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Last updated on Dec 02, 2021

270+ Other Words For "Said" To Supercharge Your Writing

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About Martin Cavannagh

Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.

If you've read our previous post on writing dialogue , you'll know that you shouldn't be afraid to default to he said , she said , or they said  when you're tagging your dialogue. After all, it's probably the clearest, least distracting way to indicate who's saying what. That being said, it can be useful to deploy a specific and powerful dialogue tag every now and again. 

Which dialogue tag are YOU?

Find out in just a minute.

To help you find that perfect synonym to inject action and emotion into your dialogue, here are over 270 other words for said:

Neutral/multi-purpose words

Happy/excited words 

Sad/upset words 

Angry words 

Annoyed words

Frightened/pained words

Prideful words

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Words to express uncertainty

Words that make fun

Words that ask a question

Words that give an answer

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For this infographic, we've narrowed down the 270 most essential dialogue words for you to know! Simply enter your email below to get it in your inbox within minutes.

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Upgrade your dialogue with our list of 270 alternatives to “said.”

To see how master writers assemble their dialogue, head over to our final post in this series for some choice examples of dialogue.

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Synonyms of speech

• as in language
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Thesaurus Definition of speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• presentation
• declamation
• keynote speech
• keynote address
• mother tongue
• terminology
• colloquialism
• regionalism
• vernacularism
• provincialism

Examples of speech in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Phrases Containing speech

• figure of speech

Thesaurus Entries Near speech

Cite this entry.

“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on speech

Nglish: Translation of speech for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of speech for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speech

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15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.

The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!

Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).

To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.

After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!

Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…

Note: Want to take your communications skills to the next level? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert communication coaches. We’ll look under the hood of your hurdles and pick two to three growth opportunities so you can speak with impact!

1. Ric Elias

Opening: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”

How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.

It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.

When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.

When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.

Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.

2. Barack Obama

Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)

How to use humour to open your speech?

When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.

And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.

Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.

Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).

If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.

Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:

• Know your audience: Make sure your audience gets the context of the joke (if it’s an inside joke among the members you’re speaking to, that’s even better!). You can read this article we wrote where we give you tips on how you can actually get to know your audience better to ensure maximum impact with your speech openings
• The joke should suit your natural personality. Don’t make it look forced or it won’t elicit the desired response
• Test the opening out on a few people who match your real audience. Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary
• Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you

4. Mohammed Qahtani

Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”

5. Darren Tay

Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.

How to use props to begin your speech?

The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.

It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.

The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!

What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.

By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.

6. Simon Sinek

Opening: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”

7. Julian Treasure

Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

How to use questions to open a speech?

I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.

But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.

I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”

No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.

Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.

What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.

So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:

• Set the theme for the remainder of your speech
• Not be something that is fairly obvious
• Be compelling enough so that the audience will actually want to know what the answer to that question will be

8. Aaron Beverley

Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

How to use silence for speech openings?

The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.

But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.

When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?

It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage. 

If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:

9. Dan Pink

Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. Little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”

10. Kelly McGonigal

Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”

How to use a build-up to open your speech?

When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.

That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.

Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.

But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.

11. Tim Urban

Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”

12. Scott Dinsmore

Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

How to use storytelling as a speech opening?

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs

Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.

Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.

As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”

Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.

Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”

I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.

13. Larry Smith

Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”

14. Jane McGonigal

Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

How to use provocative statements to start your speech?

Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.

Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.

This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.

That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.

Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.

Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!

15. Ramona J Smith

Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”

How to use your full body to grip the audience at the beginning of your speech?

In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.

Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.

Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.

The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.

While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.

So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.

If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.

It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.

Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage

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Final Words

So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!

But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.

If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking. 

Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking. 

No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!

Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:

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10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

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2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

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About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

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Words to use instead of SAID

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Dialogue words: Other words for ‘said’ (and what to avoid)

Writing effective, compelling dialogue has multiple elements. It’s not only what characters say but how they say it that matters. Read other words for said as well as tips for keeping your dialogue natural and engrossing:

• Post author By Jordan
• 438 Comments on Dialogue words: Other words for ‘said’ (and what to avoid)

What is a ‘dialogue tag’ (or speech tag)?

Tags (like name tags) identify.

In written conversation or a piece of dialogue, a tag is a group of words following quoted speech (e.g. ‘she said’). It identifies who spoke and/or the tone or emotion behind their speech. Words for ‘said’ may show or suggest:

• Volume (e.g. yelled, shouted, bellowed, screamed, whispered)
• Tone or pitch (e.g. shrieked, groaned, squeaked)
• Emotion (e.g. grumbled, snapped, sneered, begged)
• Intent (e.g. suggested, asked, demanded)

The connotations of dialogue tags are important. It would be strange, for example, for a character to ‘sneer’ the words ‘I love you’, since the word ‘sneer’ connotes contempt rather than affection. Unless their words ran counter to how they truly felt. Even then, this would maybe need additional, clarifying narration.

Given that there are countless verbs that can take the place of ‘said,’ should you simply find a stronger, more emotive one and use that?

Not always. ‘He said’ and ‘she said’ are often preferable because they do not draw the reader’s attention to the fact they are reading written dialogue. They let characters’ words do the emoting. ‘Said’ is the most common dialogue tag. 

Read more in our complete guide to dialogue . Here are some tips for using dialogue tags such as said and synonyms for said well:

How to use said and its synonyms well:

• Use all dialogue tags sparingly
• Use said or other tags only where necessary
• Show how people speak using action and gesture

1. Use all dialogue tags sparingly

The problem with dialogue tags is they draw attention to the author’s hand. The more we read ‘he said’ and ‘she said’, the more we’re aware of the author creating the dialogue.

Novel writing coach Romy Sommer says of dialogue:

Keep it as tight as possible, and move as quickly as possible into the purpose of the conversation. Romy Sommer in ‘Writing dialogue: What to avoid’, webinar preview here.

Whenever you read the author attributing who said what, it reminds us a narrative convention is being used.

Compare these two versions of the same conversation:

“I told you already,” I said, glaring. “Well I wasn’t listening, was I!” he said. “Apparently not,” he replied.

Now compare this to the following:

I glared at him. “I told you already.”   “Well I wasn’t listening, was I!”   “Apparently not.”

For some authors, it’s a matter of stylistic preference.

Even so, it’s hard to argue that the first version is better than the second. In the second, making glaring an action rather than tethering it to the dialogue gives us a stronger sense of the scene. A stronger sense of dialogue’s ‘back and forth’.

Because it’s clear the glaring first-person ‘I’ is the character speaking at first, we don’t need to add ‘I said’. The strength of the exclamation mark in the second character’s reply makes any dialogue tag showing emotion (e.g. ‘he snapped’) unnecessary. Because it’s on a new line, and responds to what the other said, we know it’s a reply from context.

Similarly, in the first speaker’s retort, we don’t need a tag telling us his tone (that it’s curt, sarcastic, or hostile). The brevity, the fact it’s only two words, conveys his tone. We can infer the character is still mad.

Using dialogue tags sparingly allows your reader the pleasure of inferring and imagining. Tweet This

Using dialogue tags sparingly allows your reader the pleasure of inferring and imagining. Keep in mind that they do have a purpose in writing, and often can be used to break up long lines of dialogue. 

The reader gets to fill in the blank spaces, prompted more subtly by the clues you leave (an exclamation mark or a pointed, cross remark).

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2. Use said or other tags only where necessary

The word ‘said’, like ‘asked’, does not tell you anything about the emotion behind a character’s words. Often, this is preferable, letting the character’s emotion or tone show in their precise choice of words, phrasing, movement (more on this below) or gestures.

In conversation between characters, alternatives for said can tell the reader:

• The individual emotional or mental states of the conversants
• The degree of conflict or ease in the conversation
• What the relationship is like between characters (for example, if one character always snaps at the other this will show that the character is short-tempered and perhaps unkind towards the other)

Here are dialogue words you can use instead of ‘said’, categorised by the kind of emotion or scenario they convey:

Shouted, bellowed, yelled, snapped, cautioned, rebuked.

Consoled, comforted, reassured, admired, soothed.

Excitement:

Shouted, yelled, babbled, gushed, exclaimed.

Whispered, stuttered, stammered, gasped, urged, hissed, babbled, blurted.

Determination:

Declared, insisted, maintained, commanded.

Sighed, murmured, gushed, laughed.

Cried, mumbled, sobbed, sighed, lamented.

Jabbed, sneered, rebuked, hissed, scolded, demanded, threatened, insinuated, spat, glowered.

Apologised, relented, agreed, reassured, placated, assented.

Teased, joked, laughed, chuckled, chortled, sniggered, tittered, guffawed, giggled, roared.

Storytelling:

Related, recounted, continued, emphasized, remembered, recalled, resumed, concluded.

Despite there being many other words for said, remember to use dialogue tags and ‘said’ synonyms only where necessary:

• Is it clear who’s speaking? (E.g. There are only two characters in the scene and the first to speak is clear). If yes, you don’t need a tag
• Too many tags make your dialogue start to feel like a compendium of emotive speech-verbs. Use colourful dialogue tags occasionally, for emphasis. They’re the salt and spice in dialogue, not the whole meal
• Use emotive dialogue tags for the peaks and valleys of a scene. If a character screams or declares every line, your reader may become irritated by the constant visibility of the author’s hand

Over at The Write Practice, Kellie McGann takes a look at dialogue tags and how to use them effectively in your writing.

3. Show how people speak using action and gesture

One problem we often see in beginners’ dialogue is that all the emotion is crammed into either spoken words or dialogue tags.

Characters who never move or gesture in dialogue may read a little like talking heads in jars (like the satirical preserved famous figures in the sci-fi comedy Futurama) .

Your characters likely do have bodies, so don’t be afraid to use them. Compare these examples:

“That’s not what you said yesterday,” she said, her voice implying she was retreating, withdrawing. “Well I hadn’t thought about it yet. The truth is now that I’ve had time I see that maybe it’s not going to work out. But let’s not be hasty,” he said, clearly wanting to control her retreat, too.

Now compare:

“That’s not what you said yesterday…” She hesitated, turned and walked to the window. “Well I hadn’t thought about it yet.” He stepped closer. “The truth is now that I’ve had time I see that maybe it’s not going to work out. But let’s not be hasty.” He placed his hand on the small of her back.

In the second example, the actual dialogue is interspersed with setting. How the characters engage with the setting (the woman turning to face the window, for example) reveals their emotions mid-dialogue.

These are also termed ‘action beats’: a short sentence that describes what the character is doing. They can occur before, during, or after an exchange between characters. 

Movement and gesture conveys similar feelings to the first dialogue example. Yet there’s a clearer sense of proximity and distance, of two characters dancing around each other’s words, thoughts, feelings and personal space. It is appropriate too, to the situation (the end of an intimate relationship).

Vary the way you show who’s speaking in your dialogue. Use emotive other words for said to season characters’ conversations. Yet seasoning shouldn’t overpower substance. Use the content of what characters say, their movement, body language, pauses, and silences, to create deeper, more layered exchanges .

Join a concise, self-study four-week course to learn how to write dialogue that builds character and plot without needing 500 words for said.

Related Posts:

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• Manuscript editing: How to cut words when your…
• Choosing description words: 10 questions to ask
• Tags alternatives for said , dialogue tags , dialogue words , writing dialogue

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

438 replies on “Dialogue words: Other words for ‘said’ (and what to avoid)”

Sorry. This is totally wrong. Said and asked disappear in the readers mind. Adding synonyms to those brings the reader out of the narrative. Everything I’ve read on dialogue states not to do this. Make the dialogue show what the character is saying. Or have the character do something. “It’s just that.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “We’ve been fighting a lot.”

It may be a differnent teaching in other countries, but here in the states every book I’ve read says to only use said. And ask where appropriate.

Like every single bit of writing advice that tells you to ALWAYS do x or NEVER do y it needs to be taken in moderation. There are times when it is appropriate to use something other than said or asked, much of the time it is not. The trick is learning to recognize those times.

Yes, the trick is to choose the best possible way to get the meaning across to the reader while considering genre expectations and not relying on any one technique or repeating too much. Don’t be afraid to break rules and don’t ignore them completely either.

That’s spot-on, Conrad. The way dialogue is crafted should fall naturally on the ear since it is mimicking speech and sometimes tags are a distraction which is why many authors do away with them entirely and use actions more, as Alice suggested. It’s interesting how everyone has such a strong opinion on this subject. If you are going to use tags at all, it is useful to be aware of the many alternatives and the subtle and not-so-subtle connotations they carry, at least.

I have to agree with you, Alice, and thanks for pointing that out. Reading all of those different attributions (chortled, shouted, exclaimed, replied, inquired, ejaculated, etc.) in a text makes me close the book and pick up another. It’s such a distraction from the forward momentum of the story. Furthermore, the problem is exactly that using these other attributions constitutes TELLING, which is just the opposite of the “show, don’t tell” rule of reader engagement.

And agreed with Conrad, as well, that everything must be taken in moderation, but the ultimate goal of every rule (or of breaking a rule) has to be keeping the reader engaged in the story. The first second the reader disengages from the story, you should have followed that rule (or not broken it in the first place). Attributions like these cause me to disengage from any writing.

Thanks for raising those points, Eleanore. Sometimes telling is useful and even necessary (as Ursula K. Le Guin argues in an interesting article on her personal website) but you’re right that dialogue tags, if used excessively (and for some readers, at all) can be a deterrent. A lot depends on frequency of use, genre (some genres are more amenable to dialogue tags than others) and so on.

Thanks for your reply! I have to admit that after having posted my thoughts yesterday, I remembered that when I’m reading books written by authors like Austen and Dickens, I don’t mind the varied attributions so much. Somehow, stylistically, things like “ejaculated” and “replied” and “murmured” seem to fit better in that kind of historical, sweeping literary style.

I did have another thought on the subject, in general. As a freelance editor for fiction writers, I’ve seen a lot of the use of words like “sighed” and “laughed” and “chuckled” (etc.) in dialogue (e.g., “I can’t understand it,” she sighed). Those words in particular drive me crazy. Has anyone ever actually tried to “chuckle” speech? Or “sigh” words? You can sigh before or after speaking, but not as speech. Similarly, you can laugh before, in the middle of, or after having spoken, but you can’t laugh speech. Perhaps it’s more those attributions to which I find myself *really* objecting! 🙂

Hi Alice – thanks for contributing a different viewpoint. I think it’s more a question of repetition perhaps – after the tenth ‘asked’ or ‘said’ in a scene, it starts to stand out and become a little tedious for some. Many literary writers do away with dialogue tags entirely, possibly partly for this reason, relying on context and the reader’s interpretation of other markers (e.g. characters’ differing personalities and ways of expressing themselves) to work out who is saying what. You’re right that actions are excellent for subtly conveying tone and emotion. A lot does depend on the genre and the age of the intended audience, as younger readers might not have quite as variegated perception of what these different bodily gestures suggest.

Thanks for stimulating debate on this subject. It’s quite a subjective topic.

I agree with Alice. I once read a book in which the author used every word BUT “said” and “asked”… and I *hated* that book. The writing came off as amateur, and it seemed as though the author had done this just to sound smarter. Ironically, in most cases, the tag didn’t even make sense, because it didn’t actually have anything to do with vocalization, nor do many of the suggestions above. And it’s true — words like this detract from the dialogue… Because that’s all I remember about the book are those horrible tags. This is, in my opinion, lazy writing. There are much stronger ways to convey what a person is thinking, doing, feeling, etc.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject, Krysten. It is a fine line between using dialogue tags in places to avoid ambiguity of expression and overusing them and coming across amateurish, as you say. Alice’s suggestion of using actions instead of tags is another discussion but is a very effective way to keep the author’s presence in the text less obtrusive.

yeah, I agree with the others. I don’t think this is great advice. Favoring colorful alternatives to ‘said’ and ‘asked’ is just distracting and comes off as amateurish in my opinion. What trumps everything is clarity in the reader’s mind. Don’t use ‘said’ and then go on to describe how the character pounded the desk and his words echoed until they rang in everyone’s ears–use ‘shouted’. But for heaven’s sake, don’t use words like mused, sighed, and cajoled just for the sake of changing it up and keeping it fresh. I don’t think there’s a great risk of word fatigue if you use ‘said’. Better yet, use nothing at all if you can get away with it.

Good advice, Matt. It does depend (as you say) on whether using a dialogue tag will avoid unnecessary and cliched action description or whether it is better to make actions or simple word choice convey the shifting emotions, tensions and resolutions in a piece of dialogue. I think avoiding ‘gimmicky’ use of any device or technique is always wise. Thanks for contributing your perspective to the discussion.

You don’t need to use “asked” because if the dialogue ends with a question mark, it’s obvious. I agree with Alice on this. “Said” disappears for the reader, whereas “grumbled,” etc. jumps out. Let the dialogue and action show the character’s state of mind. Tags help the reader keep straight who is talking if there are multiple people in the scene. But you can do away with many of them by just using action instead of the word “said.”

You both raise a good point, Diane. Dialogue tags are definitely controversial. As always, it’s up to the writer to do as she (or he) feels is best. There will be readers who like emphatic dialogue tags and readers who loathe them. A lot depends on genre, but you’re right that they can draw too much attention to the construction/craftedness of the text.

Also, it’s not necessary to use a dialogue tag after every line of dialogue. Once the writer has set up who is speaking, she can skip several lines of dialogue before adding another tag, which at that point can be action. There’s a fine balance between too many tags and too few.

You’re right there. A lot of this is a matter of balance. Dialogue is something where many trip up because it’s a constant measuring and deciding between getting the natural patterns of speech right (so that the reader’s ear doesn’t vehemently disagree) and making choices around the fact that it is given to the reader textually, not aurally.

The magic of using said is that it doesn’t jump out at the reader. Writers who use a wide variety of dialog tags feel like they are trying too hard.

Good point, Jeri! I’m loving the spirited debate everyone is having here. Of course everything should be used in moderation, and I think there are certain genres where colourful dialogue tags are more the norm (and norms must of course be questioned and examined) than others. Thanks for your perspective.

I’m glad to see someone finally come out against the fallacy that “said/asked” are better because they “disappear” in the test and don’t “jolt” the reader. After years of only using beats (which take up much more space) or inserting descriptions of tone while desperately trying not to be cliche, I’ve found that bookisms and adverbs get the correct intent across with a minimum of words or fuss. The tag “he asked sharply” will not jolt the reader. It will allow the reader to picture and hear the scene correctly — and enjoy the novel more. Great post!

Thank you, Lexa. Glad you enjoyed reading it. I like that everyone commenting has strong feelings one way or the other on the topic of dialogue tags. I think it all depends on genre. Definitely in more ‘literary’ fiction obtrusive dialogue tags are less common. I think they can richness, especially for younger readers. So much depends on audience.

I was taught the opposite. Most craft books I’ve read say “said” is invisible, while “fancy tags” call attention to themselves. So we’re supposed to use such devices sparingly, only when the way things are said isn’t implicit in the words or context. Some (Elmore Leonard) go even further, and claim no tag but said should EVER be used, which seems excessive in the other direction. I was also taught that tags that can’t actually be spoken, like “stormed” or “coughed” are signs of amateur writing.

Having said this, I think “florid” tags can work for some voices or styles. I don’t think Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would have been as as funny without its “gushing” doors and “opining” androids.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, E.L. You’re right that tags that can’t be said or voiced in some way are not ideal. At the same time you’re also right that it’s a stylistic/genre matter. A lot of fantasy writers (particularly those writing for YA/middle school audiences) use more florid, as you say, tags. A lot is down to taste, but there are some (ab)uses that are more commonly disliked than others.

Great series – Douglas Adams is hilarious.

Thanks, Bridget for this update.Certainly, the speech about the couple as has been rewritten in the update comes across as very well written. It beats the other two. It has the quality of clarity as it is more vivid. Of course, it is also more interesting. I’ll go for this style any day.

It’s a pleasure. Thank you for contributing your perspective, Ohita.

I been reading your “dialogues” post. I write in spanish. And for be honest, the advise we receive from people is used “said” not particullary another words. Why? the reason they explaine is when you write “he asked, he questioned, he explained… etc., people made a kind of stop, because is habituated to read “said” as a common word, and this turns “invisible” and people can read easy; use a different word can be a extra efford from the author to “look smart”. (They says). For me, that explanation does not have to much sense. For me, if a word is necessary, you must to used it, but not just to “delete/change” the words “said/asked/answered”. And you can explaine with another words which character is doing. For me, if you read words (dialogue), is because someone is speaking…

I guess the rules are different between spanish and english writing style. I tried do not use just Said/asked when a character talks. But some word in spanish are not so common to use as: “replicar” (replay) “expresar” (express). In this case, in spanish is not “good way to write” when you “reconfirm” a statement (?). “When?”, he asked. “Tomorrow”, she answered. In those cases, you even can omit the words asked/said. For that, this point is really interesting for me, see the difference in the style in both lenguages. In spanish, if you wanted express something, just take off the obvious thing, and the example dialogue can turns in: “When?”, he mused. “Tomorrow”, she complained and walked away.

Its good see another point of view.

The varation on traslated book, can defines, why in our spanish “original english books” are so different. But, the fact I learn is when you write, you must to use the balance, the dialogues are great if you use the right words, do it too much “florid” if is a neutral narrator, can be a desaster, as if you use a “plain” (said) if the narrator is a erudit, first witness narrator. For me, each narrator will ask always a good balance, not ignore or abuse with some particular words.

P.S.: Sorry for my english mistakes, is not my mother lenguage.

Thank you for this detailed input – it’s interesting to hear your perspective as a Spanish speaker. You’re right that the dialogue tag is better omitted in instances such as your example, of course. Tags aren’t usually necessary when it’s clear who is speaking and the tone/feeling behind their words.

this is so helpful…..Jupiter Thanks

It’s a pleasure! Thanks for reading.

in a novel im working on I wanted some good words for awnsering questions that another character asked. I noticed there was only persisted. Am I missing something? If not what are some good words to use in my situation.

Hi SC. It depends on the nature of the conversation. If the character asks a silly question, you could use ‘scoffed’ or ‘laughed’ for the reply. If you want to create a little awkwardness (say, for example, the questioning character is being too probing/personal), you could use ‘she paused’ or ‘she hesitated’ (more a descriptor of the flow of conversation than explicit statement of how the character is speaking). I hope these give you some ideas!

