In this section of the lesson, you will learn to recognize hyperbole and appreciate how writers use it to achieve their purposes. To get started, watch the video and pay special attention to the writer’s purpose for each hyperbole. What message is the writer emphasizing?

As you saw in the video, the purpose of hyperbole is to emphasize something through exaggeration. For the exercise that follows, match each hyperbole to the author’s purpose. Select your answer by clicking on one of the options below each question.

Now that you know what hyperbole is and have practiced understanding the intended message, you are ready to delve deeper and see examples of hyperbole in poetry.