"said Podunk coach Joe Jones" vs. "Podunk coach Joe Jones said"

That shit used to drive me bananas.
Best explanation I read was always use said because after a while, the reader stops reading the word and starts focusing more on the quote, or something like that.

 

I feel the opposite, that "said Xxxxx" is clunky and "Xxxx said" is conversational.

 

Action verbs sometimes help ...

"They got hosed!" Kiffin ejaculated.

 

As I said on another thread this week, I keep coming back here because it makes me laugh out loud at least once a day.

 

Paxil works great.

 

Sometimes, if I have a long quote then introduce a new speaker real fast without wanting to make up some kind of half-assed transition, I will do this:

"I've always said that if Ivanka weren't my daughter, I'd be dating her," Trump said. "I mean, look at her."
Said Starman: "See. Trump wants to HAVE SEX WITH HIS DAUGHTER!"

 

Fixed that for you.

 

See, I would put "said so-and-so" in the rare cases the identification comes in front of the quote.

 

Blue font, sorry!

 

Damn editors!

 

I agree with all of this, but, like Ace's Trump/daughter thing shows, I think there's a time and place for less-conversational usage. (And that's why I liked it, not for prurient reasons.)

My boilerplate line when someone would argue about a suggested change to copy that was slightly less conversational: If we want to use solely conversational language, think about a baseball story ... no more bullpen, mound, fastball ... pen, bump, heater.

I, for one, don't want to read that stuff. Our writing shouldn't read like a SQL manual, but it shouldn't read like Beavis and Butt-head, either .

 

I've done the same thing as with Ace's example.

We're always taught to write in active voice. I've always thought "xxxx said" is written in active voice, and "said xxxx" is passive.