{"id":4186,"date":"2013-06-27T21:04:50","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T21:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=4186"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:34:40","slug":"hyperbole-and-understatement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/hyperbole-and-understatement\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyperbole and Understatement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\" data-source-videoID=\"-UA7Y-LwhjQ\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Hyperbole and Understatement Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Hyperbole and Understatement\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/908-hyperbole-and-understatement-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Hyperbole and Understatement\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_-UA7Y-LwhjQ\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction 2Bu_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"2Bu\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"2Bu_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"2Bu\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_Hyperbole\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is Hyperbole?<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Hyperbole_Examples\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Hyperbole Examples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Understatement\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Understatement<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Understatement_Examples\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Understatement Examples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve told you to clean your room a million times!\u201d \u201cWhen I was your age, I had to walk 15 miles to school barefoot in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ever heard statements like that before? These are examples of an overstatement, or hyperbole, which is one of the things we\u2019ll be looking at in this video. We\u2019ll also be looking at the opposite of a hyperbole, an understatement, and how writers use these figures of speech to enhance their work.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_Hyperbole\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is Hyperbole?<\/h2>\n<p>\nSo, as you can tell from those two examples, a hyperbole is defined as obvious and intentional exaggeration. It\u2019s an extravagant statement or figure of speech that is not intended to be taken literally.<\/p>\n<p>We use hyperbole, or at least hear it, quite often in day-to-day conversation. For example, you might say to a friend: \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you in an eternity!\u201d You saw this friend just last week, but to get the point across that it has felt like a long time, you exaggerate by using a word that implies it\u2019s been \u201cforever.\u201d Since this is an exaggeration and is not meant to be taken literally, it is a hyperbole.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial to keep in mind that there are certain elements that make a hyperbole\u2019s function differ depending on context. In this case, the word <em>eternity<\/em> was used to create emphasis, but in a different situation, it could be used ironically.<\/p>\n<p>If you just recently saw your friend and coincidentally encountered him twenty minutes later, then making the same hyperbolic statement would have an ironic effect.<\/p>\n<p>Whether for emphasis or <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/irony\/\">irony<\/a>, hyperbole is <em>never<\/em> literal and is <em>always<\/em> an intentional and obvious exaggeration.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Hyperbole_Examples\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Hyperbole Examples<\/h3>\n<p>\nHyperbole is not just something that we use in conversation; authors have used it as a literary tool for centuries. Take Shakespeare\u2019s <em>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> for example. The character Egeus is in opposition to the relationship between his daughter and Demetrius, saying:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">With cunning hast thou filched my daughter\u2019s heart.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nObviously, Demetrius did not literally steal the blood-pumping organ from Egeus\u2019s daughter. Saying that he has stolen her heart is an exaggerated way to imply that Egeus is displeased with the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a more recent example from Kurt Vonnegut\u2019s <em>Slaughterhouse-5<\/em>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">When the Americans and their guards did come out, the sky was black with smoke. The sun was an angry little pinhead. Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nHere, Vonnegut describes the aftermath of the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The hyperbolic sentence\u2014<em>Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals<\/em>\u2014works to emphasize the destruction of the city after its bombing. This arguably has a much more powerful effect than simply saying \u201cDresden was badly damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The hyperbole here may overstate the extent to which Dresden was damaged, but it drives the point home that the damage was extensive, perhaps difficult to put into language beyond the use of hyperbole for a reader who did not experience the bombing of the city as Vonnegut did in real life.<\/p>\n<p>So now that we\u2019ve looked at hyperbole, let\u2019s flip things around and look at understatements.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Understatement\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Understatement<\/h2>\n<p>\nInstead of exaggerating, an understatement works by diminishing or minimizing the facts or situation at hand. Without <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/context\/\">context<\/a>, these statements appear to be normal.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Understatement_Examples\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Understatement Examples<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s look at some examples:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">I could have done a little better on the test.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nWithout context, you might assume that this person did reasonably well on the test, perhaps scoring an 80\/100. However, if this person only made a 20\/100, his remark would be an understatement; he obviously could have done a LOT better on the test. Other examples would be saying \u201cIt rained a bit more than usual\u201d after a storm that lasted an entire week, or saying \u201cWe\u2019ve had better games\u201d after losing 70-0. <\/p>\n<p>Understatement, then, is often humorous and usually ironic. However, it can also be used sincerely in everyday speech for speakers to minimize or downplay the situation. Take the last example: The football player could be commenting on how terrible the game went in a humorous way or he could be minimizing the importance of the loss in an attempt to distract from the terrible score so he could move on.<\/p>\n<p>Understatement is also used quite often in literature. Here is an example from Shakespeare\u2019s <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\"><strong>BENVOLIO:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhat, art thou hurt?<\/p>\n<p><strong>MERCUTIO:<\/strong><br \/>\nAy, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, \u2019tis enough.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:-1.5em; margin-bottom: 0em;\">Where is my page?\u2014Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this scene, Mercutio has been mortally wounded. Understatement appears when he reduces his wound to a mere scratch. Understatement in this case can serve a few purposes.<\/p>\n<p>For one, it tells us something about Mercutio as a character\u2014his willingness to call his severe wound a scratch suggests that he is courageous and stoic.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, for readers or viewers of the play, this initial assessment of the wound may lead to the belief that it is not so severe, thus realizing later on that the wound is mortal may come as a more dramatic and powerful shock. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s move into the 20th century with F. Scott Fitzgerald\u2019s <em>The Great Gatsby<\/em>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">I\u2019ve got a nice place here,\u201d he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0em;\">Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half-acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nHere, the extravagantly wealthy Tom Buchanan describes his place as merely \u201cnice.\u201d The latter description shows that the place is much more than \u201cnice,\u201d thus calling it such is an understatement.<\/p>\n<p>The understatement, in this case, could say a lot about Tom. He could be attempting to downplay the magnitude of his estate in order to avoid appearing like a braggart, or he may be so used to his wealthy lifestyle that he can only think of what most people would think of as extremely extravagant as \u201cnice.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><span id=\"Review\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review<\/h2>\n<p>\nOkay, now that we\u2019ve looked at overstatements and understatements, here\u2019s a review question to test your knowledge:<\/p>\n<p>Which is an example of hyperbole?<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>The man was very tall.<\/li>\n<li>I would have liked to do a little better.<\/li>\n<li>The universe could be considered quite large.<\/li>\n<li>The spider was the size of a Buick.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer1')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer1\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The correct answer is D.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Though the spider may be large, saying it is the size of a car is an exaggeration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nI hope this review was helpful! Thanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<ul class=\"citelist\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/hyperbole?s=t\"target=\"_blank\">\u201cDefinition of Hyperbole | Dictionary.com.\u201d n.d. <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.literarydevices.com\/hyperbole\/\"target=\"_blank\">\u201cHyperbole Examples and Definition.\u201d 2014. Literary Devices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.literarydevices.com\/understatement\/\"target=\"_blank\">\u201cUnderstatement Examples and Definition &#8211; Literary Devices.\u201d 2016<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing\/\">Return to Writing Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nfunction toggle(obj) {\n          var obj=document.getElementById(obj);\n          if (obj.style.display == \"block\") obj.style.display = \"none\";\n          else obj.style.display = \"block\";\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Writing Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100012,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-4186","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","7":"page_category-writing-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4186"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261148,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4186\/revisions\/261148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}