7.18 PRODUCTIVE FEATURE

Another way of indicating the manner of speaking is to use a verb which is usually used to describe the sound made by a particular kind of animal.

• 'Sorry to be late,' he barked.

You can use a verb such as 'smile', 'grin', or 'frown' to indicate the expression on someone's face while they are speaking.

• 'I'm awfully sorry.' --- 'Not at all,' I smiled.
• 'Hardly worth turning up for,' he grinned.

You use verbs like 'bark' and 'smile' in quote structures when you want to create a particular effect, especially in writing. This is a productive feature of English. For more information about productive features see the Introduction.