When you're writing stories where people are speaking, do you often find yourself using the word 'said' all the time?

"Are you going home?" said John.
"Yes" said Sarah.
"I'll see you later then" said John.
"OK" said Sarah.

See what I mean? It can get a bit boring, and doesn't really describe how people actually say things. When we speak, we ask questions, tell people what to do, shout, whisper and many more things. When you are writing stories with speech, you should try to replace the word 'said' with words that describe how the speech is said.

For example, if a character asks a question try:

"How?" asked John.

If a character is angry try:

"Just shut up!" screamed Sarah.

You can make your writing even better by adding words that describe speech even more accurately.

For example, if John was really interested to know the answer to a question, you could write:

"How?" John asked curiously.

"Just shut up!" Sarah screamed desperately.

It's easy - all you need to do is remember some alternative words to 'said' and use your imagination!

Here are some ideas to get you started. Simply click the 'STOP' button to see a suggestion, and 'GO' to restart. The machine works randomly, so some of the suggestions will be useful while others will just be funny. We hope you enjoy them!

If you don't understand some of the words, or want to find extra words to use, try using the GridClub Dictionary and Thesaurus in the Look It Up section.

Words to use instead of 'Said'.

Adverbs to use after 'Said'.