Front Desk

Hyperboles

Unit 3 Lesson 1

Have You Ever Heard of Extreme Sports?

Do you know what sports these are in the following pictures?

Extreme Sports!�

What does this have to do with creative writing?

Definition of an Extreme Sport: sports that are often done at high speeds or heights, need special gear and are dangerous.

Wait…I thought we were talking about sports?

​

Well…we are really talking about creative writing, and a specific kind of figurative language called:

HYPERBOLES!

​

But the idea of extreme sports can help with understanding the meaning of hyperboles.

HYPERBOLES

Hyperbole

​

​

​

​

So, you may or may not have heard of this word before. First of all, it’s important to know how to pronounce it, and it’s not what you’d expect.

​

It’s pronounced: HI-PER-BOWE-LEE

​

Which is weird, because when you first examine the word, it kind of looks like it should be said like this:

HI-PER-BOWL

�

​

A HI-PER-BOWL!

That just sounds fun, right?

Like, maybe it could even be an extreme sport?!

• A hyper bowl!
• Does the bowl have too much energy?
• Maybe it’s a super energetic soccer tournament?
• Any other ideas?

​

​

​

​

​

​

I may look calm, but I am really a very HYPER BOWL!

Hyperbole

Wait, why were there sports earlier? How does this connect to hyperboles?

​

Hang tight…

Hyperbole (hi-per-bowe-lee)

Breaking words into parts can help understand their meaning.

​

HYPER: hyper on it’s own means over. Not as in put the cup over the spider, but as in overly excited. Over the top. Extra. EXTREME.

​

​

BOLE: is means beyond-like going farther.

​

• So, if you put them together…what do you get?
• Over and Beyond? Too far? EXTREME!

​

• The actual definition of a hyperbole is a WILD EXAGGERATION- an EXTREME or obvious exaggeration. Like, “This is so crazy it can’t be true.”

​

​

​

​

So, if a hyperbole is an exaggeration, how does that connect to an extreme sport?

​

Extreme sports are over the top! Look at that guy jumping off a cliff with only a tiny chute to help him. That’s over the top and beyond!

SO EXTRA!

Hyperbole

• We use hyperboles all the time, without even realizing it!
• Everybody exaggerates, but a hyperbole is a really gigantic exaggeration, usually saved for creative writing or speaking.
• Hyperboles can’t happen, because they’re so extreme.
• You might have heard some common hyperboles before. These would be pretty extreme if they were literal!

I’m so hungry, I could eat an elephant!

​

(Ok, so you’re SUPER hungry, but c’mon, you aren’t going to really eat an entire elephant in one sitting. They’re HUGE! But we understand you’re exaggerating your hunger!).

That shirt looks like it costs a million dollars.

​

(Again, that’s a cool shirt, but it probably didn’t cost a million dollars. And…if it did, it better be the coolest shirt IN THE WORLD!)

​

Checking-In�Discussion Questions �

• What are Extreme Sports?
• What is a hyperbole?
• Why are we learning about hyperboles and Extreme Sports at the same time?
• True or False: A hyperbole is an example of an Extreme Sport.
• True or False: A hyperbole is an example of figurative language.
• True or False-this is a hyperbole: He is so thirsty, he’ll drink 80 sodas at once!

​

Thumb Check: How well do you think you’ve understood what you’ve learned so far today about hyperboles? (It might also be somewhere in between these.)

​

​

Got it! Getting There Still Working On It

Hyperboles and Extreme Sports

An extreme sport isn’t a hyperbole, but it can help you remember that hyperboles are extreme themselves.

​

Hyperboles exaggerate and extreme sports are over the top.

​

So, which Extreme Sport would you want to try?

• Cliff jumping
• Surfing
• Mountain Biking
• White Water Rafting
• Skydiving

​

*Please note that these athletes are adult professionals with specialized training. No one should ever try any Extreme Sports at home or on their own.

Check Out Key: 3-2-1

What were 3 things you learned or found interesting today about hyperboles?

​

​

What are 2 questions you still have, or what do you wonder about with hyperboles (or figurative language)?

​

What is 1 thing that you will remember from today’s lesson?

​

Which Extreme Sport would you pick to try?

This Photo by Unkown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND