In the first section of the National 5 Critical Reading assessment, you will be asked to comment on examples of language, such as word choice and imagery. Revise how to identify and analyse some of the key language techniques in this guide.
Hyperbole is the deliberate use of exaggeration to emphasise a point.
What is hyperbole? Bitesize explains using "Sounds of the Day" by Norman MacCaig as an example.
Examples of hyperbole
I'm giving it two hundred per cent. This isn't possible but the fact that it is impossible emphasises how much effort someone is willing to make.
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Nobody could actually eat a horse but the scale of the animal emphasises how hungry the person is.
I haven't seen you in a million years! It is not possible to live for a million years so this extreme length of time is being used to highlight how long it has been since they saw each other.
Question
My feet are killing me.
How does the above example of hyperbole enhance our perception of how the person is feeling?
We feel like the person is in so much pain it feels like parts of their body have turned against them, and are causing so much harm that their life is threatened.