The Hype around Hyperbole: Hyperbole 101

Imagine yourself sitting in the middle of your living room and your suddenly hear a sharp shrill voice from the kitchen, “I’ve told you a million times, to go and take a bath!” We’ve all been there before, but the question is, did your mum actually say it a million times? Nah she didn’t! But she would have told you many times before yelling at the top of her voice. So why did she say, “a million times”? Well that’s what we call an hyperbole – a figure of speech used to emphasise something. Let’s delve a little deeper, shall we?

What is a Hyperbole?

A hyperbole according to the Merriam- Webster dictionary is “Extravagant Exaggeration”. Sounds interesting right? Hyperbole in simpler and detailed terms is when you add a “hyped” up exaggeration for the sake of emphasis or humour. IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY! The pronunciation of Hyperbole is Hai-per-buh-lee. 

Hyperbole is usually not just on words, but also in phrases and clauses. These clauses and phrases sometimes get mixed with the simile another figure of speech which uses “like or as” to compare. The key to identify the difference between these two is comparison. In similes, the main noun is compared to the secondary nouns:

“She smelled like a rose”

But in a hyperbole, there is not much of a comparison, but rather an exaggeration of the main essence of the sentence.

“She smelled like a million roses”.

The word million adds that oomph quotient making it more dramatic. So, hyperbole is basically the drama queen of the figures of speech!

Why do we use hyperbole?

Everyday conversation: 

When someone is a cry baby, he or she is usually compared to a water source like river or a lake. 

“She cried a river out of heartbreak”.

When someone is starving and gobbles down food you can say:

“The pizza was gone in a second”.

When you carry something heavy, you can say:

“This weighs a ton”.

Literature and Pop Culture:

Writers often use hyperboles to shift and focus the attention of the reader to something using hyperboles. We hear Charles Dickens say, “It was so cold that the polar bears wore jackets” a sentence that gives you comic relief in a rather serious situation. 

In movies the most prominent one is when Agnes screams “It’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!!” in Despicable Me and the famous song from Dumbo, “When I see an elephant fly”!

These hyperboles, help in adding more impact and still gives a lighter tone to the crux of the sentences.

Tips to remember:

1. When using hyperboles, use them sparingly- they are an exaggeration. Too many hyperboles takes away from the original essence of the text and might confuse the reader as well.

2. Watch your tone- know when to be dramatic or comic. A juxtaposition of this might be the biggest mistake of your life- hyperbole intended!

3. Practice writing them and the comparison, you don’t want to come off as a hack writer.

Activity:

Write hyperboles for the following sentences:

1. I’m hungry

2. It’s too hot

3. I waited for a long time

4. I haven’t seen my friend in a while

5. I got scared

Key suggestions:

1. I’m starving I could eat a horse.

2. It feels like I’m in hell right now.

3. I grew old waiting for you.

4. I haven’t seen her in ages.

5. I was so scared my heart was in my throat.

Remember kids, hyperboles are like seasoning, too much of it will make it unpalatable but too little of it will be bland as well. Learn just to use the right amount. 

To know more about hyperboles, book your demos at bambinos.live

Happy learning!

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