Hyperbole
A figure of speech employing extreme exaggeration for emphasis, emotional effect, or comedic impact. Hyperbole is deliberate and not meant to be interpreted literally, creating intensity or humour through excess.
Real World
Andrew Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress' declares 'My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires', using hyperbolic scale to mock the idea of infinite courtship time and pressure his beloved.
Exam Focus
Explain why the exaggeration is deliberate — link hyperbole to the speaker's tone, whether passionate, comic, or ironic.
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