Focus:   Hyperbole

Hyperbole (pronounced  "hy-PER-buh-lee.") as you may know are (like "metaphors") used very frequntly in the English language.  At times an English idiom will translate easily into your native language, but more often than not idioms carry with them unique characteristics, found in the history and traditions of an individual country.

Hyperbole is: a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally.

Some common examples include:

* "He has a brain the size of a pea."

* "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

* "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times."

* "She is one-hundred feet tall."

* "Everything around me feels small."