What is a common feature of expressive aphasia?

Expressive aphasia, also known as Broca's aphasia, is characterized primarily by a significant difficulty in the production of language. Individuals with this condition often have intact comprehension of spoken language, but struggle to express themselves through speech or writing. This means they may understand what others are saying and can follow conversations, but when it comes to forming sentences or finding the right words, they face considerable challenges.

The correct answer reflects the hallmark symptom of expressive aphasia, which is indeed the inability to produce language fluently. People may produce short, fragmented sentences and may omit small words, leading to speech that is often telegraphic in nature.

In contrast, the other options represent features that are not defining traits of expressive aphasia. The use of neologisms (inventing new words) and perseveration (repeating words or phrases) can occur in different types of aphasia, particularly in fluent aphasias like Wernicke’s aphasia, where comprehension is impaired. Understanding of complex directives is generally preserved in expressive aphasia, as individuals typically maintain a good level of comprehension despite their difficulty in expression.