How would you describe when you feel like you have something stuck in your throat while being sad? or touched because someones says something nice to you?
Really? There is no better description that also explains the emotion? Choking up sounds like something you say when you physically have something in your throat.
'Choked up' conveys it perfectly for me. With sadness you can refer to the character having 'a lump in his/her throat' - everybody will know what you mean. Similarly, 'he/she was touched by ___" is fine. If you want to be more subtle you can refer to them finding it hard to swallow, finding it hard to speak, blinking to hold back tears, a feeling of heaviness coming over them...
I think 'choked up' is usually connected with a person attempting to speak while feeling this emotion—thanking somebody for an unexpected kindness, or attempting to offer condolences at a funeral service, etc. The person finds it difficult to speak without bursting into tears and are consequently 'choked up.' You're not likely to be 'choked up' if you're reading a sad story silently on your own. Then I think the 'lump in the throat' idea probably works better in that sort of scenario.
There are sooo many ways to describe such things. Isn't that the joy of writing?: "Grief gripped Hank, as though the hands of death were around his own neck, and he was unable to speak." "Hank was so moved by Mary's kindness that all the words he wanted to say to her remained so tightly wrapped in raw emotion that he could not speak, but she knew."
Choked up is a definite winner. I also like to throw in the descriptor swollen, if I've been writing about an emotional scene for a while and need a fresh phrasing.
Here is what I wrote: Stuck in throat while feeling sad or worried or shocked: Melba’s heart pumped as fast as galloping horses when frightening questions flooded her mind. What if they remembered she belonged to George? What if they still hated her mother? Melba felt as if someone had stuffed a sock in her throat. Touched by someone's kind words: Lucille’s burial request toyed with her conscious as she sorted through another box, placing many items in the trash pile, including a sealed envelope that had no name, no postmark. Second-guessing herself, she retrieved it and straightened the folds of a second letter. My Dearest Darling . . . The words rested soft and easy inside the mind, warming every part of body and soul. "Ooh, Daniel. Another love letter. Just what I need right now," Melba whispered, pressing it to her chest. It was one of many he had written during the course of their twenty-nine-year marriage. A flood of memories rushed through her. Shoulders softened as she strolled to the window to peer at snow forming mounds upon her thirty-seven-acre estate. Daniel’s beautiful penmanship brought a smile to her face. She imagined him sitting at his desk with a corner of his lip tucked between his teeth, musing through a host of things he'd probably say. She loved drowning herself in his copper-colored eyes. Adored how he'd arched one eyebrow and cast a lecherous smile when he wanted to make love.
