Exaggerations and Understatements
Hyperbole
Hyperbole (pronounced: high-per-ba-lee) is deliberate over-exaggeration. It is not meant to be taken literally, but is used to create humor or to emphasize a point:
SICK (A short extract)
By Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen
Understatement:
Understatement is the deliberate playing down of something, usually for comic effect:
Euphemism:
Euphemism is also a form of understatement. It is used when you have to talk about something unpleasant or uncomfortable. A euphemism provides a more sensitive and tactful manner to express those thoughts.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole (pronounced: high-per-ba-lee) is deliberate over-exaggeration. It is not meant to be taken literally, but is used to create humor or to emphasize a point:
SICK (A short extract)
By Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen
Understatement:
Understatement is the deliberate playing down of something, usually for comic effect:
- "I have to have this operation . . .. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain." (Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye, by J. D. Salinger)
- "It's just a flesh wound." (Black Knight, after having both of his arms cut off, inMonty Python and the Holy Grail)
- "Well, that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?" (Dinner guest, following a visit from the Grim Reaper, in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life)
Euphemism:
Euphemism is also a form of understatement. It is used when you have to talk about something unpleasant or uncomfortable. A euphemism provides a more sensitive and tactful manner to express those thoughts.