I don't have a problem with them (they're called *bookisms,* I believe) *if*: 1. **You don't overdo it.** It's tempting to make every dialogue tag something vivid or extra. Don't. D.W. Smith pointed out in a writing tutorial once that "the word *said* is invisible." It really is. Be judicious with bookisms. Think of them as salt: a little is good; too much ruins the dish. 2. **You use them when they are necessary.** That is, you use "sighed" because it conveys extra meaning which would otherwise be lost, and which can't be conveyed another way. For example: `"'I hate you,' she crooned."` *Crooned* means something very specific which is very difficult to describe using `she said with TKTKTK.` (Credit Kate Sherwood) Other answers which will be useful to you: http://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/4751/attributives-in-dialogue/4753 http://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/3161/im-getting-tired-of-he-said-she-said-in-dialogue-how-do-i-get-around-it http://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/1861/dialog-just-whats-the-best-way-to-write-it/1870