It is almost always better to use the verb said when you are reporting someone’s words.

Newspaper and other journalist’s style guides disagree over whether to use the past tense (said) or present tense (says). It doesn’t matter which one choose, just stick with one and, for the most part, make sure you use the same tense throughout. There are times when you may need to write someone says this now, but said something different in the past.

While you can legitimately use said even with written words -  if you are quoting what someone wrote in an email or in a Twitter tweet – it is better to make it clear the person wasn’t talking at the time.

The alternatives to said are often pompous or value-laden. I once worked with a fellow journalist who sprinkled his copy with words like averred or commented. Neither word adds any useful information and may frighten off some readers.

It’s possible readers will interpret other alternatives as suggesting the speaker is lying or misinformed. Think of claimed or according to.

One alternative I allow myself is the verb ask, but only when someone is clearly asking a question.

Fiction writer Elemore Leonard has another perspective on this. In his excellent Ten rules of writing he says:

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.

Leonard writes fast-paced fiction with terrific dialogue, if sticking with ’said’ is good enough for him, it’s  good enough for the rest of us.

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If you’ve spent much time around social networks or services like Twitter, you will have seen a lot of passionate people.

Earlier today someone who claims to be passionate about search engine optimisation followed my Twitter account. In recent months I’ve come across people who are passionate about real estate, online marketing and customer service management to name just a few.

They are either liars, totally deluded or insane. I don’t which is worse.

Sorry. Nobody is passionate about search engine optimisation. They might enjoy working in the field. They may enjoy it an awful lot and be excited by the money it pays. But they are not passionate. Not if they are mentally healthy.

The term is meaningless. It’s a cliché. It tells me the person using it is an unimaginative idiot. I nearly used a rude word there instead of ‘idiot’.

If you want to say you like something a lot, think up a new way of expressing the idea and we might just want to listen.

And while we’re on the subject, the same applies to sexy.

Computers are not sexy. Pieces of software are not sexy. Attractive members of the opposite sex are sexy.