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Great!!!Helped me a lot

Thanks, Nishanth. Glad to hear it. Thanks for reading.

Thanks a bunch! It helped me a lot with a story I have to pass to my teacher and she was delighted of my work! You’re the best!

It’s a pleasure, Immawi.

This is fantastic!

Thanks, Detective! Feel free to share it.

Okay, I will. C: Btw, I Make Stories Feel free to read! ^-^ Here the link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/126989834-the-final-journey-to-detective-conan

same here but I’m just a beginner lol…check my stories out https://www.wattpad.com/user/Gibby_The_Gibster

Lol, same. I’m beginner; you know what it means? I’m getting stupid.

Why did you say you are getting stupid?

I’m the worst…People at my school called me a stupid kid, four eyes asshole, that loser who is obsessed with stupid kiddy (anime) shows, and that guy is the worst writing in the planet, tell him that go home and kill yourself…

I don’t know who am I anymore… 🙁

look do you enjoy writing and do YOU think your good at it

But…My grammar mistakes… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d42a4b365a483e2437b21c4f7dcf9dbb2cdf8339c7e4f4eadbdb30f865803a20.gif

It’s ok I’m writing my first book (not for publish yet) and I made so many grammar mistakes. Just keep practicing and you’ll do great at it!

heck even i have grammerly humans make mistakes its why the backspace button exists

True…

I feel bad for you. At my school, most people accept me for being a person that likes anime (or not a lot who complains about it). I also have lots of friends also who like anime and lots who aren’t a fan. I guess I got lucky with my location. Hope you find others who share the same interest as you. But I reckon you can use your experience to write a book as a good book relies on the author’s experience.

Your lucky… ;-;

Don’t worry, the world is a big place. Sooner or later you’ll meet some1 with the same interest.

Maybe….Maybe in seven years or ten years…

Better than never.

Jesus your book is good, im making one at the moment, wow

yep, it is very good and… creative that’s how you describe it

right there with you

love the little anime girl thing

no u is good writer i read your recent release its great

don’t fell that way I watch Poke’mon and beyblade all the time

man, I cried when I read that. My Narrative has Miku Hatsune in it( don’t know if I spelled that right, though) LOL

They’re just dumb kids who probably can’t write a paragraph as good as ur stories. Plus, 4 eyes is better than 2

I knew there were people who used this to write on wattpad. I love wattpad to be honest, I’m writing a story as well. Although my story aren’t being published because I’m not comfortable yet. Good luck with your story! uwu

I’m in the same situation as you. Wattpad is amazing. I’m also writing a story but I don’t have enough confidence to post it yet. I get petrified when someone says something really bad about my things. I’m sure every will feel bad when someone does that, so make sure you only post nice comments and appropriate feedback. ^-^

Dude I’m in the same boat with you. And I agree

Hey you guys, I’m a Wattpad author myself, and I just reached my 20 followers point, actually 🙂 You shouldn’t be afraid of the haters, let them say what they want to say! I bet half of them couldn’t even work up the courage to write anything at all! Wattpad is a friendly community of people, there’s only a few haters. Most people will encourage you to follow your passion! And it’s no big deal if you’re just not comfortable, though I’m sure it’s more amazing than you take credit for 😀

P.S. Gods, I really don’t want to sound like I’m advertising, but my user is @Awesomeandscary123 if y’all are interested in reading my works. Always up to you, though 🙂

What I am doing is writing the full story and then publishing it all at once so that my readers don’t have to wait and wait for another chapter.

I don’t agree with your advice. Said is often used because it’s unobstrubsive, so that the reader will focus more on the dialogue.

Thank you for the feedback, Iva. It is a a contentious topic, but you’re right about ‘said’ being less obtrusive. Often no dialogue tag at all is even less obtrusive, however, as often the reader can infer from speech marks and context who is speaking, making it unnecessary to use ‘said’. Yet everyone has their preferences. Essentially the advice is not to use ‘growled’ or ‘whispered’ every other line. Thank you for weighing in.

thanks it was a good website

Thank you, Maeve. Good luck with your writing.

helped me so much my teacher said my narrative wasn’t boing 🙂 thank you so much

I’m so glad to hear that, Anna. I’m sure you deserve all credit for that.

“Dude I love this it helps so much” admired Deamyn

Thanks, Daemyn. I’m glad you found the suggestions helpful.

thank you, my teacher doesn’t allow the usage of ‘said’ every time someone speaks. So now my writing is fantastic thanks to this article. So, again thank you so very much. 🙂

That’s great to hear. Sounds as though your teacher has the right idea. It’s a pleasure!

These words are great, but I can’t really find any words for people/things that are just talking in a normal tone, without much expression.

Hi Asgore – that’s where a simple ‘said’ here and there where tags are necessary would be good. My advice would be to put some expression in all the same, as if there’s no expressive quality at all to the dialogue the characters could seem strangely uninterested in the conversation at hand. You can also focus more on their surrounds or movements if these elements show more of the scene’s tone and mood or purpose than the conversation itself. Hope that helps!

Thank you so much!!

It’s a pleasure, I’m glad you found this helpful.

I’m so glad I came across this! I found it very helpful, and it was exactly what I was looking for!

I’m really happy to hear that, Nona. Good luck in your writing.

Very helpful, ive lost count as to how many times ive refered to this while writing my novel. Thank you so much

Thanks, Magnet. I’m glad you’re motivated and working on your novel. Keep going.

Very nice! I plan on using this for stories and papers I write. I find the way I describe dialogue is often bland and boring; I hope this makes it more interesting.

Thank you, good luck for your next story or paper!

Regarding dialogue tags: This is exactly the opposite of the advice most editors will give you when you’re publishing your novel. In fact, when I published my first novel, my editors made me go back through my entire manuscript and weed out all of these kinds of words and replace them with “said” and “asked” in almost every instance. Said and asked are the words you should use most of the time. Alternate words like the ones you listed above should be used sparingly, unless there is a good reason (i.e. whispering, etc). However, I do agree with your points about action and gesture, generally.

hmmm, interesting…

Genre and market do come into the equation too. For example, YA readers might be more forgiving (as they were of J.K. Rowling) of ‘fruitier’ dialogue tags 🙂 It depends on a number of factors but I prefer the minimalist approach myself and using gesture and staging more to attribute dialogue than tags, personally. There’s never a ‘one size fits all approach’ so it all depends. Thanks for reading and engaging!

Dude, you really ruined the fun. Boi, just Boi!

This was very helpful! I always found ‘said’ so bland and boring, I realised I mentioned that word way too often in my writings (As well as Responded,Replied etc.) I plan on using these tips 🙂

You can use said for the halfway- beginning, but then you can use the other more advanced words, it will make your story more interesting and more suprising. At first, they’ll probably think your a not-so-good writer, then you can show them you are one. Note : This is just an advice.

hi guys from my classroom

I use this all the time when I create stories with Wattpad. It really helps! In fact I think I’m getting used to these, so now I can memorize these words! Thank you.

It’s a pleasure! Thank you for reading our blog.

thank you so much!!

It’s a pleasure, MK. Thanks for reading!

I bet you that you are here bc of an ff. I know this because I am doing the same.

hahaha same

Why’d you expose me like that haha

I’m writing a zombie story on Wattpad. My account is KingKawaiiKiwi, if you search it in the Wattpad search bar, you’ll find my vampire story (which I just might discontinue) and my new zombie apocalypse story.

This is really useful thank you I use it with every story 🙂 I love it

It’s a pleasure, Jan. Glad you enjoyed this.

Thank you so much, this helped me to improve my writing.

That’s great, Matthew. Keep writing!

This is great and I totally agree. I have always found it hard when reading to know who is saying what until after they have said it, which just takes you away from the moment.

You’re right about that, Mandy – so important it’s clear to the reader who’s speaking so they don’t get distracted from the content of the dialogue itself.

Yes. Great point. And thanks for your information it is great.

Thank you so much, was a great website helped a lot with my assignments. My teacher was astound with my work.

That’s fantastic to hear, Susan. Good luck with your studies further! Thanks for reading.

you put agreed in the Making up twice.

Great catch, Leo, thanks! Nobody’s immune to mistakes. That’s been corrected.

Thank you so much. It is so simple and easy to apply. Sometimes I hit a roadblock trying to explain my characters’ feelings at certain moments. This is so helpful.

I’m glad to hear that, Kgomotso! Good luck with your story 🙂

I agree with using tags sparingly, strongly disagree with using the “said” tag more sparingly than others. The word itself may not add color or personality, but that’s the dialogue’s job.

Thank you for this feedback! It’s not that the ‘said’ tag should be used more sparingly than others necessarily but rather that you don’t have to attribute every line. For example:

Cara saw her mother was limping up the driveway. ‘What the heck happened, mom?’ ‘Fell down the stairs at gym… don’t laugh!’

Here you don’t need ‘Cara said’ or ‘her mom said’ because the first line of narration sets up the context for each character’s words. So ‘said’ should be used more where there’s possible ambiguity regarding who spoke. I hope that clarifies a little 🙂

Thanks so much for this! Really helped when writing my novel!!

I was typing an assignment and this really helped 🙂

Thank you so much.

It’s a pleasure, thank you for reading 🙂

Very helpful, kept me from being dull or overly expressive

I’m glad to hear that 🙂

“Thank you so much” Nicholas applauded. ” I am writing a story WRITE now! The main characters name is Kane.” He continued. “Oh! Here he is! He’s a little shy, being a werewolf and all.” Nic exclaimed

“NIC!” Kane was surprised at his mess up. “You can’t just tell everyone! But… erm, thank you…” Kane nervously thanked.

“And guess what!” Nic proclaimed “I’m only a middle schooler!”

Hi WolfyBoi, that’s quite a few dialogue tags! I’d particularly advise against using an adverb ending ‘ly’ plus a verb, as that really draws attention to the tag and the ‘writtenness’ of the speech. You could use a gesture to show Kane’s nerves instead, e.g. ‘Kane fidgeted at his desk.’ Keep writing 🙂

Thank you, I really appreciate your reply. My book is much further along than it was 3 months ago. I have this website to thank. I recently got into dnd and I couldn’t help but add him to the story. However, I am switching between medieval fantasy, and modern fantasy, tunic vs hoodie amiright? What do you think I should do to help decide? Thank you.

Hi Wolfy, it’s a pleasure. I’m glad to hear you’ve made progress in this time 🙂 Take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I would personally go with modern (medieval is such a saturated market with the likes of GoT and other big series). At the same time, readers still love dragons, warriors and all things mythological, so it depends. My hunch is modern but go with which era you feel most excited about, I’d say. The advantage of modern is it’s easier to create a niche that’s all your own (because it doesn’t have as many standard elements/tropes).

helped, thanks

it needs some for curiosity

OMG!!! This is amazing! Now I don’t have to get stucked when i’m writing my short story for ELA. thank you so much!!!

It’s a pleasure, Vivian. Good luck with ELA!

Me when im typing my essay https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a8e595d23e040d52ccf86d6b93c03e018101916392cf7c381acd1b57473b1f52.jpg

OMG. I was in such a bind before I found this! Seriously, I was like, “I can’t keep making people interrupt and drop the phone every time they finish talkling.” LOL You… Just rescued me from hell in the third chapter of my favorite movie of all time!

I LOVE YOU!

I’m glad to hear that, and you’re right – variety (coupled with good sense and taste and moderation) is key.

Thank you, I’m really bad at coming up with different words, and this has helped me a whale load. 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

I just realized it is called “dialogue tags”. Thank you so much.

It’s a pleasure, Johnny! Yup, that’s the technical term 🙂

Do you have list of different ways to say “asked” like you did here for “said”?

Because My struggle is my main words are asked, questioned, wondered, inquired . So yeah. I guess I’m asking for more colorful words for that.

What you have for “said” is helpful 🙂

Hi Brad, thank you for your question! ‘Asked’ is probably best (using ‘wondered’ as a tag might read strangely, especially in a conversation context, since ‘wondering’ is usually something we do to ourselves rather than in communicating with others). I’d say ‘asked’ is the most versatile, as you can imply the tone (e.g. one of wonder) in the actual words said. For example, wondering or incredulity: “Can you believe Miss A gave us all that homework!?” I asked Jay.’

I hope that helps!

You saved my life! I write fanfiction on Wattpad, I needed this! My Wattpad—> TheFoxInTheShadows

Hi Kitsune,

I’m glad to read that, good luck with your fanfiction!

Lmao me too My Wattpad—> Shuichis_Ahoge

I love this site! I use it every time I write a story!

Hi Blue, thank you! We’re glad we can help.

We’re glad to hear it, Blue. Thanks for visiting 🙂

A very handy guide, thank you.

It’s our pleasure, Jason. Thank you for reading our blog!

no worries.

This helped me a lot! i was having trouble with the dialogues in my story sounding a bit bland. Thank you.

Hi Colour! Thank you for reading it, we’re glad to have helped 🙂 Good luck with revising your story further.

what is a good word to used when like frustrated and stuff without saying said before it like, “You can’t have waffles!” Dad said , angrily or something?

Hi Lovealot, thanks for asking If the underlying emotion is irritability, ‘snapped’ is a common acceptable tag. Otherwise a simple ‘said’ is always a good neutral go-to, with the words themselves supplying tone. I hope this helps!

I feel like there should be more scenarios that involve more words to describe dialogue. Such as an intro, where the character says hello. Or instances that require a much larger vocabulary to describe what is happening, not every situation where you want comedy/humor should you say Teased, joked, laughed, chuckled, chortled, sniggered, tittered, guffawed, giggled, roared. Otherwise it’s a great place to expand your vocabulary and/or get advice to write a great story. Just a critique.

Hi SpartanISO, thanks for reading and sharing your critique, we’ll keep it in mind when we update this article. Happy writing 🙂

This really helped with my homework

I’m glad to hear that, Jaxson. Hope you get a good grade!

My teacher will be amazed

This really helped my Narrative fall into the right place, thank you! I really appreciate it you know!

is everyone here also writing a ff on wattpad too?

bish how tf you know lmaooo

o-o how tf do you know

I’ve been exposed

oof im here for school but i do write ffs

Well, not for an ff but it is on Wattpad. ?

me zara24567

I was about to. But I realized I could get copyrighted, so I decided to make an OG vampire story. It’s the second result when you search, The Vampire Experience.

Edit: First result

*Me writing an OG story on wattpad* -Well f*ck I’ve been exposed

ahhh how did you know? I’m writing a hp fanfic on wattpad

I am writing an Avengers ff on Wattpad, but I am using this for and ELA essay.

At my school, Wattpad is blocked on school internet filters, for “mature” and “forums.”

SAME! I’m writing a Loki one tho. If you’d be interested it’s called “Mirrors and Magic” my @ is @CrazyPerson4967.

Omg! your ff is so good! I love it!

I’m writing an avengers fanfic too haha. My account is APPOJUICE and the story is called ‘Winx Club’ if anyone wants to read

Good luck with your Avengers fanfic and your ELA essay! I hope you got top marks 🙂

Thank you so much! Every kind comment makes me want to write even more.

THATS LITERALLY *PRECICELY* WHAT IM DOING

I’m trying to write a Naruto fanfic UwU. I’m righting on Grammarly and getting words from here! my account name is called Nightshade_Kuro and the story is going to be named Someone Lost

lol actually I’m writing a short story (OG) just for me, but I might post it on wattpad when I’m done now that I think about it

Uhm…okay yes. But I’m also a published writer. I just happen to enjoy shooting writer’s block down with a powerful fanfic. I actually looked for this post since I’m writing in English which is clearly not my native language hahaha. Anyroad, best wishes to every single Wattpad writer here!! If you need me I’ll be word spinting in my account CeciliaPerazaArias 😛

i’m writing a life is strange 2 fic on wattpad. you caught me.

What’s the name? If you’re posting I’d read it

yep descendants one called the warriors son about Shan Yu’s son, this site is actually really helpful

I just need this for my ELA class XD

Hope you ace your class, Temmoo 🙂

this did not help much but i got a little bit out of it

I´m making a book this is very helpful to me because I´m only 12

I’m glad to hear that, Shayla. Good luck with your book!

*smacks head on computer* i’m so stupid for not looking this up earlier XD

Anyone on this for Wattpad? My story is the second result when you search, The Vampire Experience. (Unfinished!)

Yep! Writing a OG book! Its -a night to myself- :3

Good luck with your book, Oliver 🙂

Good luck! What’s it called?

Edit: first result, but I’m writing 2 different books now, so I might just tag it as discontinued.

I didn’t know I need these tips up until this day :’0 thank you so much!

It’s a pleasure, Cactus. Thank you for reading our blog.

Thanks this really help for my wattpad story!

We’re happy to hear that, keep writing!

This is really helpful. I’m entering a writing contest, and this was amazing.

We’re glad to hear this, Sara! Good luck for your contest and thanks for reading our blog 🙂

*when you here to write a book but people are here to write fanfics*

Really helped with my writing! Thank you!

It’s a pleasure, Ally! Thank you for reading our blog 🙂

rewriting a ff i made in 2018,thanks 🙂

Really appreciative of this blog piece. I was trying to wrap my mind around descriptive emotions and this helps shatter my writer’s block. Thank you.

That’s lovely to hear, keep writing! 🙂 Thank you for reading our blog, too.

I’m writing because it’s fun when your fantasies come true even if it’s just words. This helped me a lot thanks 2020 here

Hi. I’m also a wattpad writer. I only started writing on wattpad recently but if you have a chance, would you please check out my story called: The Alpha, rejected his mate? My username is aaliyahisaas2003.

im writing a descendants oc fanfic about Shan Yu’s son called the Warriors son if anyone wants to read it this site really helps thans

I have just started writing because I have so many stories going on in my head and I knew it was time I put these fantasies into words. This blog really helped a bunch, especially as a young writer!

That’s awesome to hear, thank you Nic. When it’s time, it’s time 🙂

Thank you! I was looking for something like these to help me with my writing class. This is really going to be of great use from now on. Thanks!

It’s a pleasure, Johanna! Good luck with your class.

This was so helpful, I don’t know what I would have done without this extra information. I’m a Jr in high school and I ‘m writing a narrative and I’m tired of saying “He said”, “She said” it’s getting repetitive.

Hey Aries, that’s great to hear. It can be repetitive. Remember that when its clear who’s speaking (e.g. when one character already named in the scene replies to the only other character in the scene) you can leave them out. Have a good weekend.

omg me too, I’m writing a narrative right now and my teacher said she would take points off if we continuously said “he said, she said”

Hey thank you a lot I am doing a English paper right now and i needed a word for a determined person and I found it right here clear as day.

I’m glad to hear that, Remi! Good luck with your paper.

This is great! An amazing novel to read for this is Catch-22. Joseph Heller came up with about a million ways to say “said,” and it really helps you hear each character’s individual voice.

Thank you, Suzanne. Great recommendation.

Loved this so much 🙂 Perfect for me as I was writing a college essay and had some serious word block. Thank you so much

Hello Jordan This is awesome, but I didn’t find what I wanted I needed. It’s a different word for said and the context is leaving somewhere. Could you please tell me it. Thanks, Sherbek

Hi Sherbek,

Thank you. When you say ‘the context is leaving somewhere’, do you mean it’s a dialogue tag word indicating a character is leaving? I’d suggest using an action tag instead, e.g. “OK, sayonara, bye, whatever.” He made air quotes on ‘whatever’ and slouched out of the room, trying to look as hip and disinterested as possible.’

The benefit of an action tag is you can get quite specific about the way a person leaves. Saying ‘he farewelled’ or finding a similar way to squish a sense of departure into the dialogue tag would stick out and be less effective, for sure. I hope this is helpful.

These words were very helpful to me thank you so much you are a lifesaver!!

That’s great to hear, Via. Thanks for reading our blog.

This helped me so much! I’m in middle school and writing a story for my class and I didn’t know what else to say, so thank you!

I’m glad to hear that, Norah. Good luck for your class, I hope you get good feedback on your story.

Hey thanks for the help I’m 12 and I’m trying to write a novel about hell’s creatures invading a small town but i was tricky to think of elaborate words in the beginning

That sounds like a fun story scenario, Asher. I hope you’re finding it easier to find the right words.

It’s beneficial for my new fantasy novel, I’m a newbie writer, and I really had a hard time dialoguing. Thank you for this.

It’s a pleasure, Vywx. Good luck with your new fantasy novel!

Yea, super helpful! I’m in middle school and I needed better words other than ” I said. ” That was getting old.

That’s good to hear, Aarya. I’d say remember that ‘said’ can also be the least obtrusive option (or using action tags instead ).

This is extremely helpful, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for! I’m writing for school (and a little for fun) and I don’t know what to write. The quote is “Where are you going?” and it’s a child speaking respectfully to an elder. Do you think you might know what I’m looking for?

Hi Michael, thank you! I’m sorry you couldn’t find precisely what you’re looking for. Do you mean the quote is a prompt? If you’re trying to write a story based on that quote I’d suggest brainstorming about where the elder is going, and involving the child in the object of their departure (for example, are they coming back? Is the object of their departure something relating to the child, that they’re perhaps intending to do something for them?).

Here’s a blog post on finding ideas that may help!

When you use dialogue such as: he teased, he smirked or he laughed. Are these action beats with periods and capital H’s?

Great question, Connie. It would depend whether it is being used to describe the voice of the character immediately following speech or whether it comprises a separate action. Compare:

He teased her mercilessly, until she turned beet red. “I can’t believe you said Japan is larger than Australia in the quiz.”

This is an action tag, the action being complete in a sentence apart from the dialogue it characterizes.

Compare to:

“I can’t believe you said Japan is larger than Australia in the quiz,” he teased. Here, the teasing action serves as a dialogue tag as it’s describing the speech without being a separate sentence. You could also have:

“I can’t believe you said Japan is larger than Australia in the quiz.” He teased her mercilessly, until she turned beet red.

This is the same as the first action tag, of course, with the action simply coming after the dialogue. This would be incorrect:

“I can’t believe you said Japan is larger than Australia in the quiz.” He said [or teased].

