5,000 words a week. That’s around 250,000 a year. Over 40 years it adds up to 10 million words give or take.