Hyperbole

Here are some examples of hyperbole:

• My potatoes are swimming in gravy!
• It’s so cold that the polar bears are wearing jackets.
• I’ll be ready in a second.
• He is as old as the hills.
• He has a ton of money.

Hyperbole, pronounced hy-PUR-bow-lee, is a Greek word meaning “exaggeration or overshot”. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.

Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect. As a literary device, hyperbole is often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech.

Another example of hyperbole is: “The bag weighed a ton.” Hyperbole helps to make the point that the bag was very heavy, although it is not probable that it would actually weigh a ton. [Source Wikipedia]

This is a short collection of hyperpole examples and their meanings for illustration.

Read this big list of hyperbole examples.

• Select 10 of the above examples and explain their meanings.
• Construct 8 hyperboles of your own.  Share them with on another and explain their meanings.
• Write an 8 lined poem with 6 lines of hyperbole.
• Draw a cartoon using hyperbole. Exaggerate a feature or event for humor.
• Practice writing your own hyperbole and illustrating the best one.

A line from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concord Hymn reads:

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

Comedians Mark Lowry and Bill Gaither joke about Mark’s tendency to exaggerate.

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