What is hyperbole?

Hyperbole is the greatest, most spectacular thing in the history of the entire world!

By exaggerating certain characteristics, hyperboles give the reader a vivid mental picture.

Example: He snores louder than a freight train.

Hyperbole is used for emphasis (makes that part more important) or humorous effect. With hyperbole, an author makes a point by overstating it.

No one snores louder than a freight train, but by exaggerating the writer shows us that he snores REALLY loudly.

Hyperbole makes qualities of people or things stand out by exaggerating them.

Examples:

The skin on her face was as thin and drawn as tight as the skin of onion. -Flannery O’Connor, “Parker’s Back”

She’s the funniest girl I’ve ever met.

Can you think of any examples?

Hyperbole can also be used to describe a person’s emotions (feelings).

In the following selection, a boy is pulling a man up from a deep hole.

“It was not a mere man he was holding, but a giant; or a block of granite. The pull was unendurable. The pain unendurable.”—James Ramsey Ullman, "A Boy and a Man"

What makes this hyperbole?

Some hyperboles have been used so much that they have

become:• I am so hungry I could eat a whole horse.• You could have knocked me down with a

feather.• I have a million things to do.• He’s as skinny as a toothpick.• I’ve told you a thousand times.• They had a ton of homework to do.

CLICHES

Find 4 hyperboles in this passage:

Marian wanted a summer job. If I just had a job, she thought, I could buy everything I ever wanted. However, she was nervous about going on a job interview. She was so nervous that she felt as shaky as a leaf on a tree.

After a few interviews, Marian got a job at Dairy Queen. She served up mountains of ice cream. She served enough sodas to fill an ocean. Finally, payday came.

4 hyperboles

Marian wanted a summer job. If I just had a job, she thought, I could buy everything I ever wanted. However, she was nervous about going on a job interview. She was so nervous that she felt as shaky as a leaf on a tree.

After a few interviews, Marian got a job at Dairy Queen. She served up mountains of ice cream. She served enough sodas to fill an ocean. Finally, payday came.

It’s just a joke!

• Sometimes hyperboles are used as a joke or to make fun of something or someone by exaggerating certain characteristics.

• We are so poor; we don’t have two cents to rub together.

• That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur.

Hyperbole is common in humorous poetry.

Hyperbole can make a point in a light-hearted way. It can be used to poke fun at someone or something. For example, read this description of a dull town.

 

It's a slow burg—I spent a couple of weeks there one day.—Carl Sandburg, "The People, Yes"

Hyperbole in poetry

• Look at this excerpt from “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

• Find the hyperbole.

• What is the hyperbole in this line of poetry?

• What does it mean?

“Here once the embattled farmers stood.And fired the shot heard round the world.”

Tall Tales

• Tall tales are another form of hyperbole.

• Read the following tall tale and see if you can spot the hyperbole in it.

It snowed so much that year that nobody remembered what the sun looked like any more. It had snowed for 50 weeks without stopping, and the whole world was buried under at least 100 feet of snow. The people in the villages carved out tunnels between their houses and the stores so that everybody could get food and clothes. Other tunnels to the forest had been carved out also so that everyone could chop wood for their fireplaces.

Well, one day Cynthia decided that she could no longer stand this dark state of affairs. She yearned for the sun and sky. So she went to the forest and started digging a hole up into the snow above her. As she scooped out the snow, she made steps so as to climb higher and scoop out more snow. Finally, after five long days and nights of scooping, Cynthia saw a faint light shining through the hole. And then, suddenly, there she was on top of the snow, out under the bright sun and blue sky. Cynthia was so delighted that she leaped about and did many cartwheels. After frolicking all day long, Cynthia decided to return home and began looking for the hole where she had come up. But it was nowhere to be seen! It must have melted under the hot rays of the sun.

Cynthia became terribly angry and threw a tantrum. She jumped up and down, shaking her head and beating her fists. She jumped so hard that the snow began to rumble and shake. As she continued jumping, the rumbling grew louder until suddenly, everything began slipping and sliding. Cynthia’s bad behavior had started a huge avalanche! In fact, the avalanche was so huge that all of the snow caved in and fell to the very bottom of the earth. And poor Cynthia went with it, falling to the southernmost part of the world, and nobody ever heard of her again. But to this day, we still remember her because of the South Pole, the most desolate, snow-ridden place on our earth.

Look at the items listed below, which are examples of

hyperbole from the story?• ___ Nobody remembered what the sun looked like

anymore.• ___ It had snowed for 50 weeks.• ___ The whole world was buried under at least 100 feet

of snow.• ___ The people carved out tunnels.• ___ Cynthia yearned for the sun and sky.• ___ Cynthia scooped for 5 days and nights.• ___ Cynthia frolicked all day in the sun.• ___ Cynthia threw a tantrum.• ___ Cynthia’s tantrum started a huge avalanche.• ___ All the snow fell to the very bottom of the earth.

Please enjoy the most fun language arts activity ever!

Let’s try to make some new hyperboles

1.The truck driver was so powerful...2. The movie was so bad...3. The rollercoaster made the kids so sick...4. The car was so fast...5. His father was so mad...6. I was so hungry...7. Class was so boring...8. I worked so hard...9. I was so happy...