RIC-20249 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 6 – Figures of Speech

Figures of speech
Hyperbole
Focus
Hyperbole
Definition
• Hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement.
Explanation
• Hyperbole is pronounced hy-per-bol-e, with the
emphasis on the second syllable and ending with a
long e sound.
• Hyperbole is an example of figurative speech that
uses exaggeration to emphasise the magnitude of
things such as size, feeling, effort or reaction.
Example:
I nearly died laughing.
I could write better than that with both hands tied
behind my back.
Such statements are not meant to be taken literally
but they demonstrate the intensity of meaning.
• Hyperbole differs from simile and metaphor in that it
is used primarily for emphasis and persuasion rather
than for description.
• Hyperbole is an integral part of the spoken English
language and an understanding of it is important
for the comprehension of some humorous, informal
writing.
Worksheet information
• There are many Internet sites on which examples
of hyperbole can be found. Give students the
opportunity to compile lists and then discuss their
use and meaning.
• Explain that hyperbole is generally regarded as using
exaggeration to make a point. It is often humorous
and, in some cases, the more ‘over the top’ the
better.
• Give starter phrases for the students to add an
example of hyperbole:
Example:
The heat was so intense …
The fruit was so bitter …
The teacher was so unpopular …
The house was so dilapidated …
• Read through the poem and discuss the examples of
hyperbole and their meaning.
• In part (c) of Question 1, students use plain language
to describe the winter day. Adjectives are required
but only to convey the message, not to make the text
interesting.
• Students work independently for the first part of
Question 2, writing examples of hyperbole for both
types of description. They may need to continue on a
separate sheet of paper.
• Joining forces with a partner, one student compiles
the examples for the ‘should be chosen’ description,
the other, for the ‘should not be chosen’. Students
use the examples in a description which can then be
read to the class.
Ideas for further practice
• Use hyperbole to write a poem on a chosen subject.
Collect and redistribute poems among the class
to be illustrated. Display poems and illustrations
on the same wall but mixed up. Study poems and
illustrations to determine which belongs with which.
• Sitting in a circle, one student says a starter phrase:
e.g. ‘I was so tired …’ and then throws a beanbag to
another student who must finish the sentence using
an example of hyperbole. That student then gives
another starter phrase before throwing the beanbag
to someone else to continue.
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Answers
1. (b) The blood in my veins began to freeze, I rose
three metres above the ground, The rain
pierced my skin
(c) Teacher check. Possible answer: The day was
extremely cold with very strong winds and
heavy, piercing rain.
2. Teacher check
Primary grammar and word study 78
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