Here the ‘he said’ is describing the manner of the man’s speech (you can see it more clearly than with ‘he teased’, as this could be a complete action fragment).

Dialogue tags should always have a comma preceding them as they’re part of the previous line. Just the same as you wouldn’t have ‘He ran. Fast heading for the train’ but ‘He ran fast, heading for the train’.

I hope this helps to clarify!

Thank you so much for this Jordan! I’m doing a retelling of a long movie. Over 10 pages I have forgotten to use more specific and more advanced vocabulary instead of “Said” or “Asked”

This helped me a lot so keep doing what you’re doing your good at it, you help thousands of kids like me! =)

Hi Nate, thank you, it’s a pleasure. That sounds a fun project. I’d add the caveat that ‘said’ is often the least obtrusive option. Action tags and making the content of the speech itself convey the feeling and character are other alternatives to using very exotic tags.

Good luck with your movie retelling!

Ooh thanks! I needed another word to convey sadness, and I found just the one!

This helped me alot, writing a book at a young age. Thank you and I wish everyone luck!!

I’m glad to hear that, Emma. Good luck to you, too!

This helped a lot, since I’m in middle school and had to write a story for school. Thanks!

It’s a pleasure, Anna! I hope you got the grade you wanted.

How do you come up with a good book name? Mine is Submerged…

Hi Emma, these ideas for brainstorming titles should help! Good luck.

This made writing easier for me. Thank you very much!

That’s great to hear, Rose. Thank you for reading our blog!

this really helped

Fantastic, Daniella. Thank you for reading our blog!

Thank you so much for this! Im writing a story in my middle school and my teacher always says “Said is Dead!” This helped me to get a good grade!

Hi Trixibelle, we’re always glad to help here. Congratulations on your good grade! Thank you for reading our articles.

Very helpful. Thank you, Jordan. Per Connie Parker’s question about “teased”, would “laughed” be treated the same way? I’m thinking it would, but I’ve had a couple of people tell me you can’t “laugh” dialogue. Do you agree?

Hi Keith, it’s a pleasure, thank you for reading. It’s a tricky one, since I would say you can laugh to a degree while speaking (or a laugh could interrupt your speech). Personally, I would lean more towards using an action tag and making the sense of amusement evident in the speaker’s words themselves. For example:

“You mean to say … he actually … seriously?” Laughing, unable to finish a sentence, she wiped her eyes and tried to suppress another fit of giggles.

Thanks for writing this article, it helped me greatly. I have a question. If I were to write an emotional ‘scene’, is is fine if I use a lot of different words than “said”? Or should I limit the amount of words that express emotion?

It’s a pleasure, Gillian. Great question.

I would say try to make the words being spoken themselves convey the bulk of the emotion, so that the tag doesn’t need to do that much ‘heavy lifting’. One could also use action tags to convey emotion, particularly loaded gestures. For example, “I’m not going!” She slammed the door so hard the crack snaking from the doorframe must have grown an inch. Varying devices will keep dialogue from sticking out as overly ‘written’, making the scene more immersive.

This helped a lot! I am in the middle of writing a book, but I have a little problem. Even though my problem isn’t associated with the topic of this blog, I wanted to ask: How can I make any battle scenes in my book seem more natural? I feel like I have been adding too many battle scenes that end too quickly.. (3 battle scenes throughout 13 pages) Can you maybe refer an article or give me advice?

I’m glad to hear that! You might find this article on writing fight scenes helpful. Thank you for reading our blog.

I was wondering what word you could use other than said to express happiness and sadness.

Hi Brianna,

Thank you for asking. I’d suggest making the words your character says happy or sad in themselves and then perhaps using an action tag (as adverbs can be weak in effect). For example:

“So I guess we can’t go to the beach this year?” She sat with her shoulders slumped, frowning.

Or “It’s so good to be here again.” She ran down to the shoreline, shrieking when an unexpected wave raced for her feet still in shoes and ran back laughing to where we had stood minutes before.

So putting the despondent or joyful tone into a mixture of tone and action will help to give your dialogue the overall emotional character. Think about how you can weave in setting too at times, so that dialogue also helps to describe where your characters are at this point in time while they converse.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is soooooo helpful

This was helpful for me again, Thank you for making this. This wants me to make more books.

I’m trying to find a word for said that expresses both confusion and shock but I can’t think of one

Hi Scarrlett, thank you for sharing that. Perhaps ‘gasped’? Also try to find the words in the dialogue that convey those emotions, and perhaps gestures too (e.g. a character suddenly turning their head with a frown on their face, or giving a reaction-based start. Good luck!

Great job, guys. Very helpful. Thank you, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year in advance. Stay Safe

Hi Ben, thank you! A belated Merry Christmas to you too, and a Happy New Year. Stay safe and may 2021 bring many blessings and inspirations.

Dude, I’m writing a book right now, and you have no idea how much this helps

Hi Pulse, that’s great to hear. Good luck with your book!

Hi, I am writing an essay for school, but it has lots of dialogue. Do you know any words with like, a questionable tone but a suggestion. Thanks! (Ex. “Hmm, maybe we could make it using the other recipe?

Hi Malyiah, thank you for your question! What you’ve used there is good.

You could also use ellipses (e.g. “That went well … Maybe we could make it using the other recipe?”). Using ellipses to show someone thinking or to imply a pause can be used subtly with specific surrounding words to create a specific tone. For example, if a character has worn a questionable outfit to a formal event, you could use this to create a questioning/’shade-throwing’ tone: “I see you dressed … for the occasion.”

I hope this is helpful. You could also use action tags to show gestures or movements that suggest questioning (e.g. ‘She peered into the pot and gave her sister a doubtful look. “Maybe we could make it using the other recipe?”).

Helped a lot! was very useful. thank you!

Great, Pooja. Thank you for the feedback!

Thank you for making this webpage, it helps me a lot in school, My teachers like us to write paragraphs, with a lot of dialogue, this really helps out!

It’s a pleasure, Daisy! It’s good practice. I hope you do well in your next assignment.

I am making a story, and every now and then I have the character talk to him self, (e.g ‘since when has he listened to someone?’ Zenitsu thought.) What other word can I use other than thought?

Hi there! One great option is to use an action tag like you would in dialogue. For example ‘Since when have I listened to anyone?’ Zenitsu frowned. Or, ‘Since when have I listened to anyone?’ Zenitsu half turned, ready to storm out.

One thing to remember is it should be in first person rather than third (since a person would typically think in first person when referring to themslves). It’s also conventional practice to put thoughts (if it isn’t the character talking aloud) in italics, e.g. Since when have I listened to anyone? Zenitsu crossed his arms, preparing his argument.

I hope this helps! Keep writing 🙂

hello, I am making a prequel for a story but I am having trouble choosing words for dialogue for example “it’s fine I can give it to him,” she …………

Hi Donna, thank you for sharing that. In this case (and many others), a simple ‘said’ would suffice. Otherwise you could also use an action tag to show the speaker’s emotions or intent. For example:

“It’s fine, I can give it to him.” She reached her hand out for the folder.

I hope this helps!

How would describe dialogue when thanking someone?

Hi Victoria, thank you for your question. It would depend on what the person is thanking for. You could have a simple, “Thanks,” he said.’ Or, for example, if someone didn’t actually like what the person gave them, said or did, and was being sarcastic: “Gee, thanks.” He rolled his eyes’. So try to balance showing the feeling through the words of the dialogue itself with showing feeling through the gestures and expressions people make when they speak.

I hope this helps! Happy writing.

Hi there! Im a young author and already know most words for ‘said’ but i wanted to know more words for feelings or for thought. And i am so very sorry if you already wrote some of it, i just didnt have time to read it since I am a really busy kid.

Hi Yuko, thank you for sharing that. When you say ‘words for feelings or for thought’ do you mean words to show that a phrase is what a character felt or thought, or words for feelings and thoughts themselves (e.g. “X,” he thought…’ or the names for different emotions and such?). In place of ‘thought’ you could have tags such as ‘wondered’, ‘reasoned’, ‘puzzled’ etc as thought-actions. For example: “But if the shooter was standing here…” The detective puzzled over the scene.’

Thank you for the feed back! I really appreciate you writing back! This is a fan fiction story, from an anime in Kimetsu no naiba and often they have scenes when a character is talking to them selves. So the scene I made was: “We shall not have that language in here Inosuke!” Kiena chided firmly. Almost immediately Inosuke bowed and replied “I’m sorry Miss!” ‘Since when did when have he listened to someone?’ Zenitsu questioned himself. When I have scenes like this, I often write the same thing over again (e.g thought Tanjiro/ thought to himself.) I am looking for another word for thought..do you have any ideas?

I made a mistake! It meant to say: ‘Since when has he listened to himself. (not have)

Note well Elmore Leonard’s Rule #3 of his Rules for Writing (and I quote): “3. 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.” Verbum sab sat!

Hi Alex, absolutely, this very good point is exactly why we revised this. There also is a genre/literary debate about this, as one does tend to see more ‘nose-in’ tags in certain genres, but ‘said’ is definitely least obtrusive. Action tags are also a helpful way to avoid making the dialogue tag do too much of the work. We also followed up on this with another post here , with more examples showing why unobtrusive is often as effective and renders the author’s hand less visible.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reading our blog.

This helped me so much! We had to write a narrative and I was using a lot of “said” Because I couldn’t figure out other words instead of “said” Thank you so much!

Hi Ari, it’s a pleasure! I’m glad it’s helped with your assignment. Just remember to use action tags and other devices too so you aren’t overusing odd substitutes for ‘said’.

This has helped me ever so much!!! I had to write a suspense story for school. My mind was completely blank so I searched up synonyms for said and this website came up! I tried it out and it really helped! Thanks so much. Will definitely come here for future assignments.

Hi Ant, it’s a pleasure! Thanks for reading our blog and good luck with your school assignment.

Thank you so much! This helped me with an assignment for my English class. I could not think of any words besides said, but thankfully I got some words thanks to this.

Hi Grace, that’s fantastic. I hope your assignment went well (English class was always my favourite ?). Thank you for sharing your feedback.

This was incredibly helpful, and also articulate and comprehensible for a non-native speaker like me! I especially enjoyed the part about using the speaker’s gestures and actions to substitute tags; it’s something I love in dialogues, so this helped me so much. Thanks a lot! 🙂

Thank you, Lena! I love that in dialogues too, it brings in a little more visual specificity and movement. Thank you for reading our articles.

This helped me so much – I’m writing a so-called book/novel and my head couldn’t think of anything besides “Said”. This came in handy, thank you! 🙂

Hi Alma, that’s great to hear. I hope your novel is coming along well! Thanks for reading our articles.

This helped me a lot while writing a passion project of mine thanks so much

That’s great to hear, PK-Volt. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

This really helped me! I am righting a book named ” The Secret Demigod”, and it adds a lot of expression using these words!

That’s great, Gleam! Good luck with The Secret Demigod as you progress further!

This website helped a lot! I couldn’t find any words other than “said” for my novel and It really bothered me but thanks to this I have different, interesting, better words to use. Thanks!!

Hi Lizzie, thank you for sharing that. I’m glad to hear it’s been helpful. Good luck with your novel.

This is really useful! I just couldn’t think of any other words besides “said” and “asked”, so this really helped me out. Thanks!

That’s great to hear, Sakura. It’s a pleasure, good luck with your WIP.

This helped me so much with my book I’m writing! My mind was completely blank before. And now I’m the top of my class! Thank you very much!

Great, Pankaj, keep excelling at school.

This really helped! I’m writing a story and I was only putting said and stuff like that. Now I’ve changed the story around and it sounds a lot better!

That’s great to hear, Alex. Good luck with the rest of your story.

Hey! I am in still and school and I am planning on writing a book but I always say ‘said’ so it gets repetitive. This Helped me loads! Thanks so much!

It’s a pleasure, Dakota/Flynn. Here’s to less repetition 🙂

Thank you for this post. I am writing a story and I needed better words than said, shouted, yelled and other lame words like that. Thanks for helping my story sound better.

It’s a pleasure! Remember that ‘said’ is often the least obtrusive (if the words a character says can convey the emotion, that’s half the work a tag could be doing already done).

Hey Jordan, I think that it’s so cool that you reply to everybody’s comments. It really shows how much you actually care. And pay attention to the comments instead of ignoring them like so many other people. Really awesome.

Thank you, L.P.S. I try to reply to everyone, we want to encourage discussion and questions as much as possible. Thank you for reading our blog, too ?

This helps me a lot! Using a ‘said” word is very repetitive and sounds boring. I am still in school and I was planning to write my own story and published it on Wattpad. This really saves me from using said. And I thank you for that Jordan.

It’s a pleasure, Yvonne! Good luck with your Wattpad story (feel free to share stories for feedback with our critique community, too).

Thank you so much this really helped me with my writing, thanks again.

I wrote my entire book but found so many plot holes when rereading it, I ended up scrapping it and going back to work on my timeline, while doing that I’ve been researching a lot of stuff to make my book as perfect as I can get it. Dialogue has always been something I was confident about, but after reading this I realize that I would almost always have a “spoke (character)” at the end of each phrase. I never really thought much of it till reading this. I want to have it more sparingly, and after going over this blog? I think I finally get how to do that. Thank you so much.

It’s a pleasure Ross, it’s good you’re getting stuck into revision and learning as you go. Keep it up.

This is great, I’m writing a story and I never know what to put down instead of said. Also i would say to add to the words a bit.

Hi there, thank you for your feedback! When you say ‘add to the words’, could you maybe be more specific (to which words in what way)?

It helped me a lot. Thanks to this I’ve gotten an idea of rewriting my story.

That’s great to hear, Ej. Good luck with your rewriting!

It helped a lot for my parable I did in Ela thankyou

It’s a pleasure, Samuel, we’re glad it helped with your assignment!

I think this website is awesome And as other people said, I love how you reply to everybody’s comments and remind them of what they can do and how you encourage them with there projects or books

Thanks, Sam! It’s a pleasure, we’re here to encourage and help 🙂 Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.

It helped a lot with my parable. Thank You!

It’s a pleasure, Briana! Thank you for reading our blog.

thanks this helped a lot with my school project

That’s awesome, Marie. Thanks for letting us know and for reading our blog.

Thank you so much for the free advice. I am writing my first book, which I started on three weeks ago. 20,000 words into the novel, I am amazed at how difficult it is to write dialog without making it sound repetitive, cumbersome and monotonous. Conveying emotion through writing is so challenging. And capturing body language, emotion, tone and intention only through words in a concise, creative and captivating manner is an art, as I have now come to appreciate. I am learning as I go because I don’t want to be the person who says “I will write a novel some day” and never get around to it. I have been writing at least a 1000 words a day and I have promised myself to not be judgement even if it is crap and a plot is not developing. Later, when I go for a walk on the beach, the characters take on a life of their own and the plot develops. It’s a leap of faith and in the interest of making myself accountable to someone, I hereby pledge that I will complete the novel by April 25th.

Thanks again.

Congratulations on the progress you’ve made so far. It’s a good sign that your ‘characters take on a life of their own’ when you’re not writing as that shows your unconscious mind is showing up for the task, imagination is taking hold. 25th April is an ambitious deadline if you’re about a quarter of the way through (keeping in mind that the average trade paperback is around 80,000 words long) but if you have the time, focus and commitment I’m sure you can do it.

i really needed this. i was writing a story right now cause i cant sleep and these really helped with expressing the dialogue. thank you!!

It’s a pleasure, Stacy. Good luck with your story (and with getting more sleep!).

This is great! It helped a lot with my school study!

Hi Olivia, thank you for your feedback. I hope you get great grades 🙂

I really love to write fanfiction, and I post it, but sometimes it’s just so frustrating with the lack of anything but ‘said’ in some of the fics I read! and write, too. I really can’t express how much this helped me. I hope to write a book someday as well, and if (hopefuly when) I do, I’ll be sure to keep this in mind! Here’s a bit from one of my stories that I changed before I found this site. ‘Harry Potter picked moodily at his food. The year was turning out to be even worse than the last, and that’s saying something.

So far, he’d been attacked by dementors in front of Dudley, been to a hearing at the Ministry, almost been expelled from Hogwarts, had a VERY bad (to put it lightly) Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore had been kicked out, he’d been having dreams, his scar hurt, had to take extra lessons with Snape, deal with everyone calling him a liar and insane, deal with everyone keeping secrets from him, Dumbledore would barely LOOK at him all year, AND, to top it all off, that toad had etched words into his hand! Oh, and he was also banned from Quidditch for life.

Ron Weasley nudged him. “You okay mate?”

His eyebrows furrowed with concern. “You need to eat, Harry,” Ron continued when Harry didn’t respond.

Harry just shrugged in response.

To tell the truth, no he wasn’t okay.

Hermione Granger sighed and closed the book she had been reading. “Harry, please, at least eat one piece of bacon.”

Harry bit his lip.

“If you don’t eat, you might get detention!” Ron joked in hopes of getting the moody raven-haired boy to eat.

But even that wasn’t enough to lift the teen’s spirits.

“Harry,” Neville Longbottom piped up, “seriously, answer. You’re scaring us.”

Harry pushed his plate back, ignoring the stares he was garnering from his friends, and a couple other Gryffindors who had been listening. “Guys, I’m fine, really,” he tried to tell them.

“Then why aren’t you eating?” his (male) best mate countered, quick to jump on the opportunity.

“Not everyone had a bottomless pit of a stomach, you know,” Harry replied, a bit amused.

His friends sighed in relief. But Harry went back to staring at his plate when Professor- oh, sorry, I meant Headmistress Umbridge walked in.

He quickly looked up, though, when he heard the toad clear her throat. “Hem hem,” she began, getting the attention of the students. “Classes will be cancelled until otherwise said. Until then, we will be reading a series of seven books, about the life of Harry Potter, from years one thr- ough seven.”

At this, there was an outcry.

“You can’t do this!”

“This is an outrage!”

“Invasion of privacy!”

“Slimy wart-covered toad!”

These were just some of the things that were called out. The last one, the insult, was probably one of the mild things said.

“Dolores, you can’t possibly do this!” protested Professor McGonagall. “First off, this is an inva- sion of privacy, and Mr. Potter is only in his fifth year! And, even if he wasn’t, you should at least have full permission to do this, which you obviously do not have!”

Umbridge smiled in a sickly-sweet way. “Yes, Minerva, I am aware. Perhaps you’d like to read the note that came with the books out loud so people will see the reason?”

McGonagall grinded her teeth but read the note.

As she did, people looked at Harry in various degrees of pity, surprise, horror, and some disgust, the last from a couple Slytherins.

“This has to be illegal!” Hermione cried out, standing up from the bench and putting her book down.

“Not cool,” snapped Ron angrily.

Harry just sunk down in his seat to avoid the stares. Sure, he really didn’t want everyone to read his private thoughts, and the idea that he’d feel the pain was just cruel, but in the note it said that they didn’t want it to be like that. At least Umbit- sorry, Umbridge -wouldn’t be able to do anything.

The door opened and the people mentioned in the note walked in. “Snuffles!” Harry cried joyfully as the great black grim came loping over. Snuffles barked, and Harry ran a soothing hand through his fur.

It was still weird to him that he was petting his godfather, but if it would calm him down . . .

And reading the books would save lives, at least that’s what the note said. And, the books would prove Hagrid and Sirius innocent!

And, they’d only read up to the fourth book, and then they needed Harry’s permission to continue reading. That was a plus.

Remus and Tonks came over to sit with Harry and his friends. “Wotcher, Harry,” greeted Tonks. “The rest of you as well.”

“Hi Tonks!” responded Ginny brightly.

“Professor Lupin!” Dean Thomas stood up. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as everyone else.” Remus shrugged. “I got a note from the Ministry and came straight here.”

“Oh, Harry!” Molly Weasley gushed, coming over to sit with them. “Are you okay? Oh, this must be dreadful for you!”

Everyone looked expectantly at Harry, waiting for his reply.

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably at the sudden attention. “Well- I don’t like it, obviously, but if it’ll save lives . . .”

Ginny sighed, and Harry had a good idea why.

“Hem, hem.”

Gathering everyone’s attention, Umbridge stood up. “Now that we’re all clear on what’s happening, why don’t we start reading?” ‘ well, there it is! again, that you so much!

[…] speak, you can use descriptive verbs and nouns to paint a picture with a simple word. Here are some voice synonym ideas to give a try when you write your next dialogue […]

This site helps out a lot. I am currently writing a little story and this site is helping me with it. Thank you!

It’s a pleasure, Makoa. Good luck with your story!

This website is amazing and really helpful. At the moment I am writing my own story and I am trying not to repeat the word “said”. Thank you so much, I recommend this website to my friend and she too thinks this is wonderful, thank you again : )

That’s great to hear, Alicia. We’re glad to help. Thank you for recommending Now Novel to your friend, too. Good luck to you both with your stories!

This has helped so much, thank you! I used to have no idea what to type in dialogue except for said. Now I can just come here and look for one. My friend and I are writing a book now it sounds much better. Again, thank you! 🙂

That’s great to hear, Leona. It’s a pleasure! Good luck with your co-authored book.

The website doesn’t let me respond to your last message to me. Thanks for the encouragement.

Today, I am at 52,000 words and plot has been built. Maybe I won’t get to exactly 80,000 by April 25th but I anticipate that I will and if not, I will be somewhere in the 70s (thousands, that is :).

I have learnt that taking a leap of faith just means setting that time aside. I can do 1000 words in 50 minutes and my commitment to this effort in a minimum 1000 words a day. On a good weekend, I can do 5000 words but this weekend I only went 2000 words over because obviously, if the story is not flowing out of my fingers, I don’t want to produce for the sake of producing.

But when all is said and done, I have more stories, characters and plots in my head than I can ever get out into a novel. The difference between now and before is that previously, I never thought I had what it takes to be a writer and now I believe that anyone write a novel. I’ve learnt that it takes a combination of imagination and discipline.

Thanks again, Rajita

It’s my pleasure, Rajita. That sounds like fantastic progress, congratulations! You’re absolutely right that it takes imagination and discipline as well as making smart choices (e.g. where you describe writing 2000 when you aimed for 5000 but not letting this discourage you or pushing yourself past what felt a natural stopping point).

