Hyperbole · Grade 7
In Grade 7 you learn: why writers exaggerate.
Hyperbole is a huge exaggeration that nobody takes literally: I've told you a million times! It shows strong feelings, or makes something funny or dramatic.
Key facts
- Hyperbole: an exaggeration for effect: This bag weighs a ton. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. It means very heavy, very hungry.
- Hyperbole shows strong feelings or makes something funny or dramatic. People use it all the time in speech: We waited for ages.
Worked examples
Example 1
What does it really mean? My brother takes a hundred years in the shower.
Answer: My brother spends a long time in the shower.
Example 2
Find the hyperbole: I've told you a million times to tidy your room!
Answer: a million times: it means many times.
Example 3
Is this hyperbole? The bag weighed a ton.
Answer: Yes: the bag was very heavy, not really a ton.
Example 4
Rewrite without the hyperbole: I'm so tired I could sleep for a year.
Answer: I'm very tired.
Example 5
Why does the writer exaggerate? I've got a mountain of homework tonight.
Answer: The hyperbole shows how overwhelmed the speaker feels; it isn't meant literally.
Example 6
Write a hyperbole to show someone was very hungry.
Answer: I was so hungry I could have eaten the whole fridge.