In the article properties of tropes and criteria of their differentiation are considered. The basic criteria of differentiation of trope properties are as follows: cognitive-psychological, semantic, structural, structural-semantic, rhetorical and cultural-historical criteria. The allocated properties of tropes assume an opportunity of realization of their influence on consciousness and subconsciousness, ideas, feelings and will of the addressee. In the current research the most common features of figurative language are as follows: allogical character, emotionality, imagery, low frequency, evaluation. Trope field penetrates discourse and genre fields. Frequency of tropes and activization of trope field depends on discourse and genre character.