It sounds as though you’ve developed a process that works for you. Good luck finishing your story!

This is so cool, I’m in 6th grade and this helps a lot!

That’s great to hear, Juliana. Good luck with your story!

I am a 9th grade student. I started to write a book during the quarantine and this helped me a lot. thank you 🙂

That’s awesome, Joan. Thank you for reading our blog and sharing your feedback! Good luck finishing your book ☺

i love them for my new na no wir mo book

Hey Jordan,

I made it to 77,000 words today, finished writing the climax, and tied up most loose ends. I have 3,000 words to go, which I can reach simply by bulking up a few sections that need more description. I started mid-Feb and haven’t missed a day of writing at least 1000 words. This is in addition to the 60 hours I work per week. Once I hit 80,000 on Wednesday or sooner, I can’t wait to take a day’s break before entering editing hell. So much cleaning up to do and if I have a mental block, this is it. Something about going back and cleaning up raises fear that I will look back at all the words I wrote will look like drivel lol. and then there’s the hunt for an editor and with any luck a publisher/Audio book procers. I will definitely be coming back to this site for cleaning up the dialog in the next few weeks.

I think posting here on March 14th that I would finish the book by April 25th kept me accountable as I am not good at straying on my word. Thanks again for your forum 🙂

Hi Rajita, congratulations on your progress in writing your story! That is fantastic progress, especially given the 60 hours you work per week. Editing can be hell, but it can also be heaven, too! I would say try to shift your view of editing away from ‘cleaning up’ to ‘freshening up’. So often when I edit the author has a hidden gem behind some overwriting here, a little repetition and waffle there. Try to see it as an additional creative process rather than a chore, I’m sure that will help you find it more fun.

I’m glad we could help you keep accountable! You can be proud of the progress you’ve made.

I’m writing a book for a school project and this helped me a lot!

Great, Lily! Good luck with your school project.

thanks for the other words jordan, i’m doing a project on disney and this helps a lot with the work!

It’s a pleasure, Aiden. Good luck with your Disney project!

I just want to thank you for all of your work on this article! I’m working on a Dystopian story and needed all these words.

It’s a pleasure, Lisa! Thank you for reading our blog. Good luck with your dystopian story.

Thank you, so much for this. I’m a 5th grader and this is helping a lot. I am currently writing a story and this is helping a lot, thank you again

It’s a pleasure, Jie. Have fun writing your story!

This helps so much! I’m in 7th grade and I’ve been writing story’s for about two years now, and this site has helped me significantly improve in my writing.

That’s great to hear, Ava. I’m glad we’ve helped with your writing. It does take time, so it’s good you’re persevering with your story. Keep going 🙂

thx! im writing a story and im just trying my best to use the word ‘said’ so much lol!

thank you this helped me a lot! ?

this was so helpful for the book I’m writing!

That’s great to hear, Olivia! Thank you for your feedback.

i’m writing a book and this was super helpful. thank you! ?

It’s a pleasure, Mar! Thank you for reading our articles ?.

Wow! Thank you all so much for helping me, my writer’s block has been going on for a while now and this really helped.

That is great to hear, Akai. Happy writing 🙂

I’ve heard of show and not tell. I’m trying it now and it works great.

I’m glad to hear that, Richard. It does help immersion. Good luck with your story and thanks for reading our blog.

This has been really helpful for me

I’m glad to hear that, Josh. Happy writing!

I’m writing a story on Wattpad right now and this helped so much!

Hi Arshiya, I’m glad to hear that! Thank you for reading our blog.

This really helps me with my writing!!

That’s great to hear, Juli. Keep it up!

This really helps me with the short story I’m writing for class. Thanks!

I’m glad to hear that, Lacey. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

This really helps me to write wattpad books. Thanks!

I’m writing my debut novel as we speak and I’ve always struggled with dialogue as my skills lie in plot-building, scene descriptors, etc. It’s always been my weakness and I couldn’t figure out why. This put the why behind my dialogue that was okay, but not good. This was specific so now I see why mine always felt a touch wrong. I can pinpoint the differences in my own versus the examples that are clearly better. Thank you thank you!

Hi Cate, that’s great to hear. I’m glad this article had practical utility for you. Good luck with writing dialogue further, and thank you for taking time to leave your feedback and for reading our blog!

I am doing my first story for fun, I never thought to use gestures and such. Thanks!

It’s a pleasure, LG. Enjoy the process! Thank you for reading our blog and leaving us feedback.

This was super helpful! I’m writing a book, and since I haven’t done anything like that in a while, I needed a bit of a refresher. Now I use this as a guide of some sort! Thank you 🙂

Thank you. This helped me so much cause I have to write a fiction story in my class.

It’s a pleasure, Sean. Good luck for your class!

This really helps!

I’m glad to hear that, Sammie. Thanks for reading our blog!

I have to write a realistic fiction story in my ELA class in school, and I say “said” or “says” so much, so this is a program was sent by an angel! LOL!

Hi Sadie, I hope you get a top mark or we’ll be hiring new angels ?. Thank you for reading our blog.

Thank you this really helps me write my story in my ELA Class in school I didn’t use say a much and a now how to write past, present, and future tense.

Hi Darius, that’s great to hear. I hope you do well in your class. Thanks for reading our blog and leaving feedback!

[…] Dialogue words: Other words for ‘said’ (and what to avoid) […]

This was so helpful for everything! It helped me understand more of the work ethic for writing so much better! And guess what? I got an A all because of this amazing source! Thank you so much!!

Hi Fiona, that’s awesome, congratulations on your A 🙂 Keep it up and thanks for reading our blog.

I rarely leave replies on anything, but this was fantastic. Thank you!

Hi Carmine, thank you in that case for the rare comment 🙂 Thank you for reading our blog, it’s a pleasure.

I’m using this article for some help in writing a smaller novel/novella I’m writing. I have almost 14k words in it and wanted to see how many “said” words i had in it. I used it about 48 times, but wanted to lower that, so that’s what i did! Now its at around 10 🙂

also the word “said” was mainly used in the dialogue parts of it such as, “Oh, I said that to him.”

Hi Aaliyah, that sounds like a productive edit, I’m glad you found this article helpful. Good luck with your novella 🙂

hi, this really helped me in my realistic fiction writing thank you for making a page about this

It’s a pleasure, Insiyah. Thank you for reading our blog.

Wow this helps me a lot thanks!

Hi Joshua, it’s a pleasure. I’m glad you found this helpful, thanks for reading our blog and sharing your feedback.

This is great advice. Like some of you, I have struggled with using he said, she said so much in my novel. I feel a bit more freedom now to let these characters yell, mumble, etc.! Thanks for the great post.

Hi Billy, thank you for sharing your feedback! A great rule of thumb is to favor words that one can easily imagine saying. For example, ‘she whispered’ (versus ‘she trilled’). The more ‘out there’ or creative the dialogue tag, the more it draws attention to the author’s hand usually.

I am so impressed and challenged by the information shared here and in the comments of your readers. I am working on a post for Education, as well, so it’s a timely visit. It is an important post, and I’ve not taken enough time to write it yet just thinking and researching so far.

Hi Vincent, thank you for sharing that. Good luck for your research and for writing it, I hope you enjoy the process.

Thank you this is so helpful I’m actually currently writing a book so I really appreciate this advise!

Hi Hayden, it’s a pleasure. Good luck with your book and thanks for sharing your feedback.

I’m only in middle school and my friend showed my story to her teacher that used to be a highschool teacher and he said it would a A if I were in highschool and it was probably because I used a lot of the tips from this website.

That’s so lovely to hear, Zoey. I’m glad you received such encouraging words from your friend’s teacher. Keep writing!

it was too long i could not read it

Hi Shlok, I’m sorry to hear that. What is an ideal word count to you? We value our readers’ feedback 🙂 The links in the sidebar hopefully help to jump the sections that are most important/useful to you.

i like this website a lot it helps me

This was awesome, I kept referring back to this page, and my vocabulary got so much bigger.

Hi Little_Cat, thank you for your kind feedback, I’m glad you found this article useful.

Hello Jordon, Thank you for sharing this article with category-wise dialog words. I have one question, though. Can we use ‘thought’ also as a dialogue verb/word? An example: “Then, we have to get some solid proof somehow,” thought John.

Hi Mvsagar,

Great question. This can be used to indicate a thought, but is maybe best used for thoughts that are spoken aloud as the speech marks make it easy to confuse with spoken/voiced material. So the more common approach for thoughts is to italicize the thought. In this case, if the surrounding narration is in third person, the thought is written in first-person, present-tense (since it occurs in the unfolding moment).

Example: They had plenty of evidence, but hardly enough to sway a jury. Then we have to get some solid proof somehow, thought John.

It looks like I missed an email from your website about your reply. I have seen your reply just now. Thank you for your clarification. Now, I realize that we quite frequently say “I think ….” while speaking with others. So usage of the verb “thought” as a dialog verb seems right!

Thank you! I’m writing a story and this helped me a lot!

That’s lovely to hear Ayra, it’s a pleasure! Thank you for reading our blog. Remember to subscribe to our newsletter if you want to know whenever we share new articles.

Thank you so much! I’m making a story right now and this helped me out. 🙂

Hi Julia. We’re glad we could help! Dialogue is crucial to making your story come alive, so it is worth taking the time to write believable conversations. We wish you the best of luck with your story, and hope you come and share it with us on our critique groups.

Do you have other words to use in your writing instead of thought?

Thanks for question. You could say contemplates, ponders, wonders, muses on, considers or reflected, for instance. All of these could work well in place of ‘thought’. My personal preference is to write as plainly as possible, and ‘thought’ is good. The reader’s eye almost just glides over it to the meat of what is being said or thought. But I agree you need some other options if thought is being used over and over especially on one page!

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The 8 Key Elements of Highly Effective Speech

…and why your words barely matter.

Posted July 10, 2012 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

I’d like you to take a moment to experience the following sentence, taken from a recent article exploring the nature of human consciousness: “Neuroplastic mechanisms relevant to the growing number of empirical studies of the capacity of directed attention and mental effort systematically alter brain function.”

Exciting? Hardly! In fact, most of the words you read barely register in your brain, and most of the words you speak barely register in the listener’s brain. In fact, research shows that words are the least important part of communication when you have face-to-face conversations with others. So before you utter another word to another person, memorize this list of the 8 key elements of highly effective speech:

• Gentle eye contact
• Kind facial expression
• Warm tone of voice
• Expressive hand and body gestures
• Relaxed disposition
• Slow speech rate
• The words themselves

Effective communication is based on trust, and if we don’t trust the speaker, we’re not going to listen to their words. Trust begins with eye contact because we need to see the person’s face to evaluate if they are being deceitful or not. In fact, when we are being watched, cooperation increases. [1] When we are not being watched, people tend to act more selfishly, with greater dishonesty. [2]

Gentle eye contact increases trustworthiness and encourages future cooperation, [3] and a happy gaze will increase emotional trust. [4] However, if we see the slightest bit of anger or fear on the speaker’s face, our trust will rapidly decrease. [5] But you can’t fake trustworthiness because the muscles around your mouth and eyes that reflect contentment and sincerity are involuntary. Solution: if you think about someone you love, or an event that brought you deep joy and satisfaction, a "Mona Lisa" smile will appear on your face and the muscles around your eyes will soften.

The tone of your voice is equally important when it comes to understanding what a person is really trying to say. If the facial expression expresses one emotion , but if the tone conveys a different one, neural dissonance takes place in the brain, causing the person confusion. [6] The result: trust erodes, suspicion increases, and cooperation decreases.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that expressions of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, sadness, and surprise were better communicated through vocal tone than facial expression, whereas the face was more accurate for communicating expressions of joy, pride, and embarrassment . [7] And in business, a warm supportive voice is the sign of transformational leadership , generating more satisfaction, commitment, and cooperation between other members of the team. [8]

You can easily train your voice to convey more trust to others, and all you have to do is slow down and drop your pitch. This was tested at the University of Houston: when doctors reduced their speaking rate and pitch, especially when delivering bad news, the listener perceived them “as more caring and sympathetic.” [9] Harvard's Ted Kaptchuk also discovered that using a warm voice would double the healing power of a therapeutic treatment. [10]

If you want to express joy, your voice needs to become increasingly melodic, whereas sadness is spoken with a flat and monotonic voice. When we are angry, excited, or frightened, we raise the pitch and intensity of our voice, and there’s a lot of variability in both the speed and the tone. However, if the emotion is incongruent with the words you are using, it will create confusion for the listener. [11]

Gestures, and especially hand movements, are also important because they help orchestrate the language comprehension centers of your brain. [12] In fact, your brain needs to integrate both the sounds and body movements of the person who is speaking in order to accurately perceive what is meant. [13] From an evolutionary perspective, speech emerged from hand gestures and they both originate the same language area of the brain. [14] If our words and gestures are incongruent, it will create confusion in the listener’s brain. [15] Our suggestion: practice speaking in front of a mirror, consciously using your hands to “describe” the words you are speaking.

Your degree of relaxation is also reflected in your body language , facial expressions, and tone of voice, and any form of stress will convey a message of distrust . Why? Your stress tells the observer’s brain that there may be something wrong, and that stimulates defensive posturing in the listener. Research shows that even a one-minute relaxation exercise will increase activity in those parts of the brain that control language, communication, social awareness, mood-regulation, and decision-making . [16] Thus, a relaxed conversation allows for increased intimacy and empathy. Stress, however, causes us to talk too much because it hinders our ability to speak with clarity.

When you speak, slow down! Slow speech rates will increase the ability for the listener to comprehend what you are saying, and this is true for both young and older adults. [17] Slower speaking will also deepen that person’s respect for you, [18] Speaking slowly is not as natural as it may seem, and as children we automatically speak fast. But you can teach yourself, and your children to slow down by consciously cutting your speech rate in half. A slow voice has a calming effect on a person who is feeling anxious , whereas a loud fast voice will stimulate excitement, anger, or fear. [19]

Try this experiment: pair up with a partner and speak so slowly that … you … leave … 5 … seconds … of … silence … between … each … word. You’ll become aware of your negative inner speech that tells you that you should babble on endlessly and as fast as possible. It’s a trap, because the listener’s brain can only recall about 10 seconds of content! That’s why, when we train people in Compassionate Communication, we ask participants to speak only one sentence at a time, slowly, and then listen deeply as the other person speaks for ten seconds or less. This exercise will increase your overall consciousness about the importance of the first 7 elements of highly effective communication. Then, and only then, will you truly grasp the deeper meaning that is imparted by each word spoken by others.

But what about written communication, where you only have access to the words? When it comes to mutual comprehension, the written word pales in comparison to speech. To compensate, your brain imposes arbitrary meanings onto the words. You, the reader, give the words emotional impact that often differs from what the writer intended, which is why so many email correspondences get misinterpreted. And unless the writer fills in the blanks with specific emotional words and descriptive speech – storytelling – the reader will experience your writing as being flat, boring , dry, and probably more negative than you intended.

The solution: help the reader “paint a picture” in their mind with your words. Use concrete nouns and action verbs because they are easier for the reader’s brain to visualize. Words like “sunset” or “eat” are easy to see in the mind's eye, but words like “freedom” or “identify” force the brain to sort through too many conceptual frameworks. Instead, our lazy brain will skip over as many words as possible, especially the abstract ones. When this happens the deeper levels of meaning and feeling will be lost.

For more information on how to improve your speaking and listening skills, along with additional exercises to practice, see Words Can Change Your Brain: 12 Conversation Strategies for Building Trust, Reducing Conflict, and Increasing Intimacy (Newberg & Waldman, 2012, Hudson Street Press).

[1] Cues of being watched enhance cooperation in a real-world setting. Bateson M, Nettle D, Roberts G. Biol Lett. 2006 Sep 22;2(3):412-4.

[2] Effects of anonymity on antisocial behavior committed by individuals. Nogami T, Takai J. Psychol Rep. 2008 Feb;102(1):119-30.

[3] Eyes are on us, but nobody cares: are eye cues relevant for strong reciprocity? Fehr E, Schneider F. Proc Biol Sci. 2010 May 7;277(1686):1315-23.

[4] Evaluating faces on trustworthiness: an extension of systems for recognition of emotions signaling approach/avoidance behaviors. Todorov A. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008 Mar;1124:208-24.

[5] Common neural mechanisms for the evaluation of facial trustworthiness and emotional expressions as revealed by behavioral adaptation. Engell AD, Todorov A, Haxby JV. Perception. 2010;39(7):931-41.

[6] Use of affective prosody by young and older adults. Dupuis K, Pichora-Fuller MK. Psychol Aging. 2010 Mar;25(1):16-29.

[7] "Worth a thousand words": absolute and relative decoding of nonlinguistic affect vocalizations. Hawk ST, van Kleef GA, Fischer AH, van der Schalk J. Emotion. 2009 Jun;9(3):293-305.

[8] Leadership = Communication? The Relations of Leaders' Communication Styles with Leadership Styles, Knowledge Sharing and Leadership Outcomes. de Vries RE, Bakker-Pieper A, Oostenveld W. J Bus Psychol. 2010 Sep;25(3):367-380.

[9] Voice analysis during bad news discussion in oncology: reduced pitch, decreased speaking rate, and nonverbal communication of empathy. McHenry M, Parker PA, Baile WF, Lenzi R. Support Care Cancer. 2011 May 15.

[10] Components of placebo effect: randomised controlled trial in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Conboy LA, Davis RB, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, Kirsch I, Schyner RN, Nam BH, Nguyen LT, Park M, Rivers AL, McManus C, Kokkotou E, Drossman DA, Goldman P, Lembo AJ. BMJ. 2008 May 3;336(7651):999-1003.

[11] Use of affective prosody by young and older adults. Dupuis K, Pichora-Fuller MK. Psychol Aging. 2010 Mar;25(1):16-29.

[12] Gestures orchestrate brain networks for language understanding. Skipper JI, Goldin-Meadow S, Nusbaum HC, Small SL. Curr Biol. 2009 Apr 28;19(8):661-7.

[13] When language meets action: the neural integration of gesture and speech. Willems RM, Ozyürek A, Hagoort P. Cereb Cortex. 2007 Oct;17(10):2322-33.

[14] When the hands speak. Gentilucci M, Dalla Volta R, Gianelli C. J Physiol Paris. 2008 Jan-May;102(1-3):21-30. Epub 2008 Mar 18.

[15] How symbolic gestures and words interact with each other. Barbieri F, Buonocore A,Volta RD, Gentilucci M. Brain Lang. 2009 Jul;110(1):1-11.

[16i] Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. Tang YY, Ma Y, Wang J, Fan Y, Feng S, Lu Q, Yu Q, Sui D, Rothbart MK, Fan M, Posner MI. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Oct 23;104(43):17152-6.

[17] Comprehension of speeded discourse by younger and older listeners. Gordon MS, Daneman M, Schneider BA. Exp Aging Res. 2009 Jul-Sep;35(3):277-96.

[18] Celerity and cajolery: rapid speech may promote or inhibit persuasion through its impact on message elaboration. Smith SM, Shaffer, DR. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 1991 Dec;17(6):663-669.

[19] Voices of fear and anxiety and sadness and depression: the effects of speech rate and loudness on fear and anxiety and sadness and depression. Siegman AW, Boyle S. J Abnorm Psychol. 1993 Aug;102(3):430-7. The angry voice: its effects on the experience of anger and cardiovascular reactivity. Siegman AW, Anderson RA, Berger T. Psychosom Med. 1990 Nov-Dec;52(6):631-43.

Andrew Newberg, M.D ., and Mark Robert Waldman are the authors of Words Can Change Your Brain .

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

Use a personal SWOT analysis to discover your strengths and weaknesses

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14 Tips On How To Improve Speaking Skills (Speak Like A Pro!)

If you feel nervous or flustered when it’s your time to talk, use these actionable practices to be more articulate and well-spoken in the workplace and beyond.

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Whether you’re chatting with coworkers at lunch, having an important conversation with your boss, or giving a big presentation, speaking with confidence and charisma can transform your daily life.

Research shows that communication skills are strong predictors of your success in the workplace and relationships . Yet, so many people still struggle with verbally expressing themselves. Excellent speakers benefit from:

• Improved communication
• Getting their ideas heard
• Earning more respect
• Being interrupted less
• Having more loyal and deep connections
• Not being underestimated or overlooked

If you are hesitating or flustered when it’s your turn to talk, here are 14 actionable tips for improving your speaking skills.

Watch our video below to learn powerful presentation skills in person, on video, and in meetings:

How to Improve Speaking Skills at Work and Beyond: 14 Action-Packed Tips

Most kids learn to talk around 1 to 2 years old, but learning to express yourself verbally is a lifelong learning experience. You can excel in your career and get what you want by mastering the art of talking. 

Many tools are available to improve your speech, whether you’re a native speaker or an English learner. Here are the top 14 science-backed ways to speak better: 

#1 Stay in your zone of genius (only talk about what you know)

You may notice that the most professional-sounding people tend to stay in their zone of genius when speaking publicly. You won’t hear Oprah pretending she’s an expert in electric cars. Nor will you hear Elon Musk advising about spirituality and personal development.

They both stay in their realms of expertise, which naturally makes them sound confident when they speak. They’re not faking it— they know what they’re talking about!

If you struggle to speak with conviction, you may inadvertently talk about topics you don’t know much about. Instead, focus on your zone of genius.

Your zone of genius is the mental space where your skills and interests converge .

It includes the subjects, facts, and stories you know the most about. These things are easy for you to talk about with others because you’re knowledgeable and passionate about them. 

Avoid talking off the cuff about topics you’re not familiar with. Not only does this make you sound uninformed or untrustworthy, but it can send off the message that you are a “know-it-all.” 

Masterful conversationalists are usually not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Similarly, a public speaker won’t add random facts or opinions that they can’t back up with authentic knowledge on the topic.

Pro tip: Not a master in your subject? No worries! Most people have limited knowledge in a particular field. Try learning from the Three Book Rule, which states that if you read 3 books on a specific topic (for example, tennis), you’ll be more knowledgeable than 99% of the population.

