Hyperbole is an ancient Greek parole that around translates to " go beyond . " The manyhyperbole examplesyou find in everyday speech align with this idea of going further than the the true to push a point place .
Hyperbole: An Effective Rhetorical Device of Everyday Speech
Hyperbole is a mutual chassis of speech or literary machine ( when write in lit and poetry ) that paint a vivid word picture of an extreme smell or icon . You may have heard someone practice the rough-cut argument , " I ’m so thirsty , I could run through a horse cavalry , " knowing that neither of you could actually eat up an entire horse .
You know how with child ahorseis , so you may have a sense of how hungry you would need to find to ingest such a large creature . That is the root of exaggeration : It is an unrealistic extreme that evoke a unique answer .
The same concept apply to writers trying to present some sense of the world they ’re create for their referee . When they key out a person , they may latch on to a dominant quality and exaggerate to highlight uniqueness . For instance , when describing an abnormally improbable individual , they may write that they are " marvellous than a tree . "
Whether spoken or written , the goal of bringing attention to something by using an unrealisticcomparisonis an effective use of language .
Should You Avoid Using Extreme Exaggeration?
Using nonliteral language is an excellent way to underscore a point in workaday conversation or give idea more meaning and substance when writing a tale . However , extravagant exaggeration is intimately used in moderation to effectively tamp down the most punch .
Using an overstated statement too oft can induce it to turn a loss its original definition . In breaking this connection , you will belike fail to put surplus stress on the original mentation . The most useful strategy is to save hyperbole for special occasion and trust on simile and metaphor in most compositor’s case .
5 Hyperbolic Statements for Everyday Conversation
The following phrasal idiom are some of the most plebeian hyperbole exemplar in the English language .
1. So Hungry I Could Eat a Horse
Although people do corrode horse nitty-gritty in some part of the man , the set phrase is used to underscore a distributor point of thirst when someone feels they could go through a gigantic animal . The example is obviously exaggeration because even the largest individual could n’t feast on a thousand pounds of center in one sitting .
2. A ‘Million’ Anything
It believably feel like you ’ve heard masses use " million " more than a million times to describe sum of money that are much less than theseven - figuremark . " I have a million questions " or " I have a million matter to do " are some of the most common expressions for in general confused or busy people .
A million is such a large numeral that it is often an light figure of speech to utilize than a more complex simile or metaphor . For example , " We ’ve been waiting in this personal credit line for a million twelvemonth " is an effective direction to emphasizetime , even if you have been hold back for just a few 60 minutes .
3. A Ton
Theimperialmeasurement , equal to 2,000 pounds ( 907 kg ) , is one of the most common representative of exaggeration , which expresses an excess amount of exercising weight or numbers . For instance , you have belike heard the expression , " This suitcase weighs a ton " or " My band has a ton of fans . "
4. It’s Raining Cats and Dogs
The universe has experienced a all-encompassing range of strange atmospheric condition phenomena , but the reflexion " raining qat and pawl " is a bit of a stretch . Pisces , perhaps , but never beloved furred pets .
5. Cry Me a River
Long beforeJustin Timberlake ’s 2002 hit of the same name , " cry me a river " was already a common phrase used to mock someone who was feeling spectacular and infract . Even during the bad day of your life , you would never be physically capable to create your own personal waterway from tears .
5 Examples of Hyperbole From Literature
Writers trying to craft the next nifty American novel can take Federal Reserve note from some of these examples of exaggeration constitute in famous book and verse form .
1. ‘As I Walked Out One Evening’ by W.H. Auden
Auden masterfully use exaggerated assertion to describe a big love when he writes :
These example claim more substance because their absurdity enjoin the story that this love will last forever and a day .
2. ‘Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain
Mark Twain was a 19th - century humourist who used everyday language to capture the authentic smell of youthful adventure in one of his most famed novels , " Huckleberry Finn " ( 1884 ) . The write up of Huck Finn tackles issues of thralldom in the U.S. from the point of view of a runaway striver list Jim .
talk on slavery , Jim claims that he experience " trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom . " Jim is not literally experiencing these maladies , but they illustrate his excitement for a new life away from the torment and toil of live as a striver in the South .
3. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee
Harper Lee used hyperbole to craft the setting in this accolade - gain classic when she wrote : " A day was twenty - four hours long but seemed longer . There was no hurry , for there was nowhere to go , nothing to buy and no money to buy it with , nothing to see outside the bound of Maycomb County . "
4. ‘Sick’ by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein is a staple fiber of any elementary schoolhouse library , and his famouschildren ’s booksare Au mine of some of the expert examples of hyperbole in poetry . The main character in " Sick " ( 1993 ) is a youthful fille who is try on to cut school due to her many exaggerated illnesses . Peggy Ann McKay complains :
5. ‘Macbeth’ By William Shakespeare
No listing of hyperbole in literature would be ended without mentioning the world responsible for didder the very grounding of the English language . In Shakespeare ’s " Macbeth " ( 1623 ) , Macbeth feels remorse for commit execution , take , " Will all slap-up Neptune ’s sea dampen this blood sportsmanlike from my hand ? "
