Hyperbole Could you really eat a horse What

Hyperbole Could you really eat a horse?

What is Hyperbole? You have already learned that stories and some essays contain Literary Elements such as plot, setting and characters are the important features of a story or a narrative essay. Without these basics, you would not have a story or a narrative account.

If you were to compare a story to a cake, Literary Elements would be the main ingredients like the butter, the sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder and a baking pan. Without these things, you would have no cake.

Sometimes, other things are added to a cake to give it extra taste and appeal. Things like the flavoring, raisins, chocolate chips, pineapple, or icing may be added to the cake. A cake without flavoring is not going to be very appealing but it would still be a cake.

Literary Techniques or Figurative Language are to writing what vanilla, and pineapple are to a cake. They add extra appeal to stories and narrative accounts. They are like the frosting on the cake.

One Literary Technique which is often used in writing is the hyperbole. Hyperbole is the use of exaggerated language for added effect. It is used for emphasis or to make a point. If you were hungry, you might say, “I am hungry. ” If you were extra hungry you might say, “I am very hungry. ” Or you could let the reader know that you were extra hungry by saying, “I am so hungry, I could eat a horse. ”

Now, we all know that while some people do eat horse meat, no one could eat an entire horse. When you say that you could eat a horse this lets the reader know that you are extra hungry. You are so hungry that you want a large portion of food. A Kid’s Meal is not going to be enough. You want a Number 5 Combo, super sized!

Manute Bol was an NBA player who was very tall. He was over seven feet tall. He towered over the heads of others players who were also considered to be tall. In describing Manute we could say, “Manute Bol is very tall. ” Or we could say, “Manute Bol is so tall he could reach up and touch the sky.

You could see from the picture that Mr. Bol was very tall. He was taller than Charles Barkley who is over six feet tall. In spite of his height, he was not tall enough to touch the sky, however.

Saying, “Manute Bol was so tall that he could dunk without jumping, ” would not be a hyperbole, however. He could dunk without jumping. He was tall enough to reach the basket while standing on the ground. Something is only a hyperbole if it is an exaggeration and is so overstated that it could not possibly be true.

After packing your bag with books you could say, “This bag is very heavy. ” Or you could say, “This bag weighs a ton. ”

You could say, “It rained a lot today. ” Or you could say, “It rained cats and dogs today. ”

Many of the women in the Bahamas could say the following: “After being on lockdown and eating all day, I have gotten so fat. ” Or “After being on lockdown and eating all day, I have gotten as big as a house. ”

REMEMBER: A hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally. It is used to make a point. There are some Bahamian expressions that are hyperboles: When we say that someone is “mixed up like conch salad. ” Or, that a person doesn’t know “when lobster is done. ” Or when we tell people that something that they have cooked tastes so good that they “put their foot in it. ”

Our language is always changing and developing. Some expressions of hyperbole have been around for years and are used by writers from around the world. Others are newer and may have regional or national meaning like the Bahamian examples given. Whether long-standing or local, you should use hyperboles in your writing to give it more flavor and more appeal.

Use hyperboles and “put your foot in your writing!”

Beginning with number 1, and continuing in numeral order, match the hyperbole on the left with its actual meaning on the right. He has a ton of money. She had a big smile. I called you a million times. The teachers had a lot of papers to mark. He is older than the hills. He is very rich. Her smile was a mile wide. I called you numerous times. The teacher had a mountain of papers to mark. He is very old.

Click on the word hyperbole below to watch the video. Then complete the worksheet. Hyperbole