#2 Read books or articles out loud

Reading is one of the most underrated tools for becoming a great speaker. It can make you sound more articulate and smooth in your speech. Plus, you learn new vocabulary and better comprehend the book in the process. 

Unlike conversations or spoken speeches, written text tends to have a better structure for learning, as authors and editors have worked together to keep the text free of grammatical errors or awkward sentences. Reading books aloud helps you learn to speak more smoothly in day-to-day conversations. 

Repeat this exercise at least once per week (or every night before bed if you’re determined):

• Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
• Choose a book you enjoy, flip to a random page, or continue reading where you left off.
• Read the page out loud from start to end.
• Take note of words you had trouble pronouncing or sentences that sounded awkward out loud. Notice how fast or slow you read and the tone of your voice. Depending on the character’s speaking, you can also practice changing your voice if you’re reading fiction. This can help you practice vocal variety.
• Look up the pronunciation of specific words if needed. 
• Now read the page or passage out loud again. Change your performance based on what you noticed in the first round. Emphasize important points with a shift in volume or inflection (highness or lowness of your voice)  
• Optionally, use voice memos on your phone to record yourself reading.
• Listen back to your recordings and find places where your inflection, cadence (the rhythm of speech), and volume change. Do these align with the overall message of the piece? 

If you feel unsure about reading aloud, try listening to audiobook samples to hear how different speakers recite written words. You can also use a free resource like Librivox to listen to free audiobooks.

#3 Use tongue twisters to practice enunciation

Mumbling speech can make it challenging to understand what you’re saying. When people mumble, it sends the message that they don’t want to be heard or feel embarrassed by their speech. On the other hand, people who enunciate their words are seen as more intelligent. 

Eloquent speaking is undoubtedly an art, but it starts with the simple act of training your mouth to move in a certain way. Those silly tongue twisters from your childhood can be surprisingly useful. Repeating related sounds can improve your English speaking skills and articulation of specific words. 

Repeat these 10 times each or until you can say them over and over without fumbling: 

• Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather.
• Sally sells shells by the seashore.
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York. 
• I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen. 

Use tongue twisters regularly and as a vocal warm-up before you do a lot of talking. 

Bonus Tip: Learn the Art of Stage Presence

Did you know that public speaking is actually a skill? Many people struggle with stage anxiety because they feel they ‘missed the memo’ on public speaking or they are lacking because they do not have a natural stage presence. Not true!

Stage presence and public speaking are skills you need to be taught—very few people have them naturally. 

Watch our video below to learn the 7 steps to overcome stage fright and beat performance anxiety:

Here are all the aspects of public speaking you can master.

• How to make a first impression with an audience
• How to have stage presence
• Powerful body language
• How to speak with a commanding voice
• What to do with your hands while speaking

For every speaking skill you add to your toolbox, the less speaking anxiety you will feel.

If you want help really diving into your presentation skills, be sure to sign-up for our course…

Master Your People Skills

• Create a Memorable Presence
• Communicate with Confidence
• Achieve Your Goals

Have a question about the presentation or People School? Email Science of People support .

#4 Talk to yourself

One of the easiest ways to step into your power as a speaker is to start talking to yourself. People often dismiss those who talk to themselves as crazy when, in reality, talking to yourself is entirely normal. 

Scientists have found that talking to yourself is beneficial for enhancing your performance in sports, finding things you lost, and solving problems. A practice called mirror meditation combines neuroscience and self-reflection to overcome insecurities like physical appearance and public speaking. 

You can use self-talk with or without a mirror to achieve two primary goals:

• Build your confidence : Psychologists say that talking to yourself in a mirror can help externalize your inner dialogue and sort through your thoughts. Speaking positive things to your reflection is a form of positive affirmation. For example, you can calm your nerves before talking to someone important by telling your reflection, “You’ve got this! You are well-spoken, eloquent, and powerful with your words. You’re going to rock this conversation. I love you.” You don’t necessarily have to say these things out loud, but you want to signal to your mind that you are your number one fan (and you should be!).
• Rehearse before big moments (and sort through your thoughts) : For example, you can rehearse what you’ll say to your boss while you’re driving in the car on your way to work. Don’t worry about acting looking weird—nobody will be able to hear you. Use verbal recitation to gather your thoughts, so you can repeat the key points you want to discuss in the meeting. Similarly, before a big speech, you may want to walk around your room and go over a speech script in your head or out loud. 

Both methods can work synergistically to improve your speaking skills drastically. But the most important thing to remember about self-talk is: Avoid talking to yourself negatively whenever possible , especially before a critical communication event like a meeting, presentation, or important lunch. 

Listen to your internal voice and avoid internal statements like:

• “You sound stupid.”
• “I am horrible at public speaking.”
• “Your voice sounds embarrassing.”
• “You idiot, get it out already.” 

Replacing negative self-talk takes practice. Replace critical self-talk with positive affirmations ( here are 120 great ones ) and learn more about silencing your inner critic so you can feel more confident in your speech.   

#5 Learn from the best (& mimic them)

Humans are psychologically programmed to mimic each other. Mirror neurons are primal “monkey see, monkey do” parts of our brain that imitate the actions we see in other people. They explain why babies naturally smile when you smile or why you can learn to swim by watching others move in the water. 

Recent research has also revealed how these neurons are critical for learning language and communicating with others. You can even “hack” your mirror neurons to help you become a better speaker. Think about the best speakers you know and try a few of these simple practices to pick up on their best qualities:

• Watch a video of your favorite speaker three times in a row. Notice their tone of voice, stature, and vocal quirks. Learn a few sentences from the speech and try to re-enact them in a mirror. For example, if you want to mimic the conversational yet profound tone of Denzel Washington, watch this video of his speech at a graduation:

• Pretend you’re an actor and recite lines from a movie character you like. You can find specific scenes from movies on YouTube. Analyze how the script structure impacts your feelings about that character’s confidence and self-expression.
• Listen to a podcast of someone you admire and repeat things they say out loud. Podcasters are great speakers because they only have their voice to capture your attention. For example, Rob Dial of The Mindset Mentor is authentic, empowering, and energizing podcaster who speaks directly to the audience’s needs. 

Pro Tip : Speech mimicry helps you learn to speak more confidently in public or on stage, but remember to stay true to your unique qualities. You don’t want to copy other people’s words, or you will be inauthentic. Instead, take note of the specific qualities you want to adopt—such as a deeper voice, a slower pace of speaking, or a particular type of vocabulary—and integrate these into your existing communication style. 

#6 Always remember your MVP

An MVP isn’t just the star of a sports team. It’s the Most Valuable Point you need to make in any communication setting. If everything else you say was forgotten, what is one sentence that gets your point across?

Before you go into a meeting with your team, give a speech, or check in with your boss, think about your MVP. For example,

• I’m going into this check-in with my boss to ask for a raise of X dollars. 
• I want to sit down with my significant other tonight and resolve our miscommunication about X. 
• My main goal for today’s work lunch is to get to know 3 new things about each of my colleagues. 
• The key purpose of this article is to help people improve their speaking skills in various settings.  

Regardless of the communication setting, an MVP gives purpose to your words. 

Bonus: If you want to sound really convincing, practice turning your MVP into a specific sentence or two. Something like:

• “My performance in the past 6 months has doubled the company’s revenue, and, as a result, I believe I deserve a higher raise.”
• “There was a miscommunication earlier, but after some deep thinking, I realize it was my fault, and I am truly sorry.”

Having a concrete sentence or two memorized can help deliver your speech powerfully and convincingly.

#7 Sound more confident by speaking louder and lower

Speaking isn’t only about what you say but how you say it. A 2017 Yale study found that the sound of your voice is what makes people:

• Believe what you’re saying
• Feel certain emotions 

Think about it: How do you feel when you hear someone using filler words like “um” or “like” in every sentence? What about someone who talks softly? Or someone who raises their voice at the end of a statement to make it sound like a question?

You probably won’t perceive them as confident in what they’re saying. You may even be less likely to do business with them, believe their story, or give them what they’re asking for. 

There are three keys to sounding more confident when you talk:

• Speak louder (but don’t yell) : When you feel nervous, you may naturally talk more softly. But this can create a negative feedback loop that makes you sound (and feel) less confident. Instead, make your voice sound stronger by speaking at a moderate volume that you adjust based on the room and audience size. 
• Speak lower : Research shows that people who speak louder and lower are perceived as more dominant and authoritative. This is particularly important for women who talk in soft, high tones. You don’t need to change your natural voice completely; instead, practice speaking in the lower end of your range. 
• Talk at a moderately fast pace : If you speak too slowly, you could sound boring. People who drone on in a monotone don’t tend to keep our attention for long. On the other hand, if you speak too fast, you could sound annoying or difficult to understand. Studies have found that people who talk at a moderately fast pace (about 195 words per minute) seem more intelligent, persuasive, and attractive. Measure your voice with a Metronome app for Android or iOS and try to land in the 110-160 word per minute range.

Remember that your optimal vocal volume and pitch may change depending on your audience. Learn more tips about How to Speak with Confidence and Sound Better .  

Watch our video below to learn how to sound confident on the phone with 5 simple steps:

#8 Prepare your voice

Have you noticed your voice sounds groggy in the morning or strained after singing too loud on the drive to work? It’s not the best vocal state for negotiating a business deal or asking for a raise. 

Vocal care isn’t just for singers or public speakers. Proper preparation ensures your voice doesn’t crack when it comes time to speak up in a meeting. To sound better when talking, remember to:

• Use deep breathing : Shallow chest breathing can make you sound more jittery or nervous when talking. Deep belly breathing exercises can help improve your oxygen levels while simultaneously calming your body. 
• Exhale first : When it comes time to speak, most people breathe and start their sentences with an inhale. Instead, remember to exhale first. Blow out a strong breath just before you start talking.
• Stay hydrated : Your voice is directly affected by your level of hydration. Research even finds that hydrated voices sound better . If you are about to speak for an extended period in a speech or meeting, drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to the event.
• Use our 5 vocal warm-ups in our article and video below:

5 Vocal Warm-Ups Before Meetings, Speeches and Presentations

#9 Start and end with the best points

The serial-position effect explains why people remember the first and last things you say the most clearly. Whether talking to your coworkers about a project or giving a big pitch to a client, you should emphasize the best points at the beginning and the end.  

This is particularly important for presentations, but you can apply it to daily conversations. When preparing to speak, the first thing to do is brainstorm all your key points and ideas. It helps to jot them down on flashcards or digital slides. Arrange them so that the juiciest or most essential points come first. Then, reiterate them at the end as well.

For example, if you’re selling your marketing services to a client, the very first lines of the presentation may emphasize why your agency’s package is the best one available. This is sort of like a thesis. You might start with: “Top Level Agency is a one-stop shop for your marketing needs because we do all web design and digital production in-house (no freelancers or contractors!), offer 24-hour emergency technical support, and monthly payment plans.” 

Then, you can introduce yourself, explain the package offerings, and dig into more details. At the end of the presentation, repeat the key benefits they’ll get from working with your company. 

People remember the beginning and the end ! Avoiding burying your important points in the middle! Many people tell stories chronologically and accidentally bore their audience with background stories and foundational info that leaves a bad first impression. 

Pro Tip: Practice your opening and closing line the most. If you have these, you know you will start and end on a high.

#10 Master the art of presentations with 4 quick tips

From job interviews to congratulatory speeches to workplace meeting presentations, speaking in front of a group of people is a life skill that we all must practice at some point. It’s how you sell yourself, your ideas, or your products and services. Yet over 30% of Americans list public speaking (glossophobia) as one of their biggest fears. Fortunately, overcoming glossophobia can be as simple as preparation and practice. 

Here are four quick tips to transform your presentation skills:  

• Start with a hook : First impressions are everything! A sparkling one-liner, a fascinating story, or an intriguing question are the easiest ways to capture your audience’s attention before you dig into the details. Notice how Vanessa Van Edwards’ Tedx Talk starts with a funny phrase about her awkwardness: 

• Cut out excess info : A short presentation packed with information is far better than a long, boring drone full of fluff. Cut down your speech to the basics so that everything supports your main point. Avoid irrelevant facts or boring anecdotes. 
• Don’t just talk : The most captivating presentations use multiple modalities. Instead of just standing and talking, an engaging presenter will layer on the graphics, charts, videos, and visual demonstrations. 
• Pretend you’re a performer : In his book, Steal the Show , actor, and coach Michael Port says the quickest way to boost your confidence is to simply act like you’re giving a performance and you don’t have any stage fright. Transform your negative inner talk to something positive by tricking your mind into thinking you’re capable and confident in your speaking skills. 

Pro Tip : If you are planning for a big presentation and fear losing the audience’s attention, consider making your presentation more interactive by inviting the audience to participate. You can use non-awkward icebreakers , “raise your hand” questions or a social media poll on a related topic. 

Some presenters even invite an audience member to the stage for role-playing or a mini-case study. For example, in a meeting presentation about how you plan to improve upselling techniques in your stores, you may invite a coworker to act out a customer-salesperson scenario. 

Want more tips? Take your presentations to the next level with these 10 Presentation Ideas That Will Radically Improve Your Presentation Skills . 

#11 Use meaningful hand gestures

People who “talk with their hands” are naturally more magnetic. Studies show that gestures increase the value of spoken words by up to 60%! But you don’t just want to flail your hands around without purpose. Our analysis of the top TED Talks of all time found that there are specific movements that portray confidence.

These 7 powerful hand gestures include:

• Show the number : Any time you mention a number, use your fingers to add a visual element of that amount. 
• Increase or decrease : Spread your hands closer or farther away to demonstrate the intensity of a conversation point. For example, if you say, “this is a small problem,” you may close your hands together to show a small space. 
• Feel it in the heart : When discussing something emotional, gesture toward your heart or chest region. You may naturally put your hand over your heart when you say, “this means so much to me.”
• Guide your explanations : Use your hands to give a visual guide to a complex explanation. For example, suppose you’re discussing two opposing viewpoints. In that case, you might gesture to the right for Point 1 and to the left for Point 2.
• Bring things together : When you discuss the convergence of points or groups, bring your palms together in the center to demonstrate these two things merging. 
• Emblems : Cultural hand motions like thumbs up, A-OK, or pointing with an open hand can be used to highlight specific talking points. 
• You-me-we : Bring people into what you’re saying by gesturing towards them, yourself, and then between you. 

Watch this video with Vanessa Van Edwards to see how each gesture works:

Here are another 60 Hand Gestures You Should Be Using and Their Meaning . 

#12 Learn to decode body language (and use it to your advantage)

Have you ever wished you could tell what people are thinking? Decoding body language is an underrated social superpower. If you understand how to tell if your boss is being confrontational or your colleague is withholding information from you, you can have a major communication advantage. 

You’ve probably heard the statistic that 65 to 90% of communication is nonverbal. Unspoken cues often give us more insights into people than what they say out loud. Some of the most notable body language cues to look for include: 

• Lip pursing : People may be subconsciously holding something back. If you accidentally purse your lips during a speech, it may make you seem to withhold something from the audience. 
• Raised eyebrows: When someone is guilty, they might subtly raise their eyebrows to show fear. On the other hand, eyebrow raises can also indicate amusement or surprise. Take notice of your eyebrows while talking in the mirror and use them to emphasize your points.
• Touch : A light touch on the arm can be a thoughtful way to get someone’s attention or help. Combined with speaking in a soft or friendly tone, this can help you appear more kind and more compassionate.
• Firm handshake : A nice firm handshake can portray you as confident but not domineering. Deliver your handshakes with a well-rehearsed introduction like “I’m Joe. It is a pleasure to meet you.” 
• Laughing : In awkward situations, subordinates might laugh to appease the person in power, while superiors may refrain from laughing to uphold their status. As you speak, notice when you awkwardly laugh out of nervousness versus when you laugh because something is actually funny.  
• Sitting versus standing : A sitting person is physically lower than a standing person, making them potentially seem inferior or easier to reprimand. You almost always want to be standing when you are giving a speech or a presentation. On the other hand, sitting while having a tough conversation with your significant other can help create a level playing field for open-hearted discussion. 

Note how you use body language as you talk to others daily. There are so many ways you can combine speaking skills with a specific position or nonverbal cue to portray more confidence, kindness, or influence. Learn more about understanding Body Language In the Workplace: 15 Cues You Must Know . 

#13 Work on pronunciation with this app

Whether you are a native English speaker or learning the English language, countless words in the dictionary aren’t pronounced the way they are spelled. But proper pronunciation can make you sound more knowledgeable and well-spoken. 

The most commonly mispronounced words include:

• Desert vs. Dessert 
• Comfortable

Do you think you’re guilty of mispronunciations? Use the free app, Say It ( Android ) ( iOS ) to check your speech. Oxford University Press developed it to help practice sounds, words, and sentence pronunciation. 

Pro Tip : If you accidentally mispronounce a word in conversation or a presentation, don’t be afraid to correct yourself. It happens to everybody, and there is no shame in saying “excuse me” and repeating it. If you have an accent, embrace it! As long as people understand your words, pronunciation shouldn’t be an argument of tomAYto versus tomAHto. 

#14 Improve your listening skills

Paradoxically, the best speakers tend to be the best listeners. After all, communication is a two-way street. Listening is one of the most valuable social skills because it helps you:

• Understand other people
• Make deeper connections
• Demonstrate that you’re interested in what others have to say 
• Avoid dominating a conversation
• Learn how to speak better

Listening is particularly important if you feel shy or socially awkward . Next time you’re having a conversation, practice active listening with:

• Loud listening : When someone else is speaking, strategically use sounds like “oh,” “ah,” or “wow” to show you are engaged.
• Eye contact : Avoid using your phone or diverting eye contact when someone is talking. Instead, casually hold their gaze for 3-5 seconds to show that you care. But don’t be overbearing with eye contact , or you might appear weird.
• Asking questions : Show that you were paying attention to another person’s story or presentation by asking questions about what was said. Just be sure you don’t interrupt them or cut anyone off while inquiring.
• Wait for your turn to talk : A great conversationalist’s most obvious skill is knowing when to talk. Your decision to speak while someone else is still talking could send the message that you think your opinion is more important than theirs. Politely wait your turn and even leave a few seconds of pause after someone else finishes their thoughts. 

Stuttering and Language Processing Resources:

Do you struggle with stuttering or other language processing issues? You definitely can get help! Here are some great resources to check out:

• The Stuttering Foundation
• Find a Speech Therapist

Key Takeaways: Speak Better with Planning and Practicing

Nobody is born a masterful speaker, but the most charismatic people have cracked some communication code. Fortunately, the secrets to their verbal success are accessible to everyone. Start speaking better with these simple practices:

• Talk louder, lower, and at a moderate pace : If you find yourself speaking soft and slow, it can help to increase the volume, lower the tone, and speed up the rate of your words. This will help you sound and feel more confident while talking. 
• Mimic speakers you admire : Find people you want to sound like and listen to them regularly. Identify the characteristics you want to mimic, like their cheeriness, articulation, or authority. Learn lines from their videos and recite them as you watch.  
• Read out loud : Written words tend to be more edited than spoken ones. Practice reading your favorite books out loud so you can 
• Master pronunciation and enunciation : Avoid mispronunciations and mumbling. Instead, use the internet to learn how to pronounce words you’re unsure about and train your mouth to enunciate specific words with tongue twister exercises. 
• Use hand gestures: Your hands are among the most underrated tools for speaking. Use them to your advantage by emphasizing essential points. 

Whether you’re talking to an audience of 2 or 2,000, public speaking can catapult you to higher levels of self-development and professional success. To take your speaking skills to the next level, learn these 15 Science-Based Public Speaking Tips to Be a Master Speaker . 

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• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

If you’re interested in developing your language and persuasive skills, Oxford Royale offers summer courses at its Oxford Summer School , Cambridge Summer School , London Summer School , San Francisco Summer School and Yale Summer School . You can study courses to learn english , prepare for careers in law , medicine , business , engineering and leadership.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument. Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , business , medicine  and engineering .

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• Diction/articulation drills

Diction exercises to improve enunciation

- articulation drills to make sure they get your message.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

Why should you do diction exercises?

Because your speech content may be great, you may look fantastic, but unless your audience can easily UNDERSTAND what you're saying, your message is seriously compromised.

Diction exercises will help you learn how to enunciate well, to speak clearly.

An athlete does warm-ups and stretches before an event: a singer does likewise.

These drills using tongue twisters are the public speaker's warm up equivalent. They're an easy way to prepare and train you to speak cleanly, clearly and effectively.

What's on this page

Use the links to jump to:

• the benefits of tongue twister diction exercises , a definition of diction and more
• 4 tips for beginners to help you get the most out the exercises
• Tongue twisters for: B words (with audio) , D words , F words , H words , J words , K words , L words , N & U words , P words , Q words , R words , S words , T words , V words .
• Two tricky twisters especially to exercise tongues
• An extra challenging work out: the Major General's patter song from Gilberts and Sullivan's light opera , The Pirates of Penzance . (With audio.)
• Other resources to help with speech delivery

The benefits of diction exercises or drills are:

• strengthening and stretching the facial and mouth muscles involved in speech,
• bringing to your attention habitual speech patterns which may be less than perfect.

Good diction, (enunciation), is NOT about changing your accent or making you 'talk posh'.

It is about clarity, effective communication:  making sure what you say is heard and comprehended correctly.

Seize the opportunity to talk *tosh

Seize the opportunity and talk * tosh, with aplomb! It will make a huge difference.

Tongue twisters have long been an integral part of a public speaker's tool kit. As well as being fun, they are extremely effective - a good way to get great diction fast.

Why are tongue twisters so silly? 

If you're puzzled by them because English is your 2nd, 3rd or language, don't be. Stop trying to find their meaning. Because more often than not, there is none and they are complete nonsense.

Or as my father would say, total twaddle. Tripe. Gibberish and bunkum.

They're that way because they are made up of specific, often similar sounding, word combinations that have been put together purely for the different ways they make you work to say them clearly. They were never meant to make sense!

* tosh, twaddle, tripe, gibberish, and bunkum are synonyms for anything that does not make sense. It's illogical, silly or stupid.

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Diction Exercises: Tips & Tongue Twisters

Tips for beginners.

