You may have heard the word hyperbole once or twice as a writer. But what do you know about hyperbole? Allow me to tell you all you need to know about hyperbole. One of the most important things you should do when learning a new word is to get its pronunciation right. The word hyperbole is pronounced as “high-purr-bo-lee´” (in British and American English). Now you know.

The definition of hyperbole

Have you ever read a statement or sentence that left you thinking about how exaggerated it was? Let’s take look at the following example: “Lunch is not ready yet? At this rate, you are going to starve me to death.” From the context of the conversation, you can tell the speaker is exaggerating. The second statement has been used to emphasize how hungry the speaker is. Just because lunch has been delayed, it doesn’t necessarily mean somebody is going to starve to death. That statement gives a clear picture of hyperbole in use. Now that you have an idea, let’s define hyperbole.

Hyperbole is a literary device in which a heightened effect is created through exaggeration. The word hyperbole originates from the Greek word which means excess.

Other examples of hyperbole in sentences are:

I called your cellphone a million times.

That part of the city is usually hotter than a desert during the daytime.

The house was so silent you could hear a pin drop in the next room.

The way he loved her, he could give her the whole world.

Her hoarse voice could scare the croaking frogs outside.

There was enough food in the cupboard to feed a whole army.

“I have a sore toe and it’s killing me.”

“She had so much jelly on her forehead, it glistened in the sun like a polished mirror.”

The uses of hyperbole

To add emphasis

As a writer, you can use hyperbole to add emphasis on a word.

A statement without hyperbole: “She took too long in the bathroom.”

A statement with hyperbole: “She took forever in the bathroom.”

The second statement emphasizes that she took a long time in the bathroom.

To create a clear picture of a situation

You can use hyperbole to make your ideas more clear to your readers. Using hyperbole for this purpose will save you a lot of words in descriptions and explanations.

Here is an example of a conversation in which hyperbole has been used to create a picture in the reader’s mind.

First-person: How cold is it outside?

Second person: It’s very cold.

The same conversation with the use of hyperbole:

First-person: How cold is it outside?

Second person: It’s so cold, the polar bears are even wearing jackets and scarves.

To make a description more creative and amusing

This will help to make your work more attractive and fun to read. Instead of saying, “She was very smart.” You can say, “She had a brain the size of a planet.”

To advertise

You can use hyperbole for advertisement purposes. Advertisement is not limited to the business sector alone; you can also advertise your characters or generally your content. A common example of an advertisement in which hyperbole has been used is: “The best a man can get.” (Gillette)

However, you have to keep in mind that you should only use hyperbole in instances where it serves the purpose of emphasizing your statement. If you use too much exaggeration in a statement in the name of using hyperbole, it may not make sense to the reader and it will therefore not have any positive effect on your work.

Sources
literarydevices.net/hyperbole/

https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/hyperbole https://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/hyperbol
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperboles.html