Are dialogue tags sometimes added for reading out loud?

I'm no expert, but to me this dialogue tag was used for pacing. Breaking up the two sentences with the tag isolates the "There's nothing more" statement so that it has more impact. That's my read on it, anyway. I use tags to shade dialogue, set apart key phrases, vary the pace, all sorts of reasons other than identifying the speaker.

Maybe more experienced writers can elaborate?

Edited to add:

I messed around with this just for fun. Can you sense the subtle differences in each example?

"No, Lieutenant," he said. "There's nothing more." (original)
"No, Lieutenant. There's nothing more." (workable, but "There's nothing more" doesn't feel as meaningful now)
He said, "No, Lieutenant. There's nothing more." (this feels weak)
"No, Lieutenant. There's nothing more," he said. (this feels weak)

I agree with Meow that it was used for pacing there, but that is a consideration in writing for children. Picture books are meant to be read aloud and require you to make it very clear. Early readers have a tag for everything in order to make it easy. The higher the reading level, the less needed and more intrusive tags become.

I'll buy into the pacing as well. Just reading this small exerpt, it reads like it is ending a scence or even a chapter. Had the tag not been inserted, I would be looking for this scene to continue. Perhaps it does...I don't recall the book with that amount of detail.

A good audio actor can probably finesse the lack of tags by making the voices of the characters different from the voice in which he reads the narrative. I imagine tags could be ad-libbed in, also, if necessary.

I concur on the example given that the interjected tag contributes to pacing. Such tags are very useful in breaking up a long piece of dialogue, and, as suggested, in giving emphasis.

Not reading it in context, it could also be to help keep the reader from being confused about who's saying what. I could see having it just to connect with the paragraph above. With the two names in the paragraph above, it also might be attributed to two different people. I have had critters comment when I've left out a dialogue tag, and they weren't sure who was talking even though I'd thought it was clear.

miles said:

"No, Lieutenant," he said. "There's nothing more."

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Actually, that serves as a pause.

Otherwise, in a scene where there are multiple people involved, it's always a good idea to add a tag when the first person speaks, or after some narrative to make sure there's no confusion. Unless it's extremely obvious who is speaking: one is addressing the other person by name, for example.

Audiobook usually is the last thing on a writer's mind when writing dialogue. Maybe it shouldn't be, but personally I don't write dialogue and think, "Hmmm, and how would it sound in an audiobook?" A good actor can do wonders with dialogue even without any tags. In fact, many actors take out the "he said, she said" tags because they're kind of a nuisance.

I think I would rather there be too many dialogue tags then not enough, though.

I can't tell you how annoying it is to be reading a conversation and lose who is saying what halfway through because the author stopped using tags. Plus, I think it's a real stretch anyways for long stretches of conversation to go on without the people who are talking actually DOING something. So if you aren't going to use "said", I think it'd be more realistic to at LEAST add some action tags so you not only know who is saying what, but you can visualize the conversation more.

I read my WIP out loud anyway. (Partially because I'm working with a writer's group at the moment.) Reading your WIP out loud allows you to catch some things that you might not see just by reading it silently. I agree with the others. The dialogue tag in your example is a pause and works in that moment. And the fact that you can sometimes substitute action for a tag. (ex: The detective pulled out a notebook. "Ok, let's go over this again. Your name?") People just don't spout out dialogue. They move, they twitch, they get up and pace. Showing body language can also replace a lot of excess adverbs/adjectives.

I use the break in dialogue quite a bit. I have worried about overdoing it but most of the time it seems to work better than:

"No, Lieutenant. There's nothing more," he said.

The use of a dialog tags has nothing to do with voice, speaking, or listening. When writing, dialog tags such as "he said" should always be used. They identify the person saying the words (e.g. "he said").

I agree with the general consensus about pacing and with maestrowork, that the dialogue tag inflects a pause. (The two go hand in hand, in my mind.)

We, as speakers, take natural breaks in our dialogue. This implication for the character becomes clear to the reader, as they note that tag between the two portions of his statement.

I;ve asked this somewhere before, but I cannot remember where...

someone wrote:
Jake paced the room and stopped in front of her. "Isaac did this and that, blahblah," he said.

Can someone explain to me, why the 'he said' is there? For pacing? or to make it clear it's Jake not her?

So if the tagline were:

Jake paced the room and stopped in front of the door. "Isaac did this and that, blahblah," he said.

then the 'he said' would be redundant, or?

(I'm having my stupid questions day.)

Since I write nonfiction I'll be interested in learning what others have to say about this.

As I stated earlier on, my understanding is that the primary function on tag lines, such as "he said," is to identify the person who's speaking. Secondarily, they may help with pacing. Accordingly, when I read the initial two sentences you posted and think about leaving out "he said," I, as the reader, would not know who said "Isaac did this and that, blahblah." It could have been Jake or it could have been "her."

murmel said:

Can someone explain to me, why the 'he said' is there? For pacing? or to make it clear it's Jake not her?

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It's for clarity -- Jake said it, not her. Normally, the dialogue goes with the subject of the narrative. Here, Jake is the subject. However, sometimes it can be murky:

Jake paced the room and stood in front of her. She stared at him. "Isaac did this."

It's not clear who said what. Sure, we started the paragraph with Jake, but it could be her who said it. So a dialogue tag is necessary here for clarity, which I think is an important aspect of writing.