As most words, the word hyperbole comes from Greek language, originating from the word “huperbole” meaning to throw above. But in modern times, hyperbole is more commonly used as over exaggerations to make a point. This poetic device is often used while complaining, or for ironic purposes and not meant to be taken literally. An example of common hyperbole is “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” the speaker is not going to actually eat an entire horse; they are just hungry and overexaggerating their hunger to make the point that they want to eat. Another example is “these heels are killing me” the speaker is not getting murdered by a shoe; they are over exaggerating their pain to make the point of telling other people that they want to get new shoes or take their heels off. One last example of hyperbole is “I told you this a million times” the speaker did not tell the other person a million times, they may have told the other person two or three times, but they are over exaggerating the other 999 997 times to make the point that the listener cannot understand the thing the speaker is telling them. In conclusion, hyperboles are more common than most think, they are used to exaggerate and make direct points.  

Another important literary term to understand is imagery, there are 5 main types of imagery. Visual imagery appeals to the sense of sight, auditory imagery appeals to the sense of hearing, tactile imagery appeals to the sense of touch, they are the most common types of imagery. But there is also gustatory imagery which appeals to the sense of taste and olfactory imagery that appeals to the sense of smell. An example of imagery is “as she brushed her hand against the tree, she felt the rough, bumpy bark against her fingertips” this is an example of tactile imagery, so the reader can picture this scene unfolding in their mind. A second example of imagery is “as the tangy cranberry juice hit his tongue, he was instantly reminded of his childhood” this is an example of gustatory imagery, the cranberry juice is being described as tangy so the reader can understand what the character is tasting, helping them picture it in their mind. A final example of auditory imagery is “the concert was so loud, my ears were ringing for days after” this describes how loud the concert was, so the reader can picture a loud concert happening the night before, understanding what the characters are going through. Imagery creates a picture in the mind of the reader, helping them understand what the characters are going through.