The phrase Emma asked is the dialogue tag in the sentence.
Example of dialogue tags. After the comma comes the quotation marks to end the dialogue then a space then the tag followed by a closing period to complete the sentence. I hate this restaurant. We were having a lovely dinner Michael prompted.
Lets go to that Italian place we all like whined Katy. Im soAmy inhaledexcited about this subject. To view the alphabetized list of examples of words to use instead of said touch the button below to go the examples page.
In American English a dialogue tag is a phrase that precedes breaks up or follows a bit of written dialogue and establishes who the speaker is how they are delivering the dialogue and whether or not a new speaker is talking. John walked over to the window. What Exactly Are Dialogue Tags.
While this tip might sound obvious editors can attest that odd verbs in dialogue tags are all too common. Asked admitted answered explained agreed shouted whispered pleaded demanded cried warned mumbled. Try switching it up with more evocative examples to build interest such as the following list.
But there are lots of other dialogue tags you can use in your story to add variety. Dialogue tags are those short little phrases in dialogue that identify the speaker. Accused added admitted apologized bargained bragged demanded derided described fibbed invited joked lectured lied menaced prayed repeated scolded taunted teased threatened That block of examples could have been a lot longer.
Writers can also use them for. The main use of those is to keep characters straight for the reader. Dialogue tags dont need to be fancy splashy or self-conscious.