Is there a word that refers to the phrase that follows a dialog? By that, I mean phrases such as "said Matthew", "exclaimed John", etc. Is there a word that refers to those phrases we use in novels?
For example:
"That was sweet!" said John.
English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityIt's called a dialogue tag.
From the link:
Also often referred to as an attribution, a dialogue tag is a small phrase either before, after, or in between the actual dialogue itself. For example:
“Did you get my letter?” asked Katie.
The phrase “asked Katie” is the dialogue tag in the sentence.
Note: other interesting comments and information may be found in the link.
It's normally called either a dialogue tag or a speech tag.
From "Dialogue tags and how to use them in fiction writing" by Louise Harnby:
Dialogue tags – or speech tags – are what writers use to indicate which character is speaking. Their function is, for the most part, mechanical. This article is about how to use them effectively.
A dialogue tag can come before, between or after direct speech:
Dave said, ‘That’s the last thing I expected you to say.’
‘That,’ said Dave, ‘is the last thing I expected you to say.’
‘That’s the last thing I expected you to say,’ Dave said.Placed in between direct speech, tags can moderate the pace by forcing the reader to pause, and improve the rhythm by breaking up longer chunks.