: Re: Can we use other things than single-word verbs in our dialog tags? "Albert, you're already drunk! Stop it!" she implored him. "Nah, if I stop drinking, I won't have an excuse to

@Holmes449

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First, if the context is obvious, you don't need a dialogue tag at all.

"Albert, you're already drunk! Stop it!" she implored him.
"Nah, if I stop drinking, I won't have an excuse to miss work tomorrow!"

Second, if the dialogue ends in anything but a period, I prefer the attribution up front. Not all authors agree, and I don't always do it myself, but if the reader should be putting any spin on the tone, it helps if they know up front how to read the words.

Alice implored him, "Albert, you're already drunk! Stop it!"
Albert giggled. "Nah, if I stop drinking, I won't have an excuse to miss work tomorrow!"

In general, as I have done here, you don't even absolutely need "said" or a dialogue tag. You can indicate who is talking by directing the reader's attention to a character by describing an action on the same line. "Albert giggled."
Instead of "implored" we can describe Alice's expression:

Albert poured himself another glass, and Alice knit her brow in concern. "Albert, you're already drunk! Stop it!"

Now I do use "said" frequently, as Galastel says it is transparent to readers. But I also think every time a person talks, you have an opportunity to aid the visual and action imagination of the reader by describing an action instead of a tag. It is an opportunity to add visual body language and facial expressions to the conversation, which is important in avoiding the sense of disembodied talking heads.

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