(originally posted in 2011)
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Warning: PET LOVERS ... don't be offended by the following words ... it's just a hyperbole! :)
Come on ... did it make you smile, just a little?!
Yes, it did.
First, I just like saying and thinking the word: hyperbole. I feel smarter just for knowing how to pronounce it.
Second, these can be so stinkin' funny ... but I have to admit, sometimes I have to scrunch my eyebrows before I fully understand certain ones.
According to YourDictionary.com:
"A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point. They would not be used in nonfiction works, like medical journals or research papers, but are perfect for fictional works, especially to add color to a character or humor to the story. Hyperboles are comparisons, like similes and metaphors, but are extravagant and even ridiculous."
Consider the following examples from Worsleyschool.net:
"My sister wears so much make-up, she leaves a color trail behind her when she walks," Grant K.
"My teacher is so old, she taught cave men how to start a fire," Aaron H.
"Saskatchewan is so flat, you can see your dog run away for 4 days!" Jenna.
HOWEVER, you must be careful when using hyperbole to avoid the dreaded cliches. When using a cliche, your hyperbole is dead on arrival and hinders rather than helps your writing.
Avoid the following over-used examples:
•I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
•I have a million things to do.
•I had a ton of homework.
•He is as skinny as a toothpick.
•We are so poor; we don’t have two cents to rub together.
•You could have knocked me over with a feather.
•Her brain is the size of a pea.
•He is older than the hills.
Do you employ an occasional hyperbole in your writing? Do you have a favorite?
Karen - NO GUILT!!! Hyperbole is a GOOD thing! In my humble opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this word too! I'm sure I have some in my WIP, but now I'll be thinking about it more :)
ReplyDeleteI have been known to use it a time or two myself.
ReplyDeleteMy entire immediate family is given to hyperbole. I'm convinced it's genetic.
ReplyDeleteIf it isn't hyperbole, it's puns. There should be a least one character in a story that employs them to give it a special flavoring.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I use hyperbole, but in typical me fashion, I won't get rid of it until someone makes me. It's just so much fun.
ReplyDeleteSmile? It made me chuckle out loud. I love the word hyperbole and your comment about cliches is very apt since I have a blogfest scheduled on that very subject.
ReplyDeleteHaha! H is for hyperbole and not hyphens! Silly me. I love your examples. I wished I was funny enough to use them in my stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute picture! And, yes, it did make me smile.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of hyperbole, I now think of the Shatter me series by Tahereh Mafi. She does go over board, but somehow makes it work. I tend to mostly steer clear of them myself. It's hard to find ones that work well.
I think we're so used to employing hyperbole that we hardly notice anymore when we use it.
ReplyDeleteI use hyperbole so often that people don't know when to take me seriously. Well, not really. That was a bit of an exaggeration.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's favorite:
ReplyDeleteHe's so skinny, if he fell through his asshole, he'd hang himself.
I learned the mathematical definition of "hyperbole" before the literary--I always think of graphs when I see the word!
ReplyDeleteI speak in hyperboles so much, I don't even realize I'm exaggerating anymore.
ReplyDeleteUnless I'm doing it on purpose.
My mum was recently horrified because the Australian prime minister said, "I'll leave the HYPE-er-bowl to you". Yep, that's how she pronounced it!
ReplyDeleteI don't use a lot of hyperbole in my writing, but I do use it as a parent almost every single day. And usually the ones on your list. ;-) I did Hyberbole today, too, so great minds must think alike.
ReplyDeleteH = Handy Hyperbole
I am pretty hungry at the moment and feel like eating like a hippo instead of a cow. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love hyperbole! But I don't think I've ever used it in my writing.
ReplyDelete