I agree with this, but I'm thinking more and more that the issue of using verbs in this way is far more an issue a bad grammar than bad writing. Sometimes bad grammar is bad writing, but there are things you can get away with IMO. And while I would agree that your way is more correct, I have a hard time grasping that it's that big of a deal when the only difference between right and wrong is putting the subject/verb before the dialogue instead of afterwards. Like I just can't picture it being as big a deal as something like subject verb confusion (saying "He giggle" for example) which IMO is far more noticeable and distracting.
I disagree; I don't think she messed up. The use here fits a second definition for "ejaculated": It's a dated term, but given Harry Potter portrays a zeitgeist reminiscent of medieval times, I argue it works. In certain circumstances, "ejaculated" is a feasible substitution for "said." As a high school boy at the time, I did giggle, however. And I didn't "giggle" in a dialogue tag, either.
Ok, so it's TECHNICALLY accurate, but does that make it a good choice of word? Writing is about communicating, and semantics plays a massive part in that. Sometimes words take on different meanings and those meanings stick - the old meaning might still be valid, but it isn't what the majority of readers would understand from that word. And this is why it's BAD word choice ^ Making you titter at the sexual inuendo is NOT the desired effect... unless of course she just slipped it in there for her own prvate amusement to see if it would make it to print
I don't think anyone was arguing she got the definition of "ejaculated" wrong, just that is it bad writing. I could write the following: "Throw me the ball," John spat venomously at his selfishly ball-hogging teammate. It would appear to me that the definitions of the words are correct, but it's a terrible sentence.
I also giggled every time Tolkien or any other writer used the word "breast" to describe a man's "chest." Just because something has a sexual connotation doesn't make it a bad choice. Maybe you would use a different word, but there is plenty of merit to her word choice.
Perhaps some SMALL merit, but that is GROSSLY outweighed by its ridiculousness and titter value. But by OotP she was far too rich and lazy to worry about a little thing like writing quality.
I believe this; I know a guy who was shocked when I (and other people) advised him not to use said variants, as he'd been taught in school to avoid the word.
Or educate them. Most English teachers are knowledgeable about a wide range of topics about the use of language, but aren't specialized in techniques of fiction. It's much more specialized than a general high school or even college curriculum, so I think we can forgive them for a few gaps in their skill set.
As a general rule, I stick to "asks" and "says". I use "whispers" and "mumbles" more sparingly. Any other words are either one-off occasions or not used at all. I try to avoid dialogue tags altogether in one-on-one conversations.