• The best way to start is slowly and carefully.
• Pay close attention to make sure the start and end of each word is crisp.
• Repeat the phrase, getting faster and faster while maintaining clear speech: that is ensuring the vowel and consonant sounds are distinctly heard. If you trip over words, stop and start again.
• As an additional exercise for improving your tongue's flexibility and agility add  Mrs  Tongue Does Her Housework to your practice session. These stretches will help enormously!

Diction Exercises for 'B' words:

Betty bought a bit of butter, but she found the butter bitter, so Betty bought a bit of better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Blue blood, black blood. Black bug, blue bug.

Bill had a billboard. Bill also had a board bill. The board bill bored Bill, So Bill sold his billboard And paid his board bill. Then the board bill No longer bored Bill, But though he had no board bill, Neither did he have his billboard!

Here's a small audio clip of me* saying those classic 'B' word tongue twisters: 'Betty Botter' and 'Bill had a billboard'. Click to play it.

*I'm a New Zealander. That's the foreign accent you're hearing.

For 'D' words try:

Two dozen double damask dinner napkins, two dozen double damask dinner napkins ...

Do drop in at the Dewdrop Inn, do drop in at the Dewdrop Inn ...

How much dew could a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop did drop dew?

Down the deep damp dark dank den, down the deep damp dark dank den ...

Diction Exercises for 'F' words:

Four furious friends fought for the phone, four furious friends fought for the phone ...

Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions, Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions ...

For 'H' words try:

How was Harry hastened so hurriedly from the hunt? How was Harry hastened so hurriedly from the hunt? ...

In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen,  In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen ...

'J' word fun:

James just jostled Jean gently. James just jostled Jean gently ...

Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep. Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep .. .

Diction Exercises for 'K' words:

Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest. Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest ...

My cutlery cuts keenly and cleanly. My cutlery cuts keenly and cleanly ...

 'L' words:

Literally literary. Literally literary ...

Larry sent the latter a letter later. Larry sent the latter a letter later ...

Lucy lingered, looking longingly for her lost lap-dog. Lucy lingered, looking longingly for her lost lap-dog ...

Diction Exercise for 'N' and 'U' sounds:

You know New York, You need New York, You know you need unique New York.

Diction Exercises for 'P' words:

Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Pearls, please, pretty Penelope, Pretty Penelope, pretty Penelope, Pearls, please, pretty Penelope, Pretty Penelope Pring ...

For 'Q' words:

Quick kiss. Quicker kiss. Quickest kiss. Quick kiss. Quicker kiss. Quickest kiss ...

The quarrelsome Queen quaffed quickly and quietly. The quarrelsome Queen quaffed quickly and quietly.

For 'R' words:

Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran. Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran ...

Reading and writing are richly rewarding. Reading and writing are richly rewarding ...

Exercises for 'S' words:

Six thick thistle sticks, Six thick thistle sticks ...

Theophilus Thistler, the thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles, thrust  three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb ...

The shrewd shrew sold Sarah seven sliver fish slices ...

Sister Susie sat on the sea shore sewing shirts for sailors ...

Moses supposes his toeses * are roses, But Moses supposes erroneously, For nobody's toeses are posies of roses, As Moses supposes his toeses to be.

* Pronounce the word  'toeses' to rhyme with 'Moses'.

For 'T' words:

Ten tame tadpoles tucked tightly in a thin tall tin. Ten tame tadpoles tucked tightly in a thin tall tin ...

Two toads, totally tired, trying to trot to Tewkesbury. Two toads, totally tired, trying to trot to Tewkesbury.

For 'V' words:

Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently. Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently ...

Vera valued the valley violets. Vera valued the valley violets ...

And lastly, two tricky tongue exercises

Red leather, yellow leather...

Red lorry, yellow lorry...

And then, one more for good measure!

This comes from Gilbert and Sullivan's 1880 light opera "The Pirates of Penzance" .

It's from the Major General's patter song and is  guaranteed to make you work as it's the tongue's equivalent of a triathlon!

The lyrics include many difficult combinations, a wide range of individual sounds, that are impossible to say the right way unless you articulate clearly.

Have fun with this excerpt!*

I am the very model of modern Major General

'I am the very pattern of a modern Major-General; I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral; I know the Kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical, I understand equations, both simple and quadratical, About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news, With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse. I'm very good at integral and differential calculus, I know the scientific names of beings animalculous, In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, I am the very model of a modern Major-General.'

Would you like to hear it?

* Click this link to read the complete lyrics.

Do you teach or lead a group of public speakers?

You could download 6 fun and effective articulation exercises based on these tongue twisters for your class now. For $5.95 you get full instructions for each activity, plus printable tongue twister sheets.

Click for more info & to check out a preview

For more on speech delivery & vocal variety

Click the link to find information on:

• developing vocal variety (particularly important if you're a Monotone Martha or Martin'),
• using flexible  speech rates (great for slowing a motor-mouth),
• the secrets of using silence well - how to uses pauses,
• breathing exercises to effectively overcome the anxiety of public speaking while strengthening your lung power,
• what your body language is saying, often without you realizing it!

And then of course there's public speaking games!

Maybe you are looking for good public speaking games to help develop confidence, creativity, spontaneity and fluency?

These 10 activities are proven, effective and fun. Use them with small or large groups.

And if you lead a public speaking group and you're always on the look out for activities...

You'll love my ebook!

28  public speaking games  (with many more variations and extensions), full instructions, PLUS printable topic, tongue twister, poem and image sheets.

A complete  one-stop-select-print-go  public speaking resource for busy people.

Take a peek - find out more  >> 

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How to Build Vocabulary You Can Actually Use in Speech and Writing?

• Published on Aug 25, 2019

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This post comes from my experience of adding more than 8,000 words and phrases to my vocabulary in a way that I can actually use them on the fly in my speech and writing. Some words, especially those that I haven’t used for long time, may elude me, but overall the recall & use works quite well.

That’s why you build vocabulary, right? To use in speech and writing. There are no prizes for building list of words you can’t use. (The ultimate goal of vocabulary-building is to use words in verbal communication where you’ve to come up with an appropriate word in split second. It’s not to say that it’s easy to come up with words while writing, but in writing you can at least afford to think.)

This post also adopts couple of best practices such as

• Spaced repetition,
• Deliberate Practice,
• Begin with end in mind, and
• Build on what you already know

In this post, you’ll learn how you too can build such vocabulary, the one you can actually use. However, be warned. It’s not easy. It requires consistent work. But the rewards are more than worth the squeeze.

Since building such vocabulary is one of the most challenging aspects of English Language, you’ll stand out in crowd when you use precise words and, the best part, you can use this sub-skill till you’re in this world, long after you retire professionally. (Doesn’t this sound so much better when weighed against today’s reality where most professional skills get outdated in just few years?)

You may have grossly overestimated the size of your vocabulary

Once your understand the difference between active and passive vocabulary, you’ll realize that size of your vocabulary isn’t what you think it to be.

Active vs. Passive vocabulary

Words that you can use in speech and writing constitute your active vocabulary (also called functional vocabulary). You, of course, understand these words while reading and listening as well. Think of words such as eat , sell , drink , see , and cook .

But how about words such as munch , outsmart , salvage , savagery , and skinny ? Do you use these words regularly while speaking and writing? Unlikely. Do you understand meaning of these words while reading and listening? Highly likely. Such words constitute your passive vocabulary (also called recognition vocabulary). You can understand these words while reading and listening, but you can’t use them while speaking and writing.

Your active vocabulary is a tiny subset of your passive vocabulary:

(While the proportion of the two inner circles – active and passive vocabulary – bears some resemblance to reality, the outer rectangle is not proportionate because of paucity of space. In reality, the outer rectangle is much bigger, representing hundreds of thousands of words.)

Note : Feel free to use the above and other images in the post, using the link of this post for reference/attribution.

Many mistakenly believe that they’ve strong vocabulary because they can understand most words when reading and listening. But the real magic, the real use of vocabulary is when you use words in speech and writing. If you evaluate your vocabulary against this yardstick – active vs. passive – your confidence in your vocabulary will be shaken.

Why build vocabulary – a small exercise?

You would be all too aware of cases where people frequently pause while speaking because they can’t think of words for what they want to say. We can easily spot such extreme cases.

What we fail to spot, however, are less extreme, far more common cases where people don’t pause, but they use imprecise words and long-winding explanations to drive their message.

The bridge was destroyed (or broken) by the flooded river.

The bridge was washed away by the flooded river.

Although both convey the message, the second sentence stands out because of use of precise phrase.

What word(s) best describe what’s happening in the picture below?

Image source

Not the best response.

A better word is ‘emptied’. Even ‘dumped’ is great.

A crisp description of the above action would be: “The dumper emptied (or dumped) the stones on the roadside.”

What about this?

‘Took out grapes’.

‘Plucked grapes’ is far better.

If you notice, these words – wash away , empty , dump , and pluck – are simple. We can easily understand them while reading and listening, but rarely use them (with the possible exception of empty ) in speech or writing. Remember, active vs. passive vocabulary?

If you use such precise words in your communication you’ll stand out in crowd.

Little wonder, studies point to a correlation between strength of vocabulary and professional success. Earl Nightingale, a renowned self-help expert and author, in his 20-year study of college graduates found :

Without a single exception, those who had scored highest on the vocabulary test given in college, were in the top income group, while those who had scored the lowest were in the bottom income group.

He also refers to a study by Johnson O’Connor, an American educator and researcher, who gave vocabulary tests to executive and supervisory personnel in 39 large manufacturing companies. According to this study:

Presidents and vice presidents averaged 236 out of a possible 272 points; managers averaged 168; superintendents, 140; foremen, 114; floor bosses, 86. In virtually every case, vocabulary correlated with executive level and income.

Though there are plenty of studies linking professional success with fluency in English overall, I haven’t come across any study linking professional success with any individual component – grammar and pronunciation, for example – of English language other than vocabulary.

You can make professional success a motivation to improve your active vocabulary.

Let’s dive into the tactics now.

How to build vocabulary you can use in speech and writing?

(In the spirit of the topic of this section, I’ve highlighted words that I’ve shifted from my passive to active vocabulary in red font . I’ve done this for only this section, lest the red font become too distracting.)

Almost all of us build vocabulary through the following two-step process:

Step 1 : We come across new words while reading and listening. Meanings of many of these words get registered in our brains – sometimes vaguely, sometimes precisely – through the context in which we see these words. John Rupert Firth, a leading figure in British linguistics during the 1950s, rightly said , “You shall know a word by the company it keeps.”

Many of these words then figure repeatedly in our reading and listening and gradually, as if by osmosis , they start taking roots in our passive vocabulary.

Step 2 : We start using some of these words in our speech and writing. (They are, as discussed earlier, just a small fraction of our passive vocabulary.) By and large, we stay in our comfort zones, making do with this limited set of words.

Little wonder, we add to our vocabulary in trickle . In his book Word Power Made Easy , Norman Lewis laments the tortoise-like rate of vocabulary-building among adults:

Educational testing indicates that children of ten who have grown up in families in which English is the native language have recognition [passive] vocabularies of over twenty thousand words. And that these same ten-year-olds have been learning new words at a rate of many hundreds a year since the age of four . In astonishing contrast, studies show that adults who are no longer attending school increase their vocabularies at a pace slower than twenty-five to fifty words annually .

Adults improve passive vocabulary at an astonishingly meagre rate of 25-50 words a year. The chain to acquire active vocabulary is getting broken at the first step itself – failure to read or listen enough (see Step 1 we just covered). Most are not even reaching the second step, which is far tougher than the first. Following statistic from National Spoken English Skills Report by Aspiring Minds (sample of more than 30,000 students from 500+ colleges in India) bears this point:

Only 33 percent know such simple words! They’re not getting enough inputs.

Such vocabulary-acquisition can be schematically represented as:

The problem here is at both the steps of vocabulary acquisition:

• Not enough inputs (represented by funnel filled only little) and
• Not enough exploration and use of words to convert inputs into active vocabulary (represented by few drops coming out of the funnel)

Here is what you can do to dramatically improve your active vocabulary:

1. Get more inputs (reading and listening)

That’s a no-brainer. The more you read,

• the more new words you come across and
• the more earlier-seen words get reinforced

If you’ve to prioritize between reading and listening purely from the perspective of building vocabulary, go for more reading, because it’s easier to read and mark words on paper or screen. Note that listening will be a more helpful input when you’re working on your speaking skills .

So develop the habit to read something 30-60 minutes every day. It has benefits far beyond just vocabulary-building .

If you increase your inputs, your vocabulary-acquisition funnel will look something like:

More inputs but no other steps result in larger active vocabulary.

2. Gather words from your passive vocabulary for deeper exploration

The reading and listening you do, over months and years, increase the size of your passive vocabulary. There are plenty of words, almost inexhaustible, sitting underutilized in your passive vocabulary. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could move many of them to your active vocabulary? That would be easier too because you don’t have to learn them from scratch. You already understand their meaning and usage, at least to some extent. That’s like plucking – to use the word we’ve already overused – low hanging fruits.

While reading and listening, note down words that you’re already familiar with, but you don’t use them (that is they’re part of your passive vocabulary). We covered few examples of such words earlier in the post – pluck , dump , salvage , munch , etc. If you’re like most, your passive vocabulary is already large, waiting for you to shift some of it to your active vocabulary. You can also note down completely unfamiliar words, but only in exceptional cases.

To put what I said in the previous paragraph in more concrete terms, you may ask following two questions to decide which words to note down for further exploration:

• Do you understand the meaning of the word from the context of your reading or listening?
• Do you use this word while speaking and writing?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to the first question and ‘no’ to the second, you can note down the word.

3. Explore the words in an online dictionary

Time to go a step further than seeing words in context while reading.

You need to explore each word (you’ve noted) further in a dictionary. Know its precise meaning(s). Listen to pronunciation and speak it out loud, first individually and then as part of sentences. (If you’re interested in the topic of pronunciation, refer to the post on pronunciation .) And, equally important, see few sentences where the word has been used.

Preferably, note down the meaning(s) and few example sentences so that you can practice spaced repetition and retain them for long. Those who do not know what spaced repetition is, it is the best way to retain things in your long-term memory . There are number of options these days to note words and other details about them – note-taking apps and good-old word document. I’ve been copying-pasting on word document and taking printouts. For details on how I practiced spaced repetition, refer to my experience of adding more than 8,000 words to my vocabulary.

But why go through the drudgery of noting down – and going through, probably multiple times – example sentences? Why not just construct sentences straight after knowing the meaning of the word?

Blachowicz, Fisher, Ogle, and Watts-Taffe, in their paper , point out the yawning gap between knowing the meaning of words and using them in sentences:

Research suggests that students are able to select correct definitions for unknown words from a dictionary, but they have difficulty then using these words in production tasks such as writing sentences using the new words.

If only it was easy. It’s even more difficult in verbal communication where, unlike in writing, you don’t have the luxury of pausing and recalling appropriate words.

That’s why you need to focus on example sentences.

Majority of those who refer dictionary, however, restrict themselves to meaning of the word. Few bother to check example sentences. But they’re at least as much important as meaning of the word, because they teach you how to use words in sentences, and sentences are the building blocks of speech and writing.

If you regularly explore words in a dictionary, your vocabulary-acquisition funnel will look something like:

More inputs combined with exploration of words result in even larger active vocabulary.

After you absorb the meaning and example sentences of a word, it enters a virtuous cycle of consolidation. The next time you read or listen the word, you’ll take note of it and its use more actively , which will further reinforce it in your memory. In contrast, if you didn’t interact with the word in-depth, it’ll pass unnoticed, like thousands do every day. That’s cascading effect.

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4. Use them

To quote Maxwell Nurnberg and Morris Rosenblum from their book All About Words :

In vocabulary building, the problem is not so much finding new words or even finding out what they mean. The problem is to remember them, to fix them permanently in your mind. For you can see that if you are merely introduced to words, you will forget them as quickly as you forget the names of people you are casually introduced to at a crowded party – unless you meet them again or unless you spend some time with them.

This is the crux. Use it or lose it.

Without using, the words will slowly slip away from your memory.

Without using the words few times, you won’t feel confident using them in situations that matter.

If you use the words you explored in dictionary, your vocabulary-acquisition funnel will look something like:

More inputs combined with exploration of words and use of them result in the largest active vocabulary.

Here is a comparison of the four ways in which people acquire active vocabulary:

The big question though is how to use the words you’re exploring. Here are few exercises to accomplish this most important step in vocabulary-building process.

Vocabulary exercises: how to use words you’re learning

You can practice these vocabulary activities for 10-odd minutes every day, preferably during the time you waste such as commuting or waiting, to shift more and more words you’ve noted down to your active vocabulary. I’ve used these activities extensively, with strong results to boot.

1. Form sentences and speak them out during your reviews

When you review the list of words you’ve compiled, take a word as cue without looking at its meaning and examples, recall its meaning, and, most importantly, speak out 4-5 sentences using the word. It’s nothing but a flashcard in work. If you follow spaced repetition diligently, you’ll go through this process at least few times. I recommend reading my experience of building vocabulary (linked earlier) to know how I did this part.

Why speaking out, though? (If the surroundings don’t permit, it can be whisper as well.)

Speaking out the word as part of few sentences will serve the additional purpose of making your vocal cords accustomed to new words and phrases.

2. Create thematic webs

When reviewing, take a word and think of other words related to that word. Web of words on a particular theme, in short, and hence the name ‘thematic web’. These are five of many, many thematic webs I’ve actually come up in my reviews:

(Note: Name of the theme is in bold. Second, where there are multiple words, I’ve underlined the main word.)

If I come across the word ‘gourmet’ in my review, I’ll also quickly recall all the words related with food: tea strainer, kitchen cabinet, sink, dish cloth, wipe dishes, rinse utensils, immerse beans in water, simmer, steam, gourmet food, sprinkle salt, spread butter, smear butter, sauté, toss vegetables, and garnish the sweet dish

Similarly, for other themes:

Prognosis, recuperate, frail, pass away, resting place, supplemental air, excruciating pain, and salubrious

C. Showing off

Showy, gaudy, extravaganza, over the top, ostentatious, and grandstanding

D. Crowd behavior

Restive, expectant, hysteria, swoon, resounding welcome, rapturous, jeer, and cheer

E. Rainfall

Deluge, cats and dogs, downpour, cloudburst, heavens opened, started pouring , submerged, embankment, inundate, waterlogged, soaked to the skin, take shelter, run for a cover, torrent, and thunderbolt

(If you notice, words in a particular theme are much wider in sweep than just synonyms.)

It takes me under a minute to complete dozen-odd words in a theme. However, in the beginning, when you’re still adding to your active vocabulary in tons, you’ll struggle to go beyond 2-3 simple words when thinking out such thematic lists. That’s absolutely fine.

Why thematic web, though?

Because that’s how we recall words when speaking or writing. (If you flip through Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, a popular book on improving vocabulary, you’ll realize that each of its chapters represents a particular idea, something similar to a theme.) Besides, building a web also quickly jogs you through many more words.

3. Describe what you see around

In a commute or other time-waster, look around and speak softly an apt word in a split second for whatever you see. Few examples:

• If you see grass on the roadside, you can say verdant or luxurious .
• If you see a vehicle stopping by the roadside, you can say pull over .
• If you see a vehicle speeding away from other vehicles, you can say pull away .
• If you see a person carrying a load on the road side, you can say lug and pavement .

Key is to come up with these words in a flash. Go for speed, not accuracy. (After all, you’ll have similar reaction time when speaking.) If you can’t think of an appropriate word for what you see instantaneously – and there will be plenty in the beginning – skip it.

This vocabulary exercise also serves an unintended, though important, objective of curbing the tendency to first think in the native language and then translating into English as you speak. This happens because the spontaneity in coming up with words forces you to think directly in English.

Last, this exercise also helps you assess your current level of vocabulary (for spoken English). If you struggle to come up with words for too many things/ situations, you’ve job on your hands.

4. Describe what one person or object is doing

Another vocabulary exercise you can practice during time-wasters is to focus on a single person and describe her/ his actions, as they unfold, for few minutes. An example:

He is skimming Facebook on his phone. OK, he is done with it. Now, he is taking out his earphones. He has plugged them into his phone, and now he is watching some video. He is watching and watching. There is something funny there in that video, which makes him giggle . Simultaneously, he is adjusting the bag slung across his shoulder.

The underlined words are few of the new additions to my active vocabulary I used on the fly when focusing on this person.

Feel free to improvise and modify this process to suit your unique conditions, keeping in mind the fundamentals such as spaced repetition, utilizing the time you waste, and putting what you’re learning to use.

To end this section, I must point out that you need to build habit to perform these exercises for few minutes at certain time(s) of the day. They’re effective when done regularly.

Why I learnt English vocabulary this way?

For few reasons:

1. I worked backwards from the end result to prepare for real-world situations

David H. Freedman learnt Italian using Duolingo , a popular language-learning app, for more than 70 hours in the buildup to his trip to Italy. A week before they were to leave for Rome, his wife put him to test. She asked how would he ask for his way from Rome airport to the downtown. And how would he order in a restaurant?

David failed miserably.

He had become a master of multiple-choice questions in Italian, which had little bearing on the real situations he would face.

We make this mistake all the time. We don’t start from the end goal and work backwards to design our lessons and exercises accordingly. David’s goal wasn’t to pass a vocabulary test. It was to strike conversation socially.

Coming back to the topic of vocabulary, learning meanings and examples of words in significant volume is a challenge. But a much bigger challenge is to recall an apt word in split second while speaking. (That’s the holy grail of any vocabulary-building exercise, and that’s the end goal we want to achieve.)

The exercises I described earlier in the post follow the same path – backwards from the end.

2. I used proven scientific methods to increase effectiveness

Looking at just a word and recalling its meaning and coming up with rapid-fire examples where that word can be used introduced elements of deliberate practice, the fastest way to build neural connection and hence any skill. (See the exercises we covered.) For the uninitiated, deliberate practice is the way top performers in any field practice .

Another proven method I used was spaced repetition.

3. I built on what I already knew to progress faster

Covering mainly passive vocabulary has made sure that I’m building on what I already know, which makes for faster progress.

