HYPERBOLE
Figurative Language
Practice
HYPERBOLE
Hyperboles are figures of speech
that use intentional exaggeration.
Hyperboles are descriptive language. Using
a hyperbole is a creative way to describe
something.
By exaggerating certain characteristics,
hyperboles give the reader a vivid mental
picture.
He snores louder than a
freight train.
No one snores louder than a freight train, but
by exaggerating the writer shows us that he
snores REALLY loudly.
We stood in line so long
that grass began to grow
on our shoes.
No one stands still long enough to watch grass
grow, but this hyperbole shows us that they had
waited in line a VERY long time.
I would die of
embarrassment.
He thinks money
grows on trees.
Some hyperboles have been used so many
times that they have become clichés, phrases
that everyone recognizes.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole
elephant!
How do you know that this line
from 101 Dalmatians is a
hyperbole?
What does this hyperbole mean?
“farmers stood and fired …the shot
heard round the world.”
Poets often use hyperboles. This one is in the
poem “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo
Emerson.
What is the hyperbole in
this line of poetry?
What does it mean?
Find four hyperboles in this passage.
Marian wanted a summer job. If I just
had a job, she thought, I could buy everything
I ever wanted. However, she was nervous
about going on a job interview. She was so
nervous that she felt as shaky as a leaf on a
tree.
After a few interviews, Marian got a job
at Dairy Queen. She served up mountains of
ice cream. She served enough sodas to fill an
ocean. Finally, payday came.
Four hyperboles
Marian wanted a summer job. If I just
had a job, she thought, I could buy everything
I ever wanted. However, she was nervous
about going on a job interview. She was so
nervous that she felt as shaky as a leaf on a
tree.
After a few interviews, Marian got a job
at Dairy Queen. She served up mountains of
ice cream. She served enough sodas to fill an
ocean. Finally, payday came.
Can you complete these hyperboles?
1.  That joke is as old as ___.
2.  Our new school is so big that ___.
3.  My backpack is as heavy as ___.
4.  Her smile is like a ___.
5.  He runs as fast as a ___.
Time to Revise
Try these hyperboles again. This time, come up with your
own original ideas rather than hyperboles that you have
heard before.
1.  That joke is as old as ___.
2.  Our new school is so big that ___.
3.  My backpack is as heavy as ___.
4.  Her smile is like a ___.
5.  He runs as fast as a ___.
It’s Just a Joke
Sometimes hyperboles are used as a
joke or to make fun of something or
someone by exaggerating certain
characteristics.
Example: my sister was so afraid of
the mouse that she jumped up three
flights of stairs at once.
Complete
these
hyperboles.
1.  My brother is as tall as ___.
2.  My friend walks so fast that she ___.
3.  That new building is so ugly that ___.
4.  That hamster is as fat as ___.
5.  His new song sounds like a ___.
More Hyperbole Activities
1.
Search for hyperboles.
Use your literature book, or another book with
poems and other types of literature, to search for
hyperboles. Make a list of examples of hyperboles
that you found.
2.
Write a poem.
Write a five line poem describing an unusual place
or event. Use at least three hyperboles.
3.
Illustrate it.
Write your favorite hyperbole. Then draw a picture
to illustrate it.
Writing hyperboles is so
much fun that I could write
them 24/7.
Exaggeratio
n
Hyperbole
HYPERBOLE
Intenti
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exagg nal
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*A fig
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*A cre of speech
ative
w
descr
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methi
by ex
ng
a
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Certa
ting
in cha
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istics