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【Abstract】Oliver Twist contributes a lot to Charles Dickens’s fame. Through reading this book， many semantic deviations can be found， which set good examples for our English writing， especially hyperbole and irony.
【Key words】Oliver Twist； Charles Dickens； hyperbole； irony
Charles Dickens， as the master of words， leaves many outstanding literary works.What makes his works impress people， in my opinion， is not only the attractive stories he tells， but also the way he chooses to write， especially using many semantic deviations. In his masterpiece-Oliver Twist， which tells a story of an orphan， we can see his excellent writing in the following examples.
1. Hyperbole
The use of exaggeration for effect is called hyperbole. Hyperbole is a statement deliberately exaggerated in order to strengthen the effect or add force. It represents something much greater or less， better or worse， or more intense than it really is， or that depicts the impossible as actual.
In Chapter Twelve of Oliver Twist， Oliver is saved by Mr.Brownlow and taken good care of by Mrs.Bedwin. She gives Oliver a basin full of broth “strong enough， Oliver thought， to furnish an ample dinner， when reduced to the regulation strength：for three hundred and fifty paupers， at the lowest computation.”Here hyperbole is vividly used， especially the number “three hundred and fifty”. From this a simple conclusion can be drawn clearly - the children in workhouse are not able to eat their fill. What’s worse， they suffer from starvation and some of them even died because of lacking food. On the other hand， Mrs.Bedwin’s kindness and generosity can be shown. Thus it is not hard to infer that Mr.Brownlow is also a nice and generous man. The hyperbole used here expresses a completely comparison between the council and Mr. Brownlows.
In Chapter forty-eight， after killing Nancy， Sikes runs away. That Dickens uses the sentence “Let no man talk of murderers escaping justice， and hint that Providence must sleep. There were twenty score of violent deaths in one long minute of that agony of fear.” vividly shows the scare and panic of Sikes. The number “twenty score” reflects the torture of the killer and the terrible situation of Nancy’s death. It is so miserable that even the atrocious Sikes cannot get away from it. The hyperbole used here expresses the fear of Sikes after he kills Nancy and the misery of Nancy.
2. Irony
The definition of irony varies from person to person.The following are some definitions of irony from dictionaries. 1） Expression of one’s meaning by saying the direct opposite of one’s thoughts in order to be emphatic， amusing， sarcastic， etc.
——Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary
2） Use of words which are clearly opposite to one’s meaning， usually either in order to be amusing or to show annoyance （e.g. by saying ‘What charming behavior’ when someone has been rude.）
——Longman Dictionary of English Language
【Key words】Oliver Twist； Charles Dickens； hyperbole； irony
Charles Dickens， as the master of words， leaves many outstanding literary works.What makes his works impress people， in my opinion， is not only the attractive stories he tells， but also the way he chooses to write， especially using many semantic deviations. In his masterpiece-Oliver Twist， which tells a story of an orphan， we can see his excellent writing in the following examples.
1. Hyperbole
The use of exaggeration for effect is called hyperbole. Hyperbole is a statement deliberately exaggerated in order to strengthen the effect or add force. It represents something much greater or less， better or worse， or more intense than it really is， or that depicts the impossible as actual.
In Chapter Twelve of Oliver Twist， Oliver is saved by Mr.Brownlow and taken good care of by Mrs.Bedwin. She gives Oliver a basin full of broth “strong enough， Oliver thought， to furnish an ample dinner， when reduced to the regulation strength：for three hundred and fifty paupers， at the lowest computation.”Here hyperbole is vividly used， especially the number “three hundred and fifty”. From this a simple conclusion can be drawn clearly - the children in workhouse are not able to eat their fill. What’s worse， they suffer from starvation and some of them even died because of lacking food. On the other hand， Mrs.Bedwin’s kindness and generosity can be shown. Thus it is not hard to infer that Mr.Brownlow is also a nice and generous man. The hyperbole used here expresses a completely comparison between the council and Mr. Brownlows.
In Chapter forty-eight， after killing Nancy， Sikes runs away. That Dickens uses the sentence “Let no man talk of murderers escaping justice， and hint that Providence must sleep. There were twenty score of violent deaths in one long minute of that agony of fear.” vividly shows the scare and panic of Sikes. The number “twenty score” reflects the torture of the killer and the terrible situation of Nancy’s death. It is so miserable that even the atrocious Sikes cannot get away from it. The hyperbole used here expresses the fear of Sikes after he kills Nancy and the misery of Nancy.
2. Irony
The definition of irony varies from person to person.The following are some definitions of irony from dictionaries. 1） Expression of one’s meaning by saying the direct opposite of one’s thoughts in order to be emphatic， amusing， sarcastic， etc.
——Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary
2） Use of words which are clearly opposite to one’s meaning， usually either in order to be amusing or to show annoyance （e.g. by saying ‘What charming behavior’ when someone has been rude.）
——Longman Dictionary of English Language