Don’t ignore these when building vocabulary

Keep in mind following while building vocabulary:

1. Use of fancy words in communication make you look dumb, not smart

Don’t pick fancy words to add to your vocabulary. Use of such words doesn’t make you look smart. It makes your communication incomprehensible and it shows lack of empathy for the listeners. So avoid learning words such as soliloquy and twerking . The more the word is used in common parlance, the better it is.

An example of how fancy words can make a piece of writing bad is this review of movie , which is littered with plenty of fancy words such as caper , overlong , tomfoolery , hectoring , and cockney . For the same reason, Shashi Tharoor’s Word of the Week is not a good idea . Don’t add such words to your vocabulary.

2. Verbs are more important than nouns and adjectives

Verbs describe action, tell us what to do. They’re clearer. Let me explain this through an example.

In his book Start with Why , Simon Sinek articulates why verbs are more effective than nouns:

For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not ‘integrity’, it’s ‘always do the right thing’. It’s not ‘innovation’, it’s ‘look at the problem from a different angle’. Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea… we have a clear idea of how to act in any situation.

‘Always do the right thing’ is better than ‘integrity’ and ‘look at the problem from a different angle’ is better than ‘innovation’ because the former, a verb, in each case is clearer.

The same (importance of verb) is emphasized by L. Dee Fink in his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences in the context of defining learning goals for college students.

Moreover, most people’s vocabulary is particularly poor in verbs. Remember, the verbs from the three examples at the beginning of the post – wash away , dump , and pluck ? How many use them? And they’re simple.

3. Don’t ignore simple verbs

You wouldn’t bother to note down words such as slip , give , and move because you think you know them inside out, after all you’ve been using them regularly for ages.

I also thought so… until I explored few of them.

I found that majority of simple words have few common usages we rarely use. Use of simple words for such common usages will stand your communication skills out.

An example:

a. To slide suddenly or involuntarily as on a smooth surface: She slipped on the icy ground .

b. To slide out from grasp, etc.: The soap slipped from my hand .

c. To move or start gradually from a place or position: His hat slipped over his eyes .

d. To pass without having been acted upon or used: to let an opportunity slip .

e. To pass quickly (often followed by away or by): The years slipped by .

f. To move or go quietly, cautiously, or unobtrusively: to slip out of a room .

Most use the word in the meaning (a) and (b), but if you use the word for meaning (c) to (f) – which BTW is common – you’ll impress people.

Another example:

a. Without the physical presence of people in control: an unmanned spacecraft .

b.  Hovering near the unmanned iPod resting on the side bar, stands a short, blond man.

c. Political leaders are vocal about the benefits they expect to see from unmanned aircraft.

Most use the word unmanned with a moving object such as an aircraft or a drone, but how about using it with an iPod (see (b) above).

4. Don’t ignore phrasal verbs. Get at least common idioms. Proverbs… maybe

4.1 phrasal verbs.

Phrasal verbs are verbs made from combining a main verb and an adverb or preposition or both. For example, here are few phrasal verbs of verb give :

We use phrasal verbs aplenty:

I went to the airport to see my friend off .

He could see through my carefully-crafted ruse.

I took off my coat.

The new captain took over the reins of the company on June 25.

So, don’t ignore them.

Unfortunately, you can’t predict the meaning of a phrasal verb from the main verb. For example, it’s hard to guess the meaning of take over or take off from take . You’ve to learn each phrasal verb separately.

What about idioms?

Compared to phrasal verbs, idioms are relatively less used, but it’s good to know the common ones. To continue the example of word give , here are few idioms derived from it:

Give and take

Give or take

Give ground

Give rise to

Want a list of common idioms? It’s here: List of 200 common idioms .

4.3 Proverbs

Proverbs are popular sayings that provide nuggets of wisdom. Example: A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Compared to phrasal verbs and idioms, they’re much less used in common conversation and therefore you can do without them.

For the motivated, here is a list of common proverbs: List of 200 common proverbs .

5. Steal phrases, words, and even sentences you like

If you like phrases and sentences you come across, add them to your list for future use. I do it all the time and have built a decent repository of phrases and sentences. Few examples (underlined part is the key phrase):

The bondholders faced the prospect of losing their trousers .

The economy behaved more like a rollercoaster than a balloon . [Whereas rollercoaster refers to an up and down movement, balloon refers to a continuous expansion. Doesn’t such a short phrase express such a profound meaning?]

Throw enough spaghetti against the wall and some of it sticks .

You need blue collar work ethic to succeed in this industry.

He runs fast. Not quite .

Time to give up scalpel . Bring in hammer .

Note that you would usually not find such phrases in a dictionary, because dictionaries are limited to words, phrasal verbs, idioms, and maybe proverbs.

6. Commonly-used nouns

One of my goals while building vocabulary has been to learn what to call commonly-used objects (or nouns) that most struggle to put a word to.

To give an example, what would you call the following?

Answer: Tea strainer.

You would sound far more impressive when you say, “My tea strainer has turned blackish because of months of filtering tea.”

Than when you say, “The implement that filters tea has turned blackish because of months of filtering tea.”

What do you say?

More examples:

Saucer (We use it every day, but call it ‘plate’.)

Straight/ wavy/ curly hair

Corner shop

I’ll end with a brief reference to the UIDAI project that is providing unique biometric ID to every Indian. This project, launched in 2009, has so far issued a unique ID (popularly called Aadhaar card) to more than 1.1 billion people. The project faced many teething problems and has been a one big grind for the implementers. But once this massive data of billion + people was collected, so many obstinate, long-standing problems are being eased using this data, which otherwise would’ve been difficult to pull off. It has enabled faster delivery of scores of government and private services, checked duplication on many fronts, and brought in more transparency in financial and other transactions, denting parallel economy. There are many more. And many more are being conceived on top of this data.

At some level, vocabulary is somewhat similar. It’ll take effort, but once you’ve sizable active vocabulary, it’ll strengthen arguably the most challenging and the most impressive part of your communication. And because it takes some doing, it’s not easy for others to catch up.

Anil is the person behind this website. He writes on most aspects of English Language Skills. More about him here:

Such a comprehensive guide. Awesome…

I am using the note app and inbuilt dictionary of iPhone. I have accumulated over 1400 words in 1 year. Will definitely implement ideas from this blog.

Krishna, thanks. If you’re building vocabulary for using, then make sure you work it accordingly.

Building solid vocabulary is my new year’s resolution and you’ve perfectly captured the issues I’ve been facing, with emphasis on passive vocabulary building. So many vocab apps are multiple choice and thereby useless for this reason. Thanks so much for the exercises! I plan to put them to use!

It was everything that I need to boost my active vocabulary. Thank you so much for sharing all these precious pieces of information.

Anil sir, I am quiet satisfied the way you laid out everything possible that one needs to know from A-Z. Also, thanks for assuring me from your experience that applying this will work.

This post definitely blew me away…. I am impressed! Thank you so much for sharing such valuable information. It was exactly what I needed!

Amazing post! While reading this post, I am thinking about the person who developed this. I wanna give a big hug and thank you so much.

Comments are closed.

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noun as in talk

Strongest matches

• conversation

Strong matches

• articulation
• communication
• doublespeak
• enunciation
• intercourse
• pronunciation
• verbalization
• vocalization

Weak matches

• double talk
• mother tongue
• native tongue
• oral communication
• vocal expression

noun as in formal talk to audience

• declamation
• disquisition
• dissertation
• exhortation
• valedictory

Example Sentences

Kids are interacting with Alexas that can record their voice data and influence their speech and social development.

The attorney general delivered a controversial speech Wednesday.

For example, my company, Teknicks, is working with an online K-12 speech and occupational therapy provider.

Instead, it would give tech companies a powerful incentive to limit Brazilians’ freedom of speech at a time of political unrest.

However, the president did give a speech in Suresnes, France, the next day during a ceremony hosted by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Those are troubling numbers, for unfettered speech is not incidental to a flourishing society.

There is no such thing as speech so hateful or offensive it somehow “justifies” or “legitimizes” the use of violence.

We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.

Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.

Alessandro turned a grateful look on Ramona as he translated this speech, so in unison with Indian modes of thought and feeling.

And so this is why the clever performer cannot reproduce the effect of a speech of Demosthenes or Daniel Webster.

He said no more in words, but his little blue eyes had an eloquence that left nothing to mere speech.

After pondering over Mr. Blackbird's speech for a few moments he raised his head.

Albinia, I have refrained from speech as long as possible; but this is really too much!

Related Words

Words related to speech are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word speech . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in formal speech or address

noun as in manner of conducting oneself

• comportment
• performance
• savoir-faire
• social graces
• way of life
• what's done

noun as in information transmitted

• announcement
• declaration
• information
• inside story
• intelligence
• translation

noun as in conversation

• confabulation

Viewing 5 / 44 related words

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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Your complete guide to writing a better speech

Reading time:  Just over 6 minutes

Here is everything I know about how to write a better speech and some detailed thoughts on how to deliver a better one as well….

I love TED talks,  and perhaps you do as well, but be aware of the significant problem they’ve created in our society. Everyone now expects  all  public speakers to be as charming, interesting, funny and breathtakingly articulate.  Ken Robinson ,   Elizabeth Gilbert   and  Susan Cain  have set a mighty high bar for the rest of us to try to clear.

I run lots of workshops  and I try to make them engaging and informative but I don’t consider myself the  ne plus ultra  of public speakers. Still, I have written many speeches for industry leaders and CEOs. I’m also a debate coach at my local high school and spend two hours each week helping grade 8 to 12 students become more comfortable with speaking — arguing, really — in public. So here is my comprehensive guide on how to write and deliver a better speech or presentation:

10 ways to write a better speech

1-Learn your time limit and calculate your word count.  The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It’s almost always better to speak more slowly than too quickly. Thus, if you’re speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 words. Be careful! I once got the math wrong and saddled a good friend with a 48-minute speech when he was trying for 30. Yikes!

2-Once you have experience as a speaker,  work hard to avoid word-for-word speeches unless you have a teleprompter. Your delivery will be more interesting and more natural if you speak from notes or an outline rather than a script. Memorize an introduction if you like, to help get yourself going but use just notes for the rest. Yes, your speech may not be “perfect.” But having a few mistakes is okay if they help you improve your delivery. Your ability to be interesting and to engage with the audience will make up for any small lapses.

3-No matter how long the speech, always divide it into five parts:   an introduction, point 1, point 2, point 3 and a conclusion. Or, in other words, tell people what you’re  going  to tell them, tell them what you  want to say  and then wrap up by telling them  what you just said.  This format is adaptable to a speech of just about any length but I’d divide a 20-minute speech as follows:

Introduction: 2 minutes (250 words)

Point 1: 5 minutes (625 words)

Point 2: 5 minutes (625 words)

Point 3: 5 minutes (625 words)

Conclusion: 3 minutes (375 words)

Total word count: 2,500 words (20 minutes)

If you’re thin on ideas for the three points, consider using a  mindmap  to help you. Mindmapping is the best way for you to make your speech more interesting, more personal and more coherent.

4-Shower your audience with  stories  rather than drown them in facts.  If you have a story (anecdote or example) to illustrate each of your three points, so much the better. Stories are “sticky” — that is, people remember them. I once interviewed a CEO for whom I’d been hired to write a speech. The man was utterly  bereft  of stories. I was at my wit’s end until I decided that I’d have to lard his speech with some stories of my own that I could carefully repurpose to make them sound as though they’d come from him. Don’t tell me that business people don’t want to hear stories. Of course they do! Have you ever listened to  Warren Buffett   speak? Or  Bill Gates ?  Or  Josh Linkner ?  Stories are the spoonful of sugar that make the medicine (facts) go down. Think about the worst speech you’ve ever heard in your life. Now, reflect on the best. I can guarantee that the former was filled with facts and the latter with stories. Human beings are hardwired to appreciate stories and the sooner you stop fighting that fact, the sooner you’ll be able to write a memorable speech

5-Have a purpose but make it a modest one.  Don’t expect your audience to be able to walk away reciting your 10-point corporate plan. Instead, express the  single  key message of your speech — the one important thing you want your audience to be able to remember, for sure — as a single sentence. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it to your bulletin board so you can see it as you’re writing your speech. Keep this purpose at the top of your mind at all times.

6-Understand that repetition is mandatory  because speaking is analogue, not digital. People don’t listen to speeches in the same way they read books. You talk, your words travel into their ears and if they happen to be thinking about what to make for dinner that night, your message will not get through. Worse, your audience has no “rewind” button they can hit. (If their attention has strayed while reading, they can flip back in the book.) This is why you MUST repeat the points you are trying to make at least three times: once in the intro, once when you make them and once again in your conclusion. It may seem overly repetitious to you, but it won’t to your audience.

7) Don’t waste your opening.  I see speakers do this in three primary ways. First, they spend too much time shuffling paper. Don’t do this! Be organized and ready to go as soon as you take the stage. The second mistake is they spend the first 45 seconds thanking an endless number of people. No! Don’t do that! The first 45 seconds are your most precious chance to grab the attention of your audience. Thank the person who introduced you with one brief sentence and then dive into an attention-getting opening. (You can give thanks to others, if you need to, towards the end of your speech.) Finally, some people feel obliged to begin with lame opening jokes that are unrelated to the actual speech topic. These always feel fake and tacked on. You want humour to be organic — that is, related to the topic you’re covering. The best way to begin a speech is with an interesting fact or an attention-getting story. No exceptions!

8-Write for the ear rather than the eye.   Make sure the language you use is easy to say — even if you’re writing the speech for someone else. Say it out loud many times, so you can check to ensure there are no stumbling blocks. For example, the line “a lower-cost alternative to traditional plans” is harder to say than it looks (try it). Change that kind of language, fast. Use concrete, everyday words (for example, “use” instead of “utilize”) and make sure your sentences are short enough that you don’t have to gasp for breath in the middle of them. Be sure to use contractions, because that’s how real people speak. And throw in the occasional rhetorical question (“Why would I say that?”) to engage the audience.

9-Be yourself.   Barack Obama   and  Winston Churchill  are/were both excellent speakers. They’re also totally different. While you can gain pointers from observing great speakers, you need to be true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. And if you are writing a speech for someone else, it’s important you spend significant time interviewing them and learning  their   speech patterns — as well as their stories. Are there any expressions that they use regularly? Can you work them into the speech?

10-Be brief.  If you’re asked to speak for 60 minutes, make it 45 or 50. If the goal is 20, make it 18. If the target is five, aim for 3.5. In the history of the world, no one ever complained about a speech that was too short. Your audience will love you for this.

7 ways to  deliver  a better speech

1-Practice more than once.  I know this is hard, particularly if the speech is long, but I spoke once with a TED talk deliverer and she told me that she’d spent more than three weeks, full time, writing and practicing her speech. In fact, she had delivered it more than 48 times before the big day. Was she confident? You bet! (For anything less than a TED talk, you don’t need 48 practice times. Three times might be enough for a long one; five to seven times for a short one.) Whatever you do, remember the expression: Professionals practice in private; amateurs practice in public.

2-Record yourself.  Many of us pad our speeches with verbal filler such as “umm,” “ahh,” “you know,” “like,” etc. The prime minister of my own country,  Justin Trudeau  does this with “uh” and I cringe almost every time I hear him speak. To ensure you don’t make this mistake, record yourself using your cell phone. If you discover you’ve used verbal fillers then slow down your speech and try to be mindful of  not  using them. Slow, careful speaking is the answer. This is been a project of mine for the last two years. I used to be addicted to “umm” and now I use it dramatically less frequently.

3 – Arrive early on delivery day.  Don’t rush to the podium at the very last minute. Instead, get to your venue a good 15 to 30 minutes early so you can scope out the room, become familiar with it and maybe test the sound system. Then — this is the important advice — position yourself in the audience and start talking to people  as they arrive . This will surprise and disarm them and give you a chance to get to humanize them a little bit.

4-Calm your nerves.  For many people, public speaking is more fear-inducing than the idea of death. Here’s how to get over that idea: Practice your speech beforehand. If you have practiced adequately then your body will already know what to do, even if your nervous system is vibrating. Pay attention to your breathing when speaking. If we take shallow, inadequate breaths then our bodies start to panic — I can’t breathe! I might die! Talk yourself through slow, deep belly breaths to help calm your nerves. Have your notes on firm paper so it won’t shake. (Cardstock is better than regular paper for this reason.) Finally, many people have discovered that pressing their index finger to their thumb is also a calming manoeuvre (it’s known as  gyan mudra ). No one in the audience will ever notice you doing it.  

5-Use your eyes effectively.  We all have the same two powerful public speaking tools in our arsenals: our eyes. Many speakers waste this ammunition by looking directly  above  the heads of their audience or by fanning their eyes vaguely across the group as a whole. Instead, I suggest you look directly in the eyes of ONE of the people in the audience. Do this for at least a full sentence at a time, longer if you can bear it. Then switch to another person and do exactly the same thing. Be sure to move to different parts of the room as you do this. And what happens if the person becomes embarrassed and looks away? Move on to someone else. This human-to-human contact should be every speaker’s secret weapon. Also, remember to smile. People enjoy seeing cheerful speakers.  

6-Vary your speaking speed.  Audiences sometimes get bored listening to speeches — even good ones — and that’s why you should try to make your delivery as interesting and varied as your words. One of the ways you can do that is to change your speed. If you have a story or statement that excites you then speak quickly so that the speed of your talking matches your excitement. If you’re saying something important or dramatic, then S-L-O-W down for emphasis.

7-Be careful with your volume.  Some speakers seem to like to shout or shriek. Recently, I was obliged to watch a debate where the speaker spoke far too loudly for the rather small room. I spent the entire time thinking, “please, dial back your volume” and I missed almost all of her content because my ears were too busy quivering. This is another good reason for arriving early in the room so you can test your volume. Just remember that once the room becomes stuffed with people, their bodies will act like a sound buffer and you may need to speak up.

Becoming an effective speaker  can increase your sales, improve your effectiveness and boost your career. It’s worth investing your time to develop this crucial skill.

* My video podcast last week  answered a question about how to budget your writing time effectively. See it  here  and consider subscribing. If you have a question about writing you’d like me to address, be sure to send it to me by  email , twitter or Skype and I’ll try to answer it in the podcast.

How do you keep your speeches or presentations interesting and relevant? We can all learn from each other so, please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. Anyone who comments on today’s post  (or any others) by March 31/17, will be put in a draw for a copy of  Ifferisms , by Mardy Grothe. Please, scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join the commenting software to post. See  here  to learn how to post as a guest.

Words for Speaking: 30 Speech Verbs in English (With Audio)

Speaking is amazing, don’t you think?

Words and phrases come out of our mouths — they communicate meaning, and we humans understand each other (well, sometimes)!

But there are countless different ways of speaking.

Sometimes, we express ourselves by speaking quietly, loudly, angrily, unclearly or enthusiastically.

And sometimes, we can express ourselves really well without using any words at all — just sounds.

When we describe what someone said, of course we can say, “He said …” or “She said …”

But there are so many alternatives to “say” that describe the many different WAYS of speaking.

Here are some of the most common ones.

Words for talking loudly in English

Shout / yell / scream.

Sometimes you just need to say something LOUDLY!

Maybe you’re shouting at your kids to get off the climbing frame and come inside before the storm starts.

Or perhaps you’re just one of those people who just shout a lot of the time when you speak. And that’s fine. I’ve got a friend like that. He says it’s because he’s the youngest kid in a family full of brothers and sisters — he had to shout to make sure people heard him. And he still shouts.

Yelling is a bit different. When you yell, you’re probably angry or surprised or even in pain. Yelling is a bit shorter and more “in-the-moment.”

Screaming is similar but usually higher in pitch and full of fear or pain or total fury, like when you’ve just seen a ghost or when you’ve dropped a box of bricks on your foot.

“Stop yelling at me! I’m sorry! I made a mistake, but there’s no need to shout!”

Bark / Bellow / Roar

When I hear these words, I always imagine something like this:

These verbs all feel rather masculine, and you imagine them in a deep voice.

I always think of an army general walking around the room telling people what to do.

That’s probably why we have the phrase “to bark orders at someone,” which means to tell people what to do in an authoritative, loud and aggressive way.

“I can’t stand that William guy. He’s always barking orders at everyone!”

Shriek / Squeal / Screech

Ooooohhh …. These do not sound nice.

These are the sounds of a car stopping suddenly.

Or the sound a cat makes when you tread on her tail.

Or very overexcited kids at a birthday party after eating too much sugar.

These verbs are high pitched and sometimes painful to hear.

“When I heard her shriek , I ran to the kitchen to see what it was. Turned out it was just a mouse.”

“As soon as she opened the box and saw the present, she let out a squeal of delight!”

Wailing is also high pitched, but not so full of energy.

It’s usually full of sadness or even anger.

When I think of someone wailing, I imagine someone completely devastated — very sad — after losing someone they love.

You get a lot of wailing at funerals.

“It’s such a mess!” she wailed desperately. “It’ll take ages to clear up!”

Words for speaking quietly in English

When we talk about people speaking in quiet ways, for some reason, we often use words that we also use for animals.

In a way, this is useful, because we can immediately get a feel for the sound of the word.

This is the sound that snakes make.

Sometimes you want to be both quiet AND angry.

Maybe someone in the theatre is talking and you can’t hear what Hamlet’s saying, so you hiss at them to shut up.

Or maybe you’re hanging out with Barry and Naomi when Barry starts talking about Naomi’s husband, who she split up with last week.

Then you might want to hiss this information to Barry so that Naomi doesn’t hear.

But Naomi wasn’t listening anyway — she was miles away staring into the distance.

“You’ll regret this!” he hissed , pointing his finger in my face.

To be fair, this one’s a little complicated.

Whimpering is a kind of traumatised, uncomfortable sound.

If you think of a frightened animal, you might hear it make some kind of quiet, weak sound that shows it’s in pain or unhappy.

Or if you think of a kid who’s just been told she can’t have an ice cream.

Those sounds might be whimpers.

“Please! Don’t shoot me!” he whimpered , shielding his head with his arms.

Whispering is when you speak, but you bypass your vocal cords so that your words sound like wind.

In a way, it’s like you’re speaking air.

