Well...that was hyperbole.
Hyperbole (Pronounced "Hi-per-bowl-ee") is exaggeration. You probably use it all the time on a day-to-day basis. Exaggerations can add personality and flavor to writing. Here are some examples:
- I'm starving to death (you're probably not actually starving to death, but it's more interesting than saying "I'm really really hungry")
- It's pouring buckets (I'm sure buckets aren't actually falling from the sky, but now we know that it is raining A LOT.)
- It's worth a million bucks (chances are, whatever you're talking about doesn't really cost a million dollars, but now we know that it's very expensive.)
- He's the cutest baby in the world (that would be impossible to prove, but it lets us know that he's a REALLY cute baby. By the way...my baby is definitely the cutest in the world :) )
Hyperbole works best in dialogue and narrative writing. It can add a nice flavor to the voice of a formal piece, but you have to be careful because exaggerations often come across as too general and casual in those settings.
And there you have it. Pretty simple. Now go out there and hyperbole it up!
Until next time, I remain your silly Online Writing Tutor,
Mrs. B
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