Style question for the old-timers

[Smallpotatoes]

I know that when quoting people, we're supposed to just use the word "said", not "implied," "quipped," "exclaimed," or anything like that.
I have a stringer who was a news editor many years ago before he got into another line of work. He's a good, solid writer and reporter, but he uses words like "implied," "noted," "exclaimed," etc.
While the standard practice now is to just use "said" was there a time, maybe 25-30 years ago, when the way he did it, using words other than "said" was the accepted way of doing things?

 

[T2]

As a 60-year-old, I still think it's acceptable to use the other words in moderation.

Well, most of them, anyway. "Implied" would be incorrect with a direct quotation because if the source implied something, he did not say it. The usage should be more like "By benching his star, the coach implied that tardiness would not go unpunished."

 

[Tom Petty]

if you want your section to read like it's 60 years old, yeah, that ****'s great.

also refer to wrestling as grappling, and games as tilts, those are nice touches.

 

[slappy4428]

if you want your section to read like it's 60 years old, yeah, that ****'s great.

also refer to wrestling as grappling, and games as tilts, those are nice touches.

Spoken like a true thin-clad harrier.

 

[trifectarich]

I guess you'd have to hear the quote to know if another word is appropriate. There's nothing wrong with "yelled," "whispered," "added," etc., given the right context.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

"Ejaculated" is always a winner

 

[huntsie]

"Said" is the way to go. It's relatively invisible. He "said" it. You stumble over pretty much every other adjective for "said." -- although you can convey the guy's tone with other more words if they apply.
He "simmered," if he's mad, for instance.
He "bristled" if you pissed the guy off. It conveys his mood as well

 

[Tom Petty]

if you want your section to read like it's 60 years old, yeah, that ****'s great.

also refer to wrestling as grappling, and games as tilts, those are nice touches.

Spoken like a true thin-clad harrier.

please slappy, define that ... i wanna know so i can use in the future.

 

[wickedwritah]

Used to be a fan of all those other words, then I had my stuff really edited and realized that said is the way to go.
Boring, trite, plain but gets the job done.

 

[SoCalDude]

We have an older newsside section editor who was given a specialty column in sports. He uses ... "Smith told me" or "Smith tells me" for most of his quotes. He complains about any edits that are made. So I figured, what the hell, nobody is reading it anyway.

 

[Ace]

I like the throw a "he chortled" in every now and then for variety.

 

[Bob Cook]

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was about how to match spats with wool trousers, or how to trim your Van Dyke.

 

[SF_Express]

please slappy, define that ... i wanna know so i can use in the future.

Ah, he combined 'em.

Thin-clad: track
Harrier: cross country

So this must be some kinda hybrid deal.

And except in rare circumstances, where describing sound levels, perhaps, "said" is always the way to go, 50 years ago, now, 50 years from now. This isn't old-guy speak. Nothing is gained from the other words.

I will risk trouble that even though I still change it from old lessons, I never particularly objected to, "I'll bet," he laughed.

 

[MC Sports Guy]

The only exception to said that I'll allow in my writing or others is joked when it's necessary to imply the coach/player was joking or being sarcastic.

For instance, after a local team neededn 11-point rally in the final minutes to win the game, I asked the coach about the comeback. The quote read, :"That's a pretty good gameplan, huh," Coach joked. Perhaps the sarcasm is implied, I don't know. but I always felt adding "joked" helps. Like someone said earlier, it's not so bad to do it in extreme moderation.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Another word for said?

Said.

 

[Editude]

In certain feature settings, some discretion is OK. Otherwise, said works fine. A former colleague had a list of about 30 synonyms that he tossed in (argued, offered, allowed ... the usual nonsense), and they were replaced in the five days I worked.

 

[friend of a friend]

In certain feature settings, some discretion is OK. Otherwise, said works fine. A former colleague had a list of about 30 synonyms that he tossed in (argued, offered, allowed ... the usual nonsense), and they were replaced in the five days I worked.

I think I know that guy.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Now what if you're doing a story with Boris Said quotes?

 

[Riddick]

Ya know, I pass this site on to a lot of young writers that I encounter. Sure, I tell them it's often full of ****, but I mention threads like this.
I have a stringer now who I may have to require his reading of SportsJournalists.com, cause I'm sick of editing out the million and one ways he finds to avoid using 'said.'

 

[JayFarrar]

I've always taken thin-clad harrier to mean a good cross-country runner
I like Cager in place of basketball player.
A crafty cager, Tom Petty also excels as a thin-clad harrier for Bishop Gorman High.