Which is a pretty cool way to look at it.

This is a really useful way of speaking if you’re into gossiping.

“Hey! What are you whispering about? Come on! Tell us! We’ll have no secrets here!”

Words for speaking negatively in English

Ranting means to speak at length about a particular topic.

However, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Ranting is lively, full of passion and usually about something important — at least important to the person speaking.

Sometimes it’s even quite angry.

We probably see rants most commonly on social media — especially by PEOPLE WHO LOVE USING CAPS LOCK AND LOTS OF EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!

Ranting always sounds a little mad, whether you’re ranting about something reasonable, like the fact that there’s too much traffic in the city, or whether you’re ranting about something weird, like why the world is going to hell and it’s all because of people who like owning small, brown dogs.

“I tried to talk to George, but he just started ranting about the tax hike.”

“Did you see Jemima’s most recent Facebook rant ? All about how squirrels are trying to influence the election results with memes about Macaulay Culkin.”

Babble / Blabber / Blather / Drone / Prattle / Ramble

These words all have very similar meanings.

First of all, when someone babbles (or blabbers or blathers or drones or prattles or rambles), it means they are talking for a long time.

And probably not letting other people speak.

And, importantly, about nothing particularly interesting or important.

You know the type of person, right?

You run into a friend or someone you know.

All you do is ask, “How’s life?” and five minutes later, you’re still listening to them talking about their dog’s toilet problems.

They just ramble on about it for ages.

These verbs are often used with the preposition “on.”

That’s because “on” often means “continuously” in phrasal verbs .

So when someone “drones on,” it means they just talk for ages about nothing in particular.

“You’re meeting Aunt Thelma this evening? Oh, good luck! Have fun listening to her drone on and on about her horses.”

Groan / Grumble / Moan

These words simply mean “complain.”

There are some small differences, though.

When you groan , you probably don’t even say any words. Instead, you just complain with a sound.

When you grumble , you complain in a sort of angry or impatient way. It’s not a good way to get people to like you.

Finally, moaning is complaining, but without much direction.

You know the feeling, right?

Things are unfair, and stuff isn’t working, and it’s all making life more difficult than it should be.

We might not plan to do anything about it, but it definitely does feel good to just … complain about it.

Just to express your frustration about how unfair it all is and how you’ve been victimised and how you should be CEO by now and how you don’t get the respect you deserve and …

Well, you get the idea.

If you’re frustrated with things, maybe you just need to find a sympathetic ear and have a good moan.

“Pietor? He’s nice, but he does tend to grumble about the local kids playing football on the street.”

Words for speaking unclearly in English

Mumble / murmur / mutter.

These verbs are all very similar and describe speaking in a low and unclear way, almost like you’re speaking to yourself.

Have you ever been on the metro or the bus and seen someone in the corner just sitting and talking quietly and a little madly to themselves?

That’s mumbling (or murmuring or muttering).

What’s the difference?

Good question!

The differences are just in what type of quiet and unclear speaking you’re doing.

When someone’s mumbling , it means they’re difficult to understand. You might want to ask them to speak more clearly.

Murmuring is more neutral. It might be someone praying quietly to themselves, or you might even hear the murmur of voices behind a closed door.

Finally, muttering is usually quite passive-aggressive and has a feeling of complaining to it.

“I could hear him muttering under his breath after his mum told him off.”

How can you tell if someone’s been drinking too much booze (alcohol)?

Well, apart from the fact that they’re in the middle of trying to climb the traffic lights holding a traffic cone and wearing grass on their head, they’re also slurring — their words are all sort of sliding into each other. Like this .

This can also happen if you’re super tired.

“Get some sleep! You’re slurring your words.”

Stammer / Stutter

Th-th-th-this is wh-wh-when you try to g-g-g-get the words ou-ou-out, but it’s dif-dif-dif-difficu-… hard.

For some people, this is a speech disorder, and the person who’s doing it can’t help it.

If you’ve seen the 2010 film The King’s Speech , you’ll know what I’m talking about.

(Also you can let me know, was it good? I didn’t see it.)

This can also happen when you’re frightened or angry or really, really excited — and especially when you’re nervous.

That’s when you stammer your words.

“No … I mean, yeah … I mean no…” Wendy stammered .

Other words for speaking in English

If you drawl (or if you have a drawl), you speak in a slow way, maaakiiing the voowweeel sounds loooongeer thaan noormaal.

Some people think this sounds lazy, but I think it sounds kind of nice and relaxed.

Some regional accents, like Texan and some Australian accents, have a drawl to them.

“He was the first US President who spoke with that Texan drawl .”

“Welcome to cowboy country,” he drawled .

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

That’s my impression of a dog there.

I was growling.

If you ever go cycling around remote Bulgarian villages, then you’re probably quite familiar with this sound.

There are dogs everywhere, and sometimes they just bark.

But sometimes, before barking, they growl — they make that low, threatening, throaty sound.

And it means “stay away.”

But people can growl, too, especially if they want to be threatening.

“‘Stay away from my family!’ he growled .”

Using speaking verbs as nouns

We can use these speaking verbs in the same way we use “say.”

For example, if someone says “Get out!” loudly, we can say:

“‘Get out!’ he shouted .”

However, most of the verbs we looked at today are also used as nouns. (You might have noticed in some of the examples.)

For example, if we want to focus on the fact that he was angry when he shouted, and not the words he used, we can say:

“He gave a shout of anger.”

We can use these nouns with various verbs, usually “ give ” or “ let out .”

“She gave a shout of surprise.”

“He let out a bellow of laughter.”

“I heard a faint murmur through the door.”

There you have it: 30 alternatives to “say.”

So next time you’re describing your favourite TV show or talking about the dramatic argument you saw the other day, you’ll be able to describe it more colourfully and expressively.

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8 thoughts on “ Words for Speaking: 30 Speech Verbs in English (With Audio) ”

Always enlighten and fun.. thank you

Great job! Thank you so much for sharing with us. My students love your drawing and teaching very much. So do I of course.

Good news: I found more than 30 verbs for “speaking”. Bad news, only four of them were in your list. That is to say “Good news I’m only 50 I still have plenty of time to learn new things, bad news I’m already 50 and still have so much learn. Thanks for your posts, they’re so interesting and useful!

Excellent. Can I print it?

Thanks Iris.

And yes — Feel free to print it! :)

Thanks so much! It was very interesting and helpful❤

Great words, shouts and barks, Gabriel. I’m already writing them down, so I can practise with them bit by bit. Thanks for the lesson!

Thank you so much for sharing with us. .It is very useful

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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart 

Learn words with flashcards and other activities, other learning activities, teaching tools, full list of words from this list:.

• accolade a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
• acrimony a rough and bitter manner
• angst an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
• anomaly deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
• avant-garde radically new or original
• baroque relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music
• bona fide not counterfeit or copied
• bonhomie a disposition to be friendly and approachable
• boondoggle work of little or no value done merely to look busy
• bourgeois being of the property-owning class
• bravado a swaggering show of courage
• brogue a thick and heavy shoe
• brusque rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
• cacophony loud confusing disagreeable sounds
• camaraderie the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
• capricious determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
• carte blanche complete freedom or authority to act
• caustic capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
• charisma personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
• cloying overly sweet
• deja vu the experience of thinking a new situation already occurred
• dichotomy a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
• dilettante an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
• disheveled in disarray; extremely disorderly
• elan enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness
• ennui the feeling of being bored by something tedious
• ephemeral lasting a very short time
• epitome a standard or typical example
• equanimity steadiness of mind under stress
• equivocate be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
• ersatz artificial and inferior
• esoteric understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
• euphemism an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
• facetious cleverly amusing in tone
• fait accompli an irreversible accomplishment
• fastidious giving careful attention to detail
• faux pas a socially awkward or tactless act
• fiasco a complete failure or collapse
• finagle achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods
• glib artfully persuasive in speech
• gregarious temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
• harbinger something indicating the approach of something or someone
• hedonist someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
• heresy a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
• idiosyncratic peculiar to the individual
• idyllic charmingly simple and serene
• indelicate in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
• infinitesimal immeasurably small
• insidious working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
• junket dessert made of sweetened milk coagulated with rennet
• litany a prayer led by clergy with responses from the congregation
• lurid glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
• Machiavellian of or relating to amoral or conniving political principles
• malaise a feeling of mild sickness or depression
• malinger avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
• mantra a sacred utterance or poetic hymn in Vedism
• maudlin very sentimental or emotional
• mercenary a person hired to fight for another country than their own
• minimalist a conservative advocating only minor reforms in government
• misnomer an incorrect or unsuitable name
• narcissist someone who is excessively self-centered
• nirvana the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
• non sequitur a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it
• oblivion the state of being disregarded or forgotten
• ogle stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
• ostentatious intended to attract notice and impress others
• ostracize expel from a community or group
• panacea hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
• paradox a statement that contradicts itself
• peevish easily irritated or annoyed
• perfunctory hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
• philistine a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
• picayune small and of little importance
• precocious characterized by exceptionally early development
• propriety correct behavior
• quid pro quo something given in exchange for something else
• quintessential representing the perfect example of a class or quality
• red herring something intended to distract attention from the main issue
• revel take delight in
• rhetoric study of the technique for using language effectively
• scintillating having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
• spartan unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment
• stigma a symbol of disgrace or infamy
• stoic seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
• suave having a sophisticated charm
• supercilious having or showing arrogant superiority
• sycophant a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
• teetotaler someone who abstains from drinking alcoholic beverages
• tete-a-tete a private conversation between two people
• tirade a speech of violent denunciation
• tryst a secret rendezvous, especially a romantic one
• ubiquitous being present everywhere at once
• unrequited not returned in kind
• untenable incapable of being defended or justified
• verbose using or containing too many words
• vicarious experienced at secondhand
• vile morally reprehensible
• waft a long flag; often tapering
• zealous marked by active interest and enthusiasm
• Zeitgeist the spirit of the time

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Rewordify.com

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Rewordify is a feature in Read&Write for Google Chrome , a literacy support tool that helps learners to improve their reading and comprehension.

Rewordify.com is powerful, free, online software that improves reading, learning, and teaching. This site can:

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The site is free and child-safe . Use it now; there's no software to install. Try the online demo and the first-time user guide . Teachers: You can print free, full-color literature to get started. Scroll down for more info...

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Rewordify.com simplifies difficult English. Enter hard sentences (or whole chapters) into the yellow box at the top of the page. (You can also enter a web site URL.) Click Rewordify text and you'll instantly see an easier version, for fast understanding. The reworded words are highlighted— click them to hear and learn the original harder word. You can change how the highlighting works to match the way you learn!

Do you dislike dictionaries because they're confusing and unhelpful? You'll love Rewordify.com's clear, easy-to-understand definitions—they change to match the original word or phrase's part of speech, verb tense, and singular/plural form, so they make sense. Our amazing Rewordifying Engine is what makes it all possible, and no other web site has it.

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A Learning Session isn't an online quiz: it's an effective, step by step process where you hear words and phrases, type them, and read them. The software re-teaches you exactly what you need when you need it, and moves ahead when you're ready. When you've learned a word, the site stops "rewording" it, so the site grows with you as you learn! Learn more about Learning Sessions .

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Learn the way you want—from what you want to read. You can change the way the site works to fit your learning style as you read and learn from almost any text passage or web page. See the different highlighting styles in the box? You can pick any of them, and lots more options. Click the Settings link (at the bottom of the page now, or at the top of any page) to see all the choices you have. (The demo text in the box here never changes.)

Now you can easily get your students involved in their learning: let them select the text that interests them. Let them print and complete the activities with which they're most comfortable. Imagine each student learning vocabulary customized to his or her interests, while you have time to teach instead of typing. Could differentiation by interest or readiness be any easier? You can start doing it today, for free .

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Type (or copy-paste) in any block of text in the yellow box at the top of this page, click Rewordify text , and click the Print/Learning activities button. Here's how . You (or your students!) can select from a rich variety of quizzes and learning activities, with or without answer keys.

Do you need to teach (or not teach) particular vocabulary words and phrases? Rewordify.com gives you the exact control you need for specialized vocabulary instruction. You can make customized word lists so the site rewords and teaches any word or phrase exactly the way you want.

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Select how public or private you want the document, enter the title, author, etc., and you're done!

You get a link that you can put in your online lesson plans, teacher web pages, or blog. No more rewordifying the same thing over and over again!

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(In a hurry? Log in. Click Educator Central at the top.)

In a few minutes, you can create student accounts on Rewordify.com, and easily monitor your students' reading and learning progress. Get actionable learning and error analytics as your students read and learn from any document you post, or from any document or web page they want to read.

Imagine each student learning different words based on his or her interest or ability level. It's easy to do: Rewordify.com designs and teaches individualized vocabulary lessons with our highly effective Learning Sessions , so you have the time to teach students the important stuff: how to learn, how to break through obstacles, how to believe the words "I can do it."

As your students read and learn, get detailed charts and reports that tell you what you need to know—by student, by class, or for all your classes.

Effectively match interventions with students, based on detailed error breakdowns that let you see what you need to see in a few clicks.

Student accounts are anonymous, and they keep your students safe and focused on learning.

Start using it now: Log in and click on Educator Central at the top. Read more about Educator Central.

It's free, fast, and safe.

Rewordify.com is free online software. You're using it now. There's nothing to buy or install. It works on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Just point your browser to Rewordify.com and start reading and learning. Yes, it's tablet-friendly—no mouse needed. Yes, your whole school district can create teacher and student accounts, without entering any personal information . When? Now.

Can it get better? Yup. The site shows no ads, for a distraction-free, school-safe learning environment.

It's fast. Wasting your (and your students' time) is bad. That's why Rewordify.com was designed from the ground up to be lightning-fast and use very little data. The site doesn't have a hundred images of puppies and kittens and a hundred links to a hundred lists. What it does have is speed and ease of use, which are very nice when you have to teach a room full of teenagers. Or adults.

It's an app. Want the app? You're using it. Wasn't that easy? The site is a web app, which is great for you, because you get almost-daily site updates automatically —so you can read and learn, not download and install app updates.

We keep kids safe online. Rewordify.com requires no personal information . Student accounts are completely anonymous and cannot post or share anything. Read more about how we protect children's privacy .

Rewordify.com can display simplified versions of web pages. Our state-of-the-art web filtering technology blocks millions of inappropriate sites and questionable language, to protect kids online and keep them reading only what they should be reading. Read more about how we protect children from inappropriate material .

Features & benefits

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Teachers: Learn about Educator Central and all it can do to help improve student learning outcomes. Also, you can print lots of free, full-color literature to help you get started in the classroom.

Have some fun. Are you up for a vocabulary challenge? Play Rewordo. Be aware: it's not easy.

Browse some classics. Want to be more sure of Shakespeare, or brush up on Bronte? Scroll to the top, and click the Classic Literature link. It's a fast way to get started using the site. Or, use the Search bar at the top. Try entering the word raven to understand the deal with Poe, that black bird, and the "Nevermore" thing.

Check out the goodies. You can install our One-Click Learning browser applet that lets you rewordify most web pages in one click. Our cool (and free, of course) School Clock tells you the current time and date, what class period you're currently in, countdowns to the next period, and more. You can customize it for any school's schedule, and make as many different School Clocks as you have different day schedules. Use it now .

Show the love! Please tell us about mistakes the site makes when "rewording" and defining words. That feedback is the single most valuable thing you can do to help the site (and learners around the world). Click here to contact us. Do you want to help defray the site's operating costs, and read a great thriller at the same time? You can! Get your copy of Electric Dawn .

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Site summary: Rewordify.com helps with reading comprehension and vocabulary development by simplifying English to a lower reading level. It lets you reword a sentence or reword a paragraph. It will simplify English by reducing text complexity. It's a dictionary alternative that will improve comprehension and teach vocabulary. It's an important part of reading instruction and vocabulary instruction for ESL students, people with reading disabilities, people with a learning disability, or anyone who wants to improve reading skill.

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What's the opposite of Meaning of the word Words that rhyme with Sentences with the word Translate to Find Words Use * for blank tiles (max 2) Use * for blank spaces Find the of Pronounce the word in Find Names     Appearance ✓ Use device theme   ✓ Dark theme ✓ Light theme ? ? Here's a list of from our that you can use instead. ▲ ▲ in a foreign language.” was slurred and it was clear that he was not entirely lucid.” to be rather verbose, yet articulate.” between the two characters.” .” .” Use * for blank tiles (max 2) Use * for blank spaces Related Words and Phrases Bottom_desktop desktop:[300x250]. go Word Tools Finders & Helpers Apps More Synonyms Copyright WordHippo © 2024 413 IMAGES This is How to Write a Perfect Speech Check out this infographic with 200 better words for good to make your Words Related to SPEAKING Ten ways to write a better speech Using better words... 20 Vocabulary Goals For Speech Therapy: Practical Examples For Learning VIDEO Is text to speech better than a voice actor? Make your speech better than before #motivation #publicspeaking Simpler speech = better client experience New free text to speech,Better than eleven labs#freeaitools#texttospeech#technology#naturalvoice 【スピーチ】ピッチとポーズを変えれば、すぐにわかりやすくなる！ Try to be BETTER than Yesterday🔥💪 #motivation #quotes #attitude COMMENTS 40 Big Words That Make an Impact In Speech and Writing Whether you're writing an essay or speaking in front of a group, there are certain big words you can use to impress your audience. 270+ Other Words for "Said" to Enhance Your Dialogue For this infographic, we've narrowed down the 270 most essential dialogue words for you to know! Simply enter your email below to get it in your inbox within minutes. FREE RESOURCE Get our Dialogue Tag Cheatsheet Upgrade your dialogue with our list of 270 alternatives to "said." Enroll now ... SPEECH Synonyms: 54 Similar Words Synonyms for SPEECH: talk, lecture, address, oration, sermon, presentation, monologue, declamation, peroration, tribute 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own) Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary. Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you. 4. Mohammed Qahtani. Use Power Words in Your Speech to Persuade Your Audience The use of power words is an instrument to engage people, grab their attention, and make them listen to your speech. Mix and match them whenever relevant to communicate your message and motivate your audience to take action. Remember that certain words evoke specific emotions. 10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills 2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You. Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement. 3. Over 300 words to use instead of said reminded. (verb) to cause (a person) to remember; cause (a person) to think of someone or something. "Don't forget to study for your math test over the weekend!". Mr. McAndrew reminded. (submitted by Katherine K.) repeated. (verb) to say or utter again (something already said). "Take out the trash!". Dialogue words: Other words for 'said' (and what to avoid) What is a 'dialogue tag' (or speech tag)? Tags (like name tags) identify. In written conversation or a piece of dialogue, a tag is a group of words following quoted speech (e.g. 'she said'). It identifies who spoke and/or the tone or emotion behind their speech. Words for 'said' may show or suggest: The 8 Key Elements of Highly Effective Speech Kind facial expression. Warm tone of voice. Expressive hand and body gestures. Relaxed disposition. Slow speech rate. Brevity. The words themselves. Effective communication is based on trust, and ... Here's How to Write a Perfect Speech Step 4: Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your speech the more you'll discover which sections need reworked, which transitions should be improved, and which sentences are hard to say. You'll also find out how you're doing on length. Step 5: Update, practice, and revise your speech until it has a great flow and you feel ... How to Write a Good Speech: 10 Steps and Tips Create an outline: Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval. Write in the speaker's voice: While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. 14 Tips On How To Improve Speaking Skills (Speak Like A Pro!) Use deep breathing: Shallow chest breathing can make you sound more jittery or nervous when talking. Deep belly breathing exercises can help improve your oxygen levels while simultaneously calming your body. Exhale first: When it comes time to speak, most people breathe and start their sentences with an inhale. 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays 4. That is to say. Usage: "That is" and "that is to say" can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: "Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.". 5. To that end. Usage: Use "to that end" or "to this end" in a similar way to "in order to" or "so". Diction Exercises: Tongue Twisters to Speak Clearly [36 of the best] The benefits of diction exercises or drills are: strengthening and stretching the facial and mouth muscles involved in speech, bringing to your attention habitual speech patterns which may be less than perfect. Good diction, (enunciation), is NOT about changing your accent or making you 'talk posh'. It is about clarity, effective communication ... How to Build Vocabulary You Can Actually Use in Speech and Writing Step 2: We start using some of these words in our speech and writing. (They are, as discussed earlier, just a small fraction of our passive vocabulary.) By and large, we stay in our comfort zones, making do with this limited set of words. Little wonder, we add to our vocabulary in trickle. 84 Synonyms & Antonyms for SPEECH Find 84 different ways to say SPEECH, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com. Ten ways to write a better speech 10 ways to write a better speech. 1-Learn your time limit and calculate your word count. The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It's almost always better to speak more slowly than too quickly. Thus, if you're speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 words. Big words to sound smart: 127 fancy words to boost eloquence Big words to sound smart: 127 fancy words to boost eloquence. Express yourself more elegantly and with aplomb by substituting basic, everyday words with these big words and synonyms to make you sound smarter. Seven Ways to Write a Better Speech : Word Count So when a friend emailed to request advice on how to write speeches, I decided to summarize the seven things I know. 1) Learn your time limit and calculate your word count. The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It's always better to speak more slowly than quickly. Thus, if you're speaking for 20 minutes ... Words for Speaking: 30 Speech Verbs in English (With Audio) Babble / Blabber / Blather / Drone / Prattle / Ramble. These words all have very similar meanings. First of all, when someone babbles (or blabbers or blathers or drones or prattles or rambles), it means they are talking for a long time. Too long. And probably not letting other people speak. 100 Words to Make You Sound Smart brusque. rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner. cacophony. loud confusing disagreeable sounds. camaraderie. the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability. capricious. determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity. carte blanche. Rewordify.com Rewordify.com helps you read more, understand better, learn new words, and teach more effectively. Save & close. Sample Original: Rewordify.com is a sublime web site that expedites learning in myriad ways. ... You'll love Rewordify.com's clear, easy-to-understand definitions—they change to match the original word or phrase's part of speech ... What is another word for speech Synonyms for speech include address, talk, harangue, oration, declamation, discourse, lecture, disquisition, homily and peroration. Find more similar words at ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis