Basic Details
Word: Hyperbole
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Exaggeration used on purpose, for effect, and not meant to be taken literally, as in 'I have told you a million times'.
Synonyms: exaggeration, overstatement
Antonyms: understatement
Sounds like: hyperbola (a kind of curve studied in maths)
How to Spell Hyperbole
Syllables: hy - per - bo - le
Tricky part: It is said 'hy-PER-buh-lee', with four syllables, but the end is spelt le. Students write hyperboly or hyperbolee because they hear 'lee'.
Watch out for: hyperboly, hiperbole, hyperbolee
Memory tip: Say it in four beats exactly as it is written, hy-per-bo-le, and remember the last e is sounded, as at the end of recipe.
Usage Examples
Example 1: 'This bag weighs a ton' is hyperbole; it only feels heavy.
Example 2: Poets use hyperbole to make feelings seem bigger and stronger.
Example 3: When Dev said he could eat a horse, his mother recognised the hyperbole.
Fun Fact
Hyperbole comes from a Greek word meaning excess, built from hyper (beyond) and ballein (to throw), so it means throwing beyond the mark.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word hyperbole as used in the sentence:
Saying she had a thousand chores to finish was pure hyperbole, and everyone at the table laughed.
a) exaggeration
b) boasting
c) understatement
d) overstatement
Show answer
c) understatement. Hyperbole makes things bigger than they are, and an understatement makes them smaller.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. hyperboly 2. metaphor 3. simile 4. alliteration
a) repeating the same first sound in nearby words
b) a comparison using like or as
c) deliberate exaggeration not meant to be taken literally
d) describing something as if it were something else
Show answer
c) deliberate exaggeration not meant to be taken literally. Hyperboly is wrong because the 'lee' sound at the end of hyperbole is spelt le.
Word Cookie
Choose the correct letters to fill in the blanks:
h_perb_le
a) i, o
b) i, a
c) y, a
d) y, o
Show answer
d) y, o. The prefix hyper begins with hy, and the Greek word ends bole.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence contains hyperbole?
a) I've been waiting here for ages.
b) The queue moved slowly.
c) I have waited for ten minutes.
d) The bus arrived at nine.
Show answer
a) I've been waiting here for ages.
2. Writers use hyperbole mainly to ____.
a) make a point stronger
b) describe a real event
c) make a sentence shorter
d) give exact numbers
Show answer
a) make a point stronger
