Please leave your hyperbole and understatement exercises as a comment on this post. Due by class time on Wednesday 9/14
Freshman Composition Section E2
MW 2:00-3:15 with Prof. Olivia Wood
Please leave your hyperbole and understatement exercises as a comment on this post. Due by class time on Wednesday 9/14
Hyperbole (Exercise 1)
1. Example was provided by the book
2. School in general—A Monday in school is like a billion years long
3. A friend’s athletic ability—My friend is so athletic that he tore his hamstring while stretching
4. The weather—It is raining cats and dogs.
5. Your favorite or least favorite team—The golden state warriors are so good at the game of basketball that they can beat the rest of the NBA teams at once with their right hand behind their backs.
6. A television show—The show the walking dead was so scary, I was shivering in me timbers while watching it.
7. A musical group—The group One Direction was so talented that when their music plays, my ears drums want to commit suicide.
Understatement (Exercise 1)
1. Example was provided by the book
2. The meal from the 100-star buffet was so bland, I could do better.
3. Our team is essentially made up of one guy, it is a one-man team.
4. That 8 hour television show was not that long.
5. The band is as well-known as the birthmark on my back, and I never take my shirt off!
6. As a performer Whiteney Houston was nothing too special.
Understatement (Exercise 2)
The title of Swifts essay “A Modest Proposal” is an example of understatement in itself as his proposal to end the poverty in Ireland is far from modest. Swift proposes that the Irish sell their babies as food to alleviate poverty. He proposed this ridiculous idea to highlight how wealthy landowners treated the Irish people in a horrible way. The way Swift uses understatement in the title of his essay is extremely effective as it shows how the rich people of Ireland were. It depicts them as savages and inhumane as they would think that selling and cooking the little poverty-stricken Irish children to make some money would be a modest thing to do; which we all know is extremely polar to something modest. Additionally, Swift is trying to make this whole situation seem like a joke and it really shows that this is exactly how the elite class of Ireland thought of the poor, they looked at this whole situation like it was a joke. Another example of understatement in the essay is when Swift proclaims, “I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.” By saying that he hopes his ideas will not attract objections, he is clearly being satirical and understating how his ideas and proposals will be perceived by the public and Irish society. Swift knows that the Irish society will take his proposal as a joke, but he knew it will be effective int eh sense that everyone will be aware of what the Irish society, especially the elite class has become. They have become savages who think it will be okay to adopt Swifts proposal. Overall, Swifts use of undertstatements throughout his seterical peice are extremely prevalent and effective in conveying his ideas.
2.School in general ⇒ I hate school so much that if I can choose between it and working , I would work
3. A friend’s athletic ability – I saw my friends playing basketball for her school team and I swear she would beat lebron in a 1 v1.
4.The weather -it’s raining cats and dog
5. Least favorite team- pistons sucks so bad the smell of trash was rising from the bench
6. A television show- that television show made my eyes cry river
7.musical group- the musical group had the crowd so excited people were jumped high enough to hit their head on the ceiling
Understatement
2. The meal was – the meal was so bad that Jesus wouldn’t have eaten it at the last supper
3. Our team – had an away game and let’s just say our team could use coach carter
4. The television show – was so average I could make my own show
5. The band is – one direction is so inseparable ,they would last longer than the oasis
6. As a performer – Michael Jackson’s performance is really a thriller
Hyperbole Exercises:
2. My school kills students from boredom.
3. My friend is as fast as the speed of light.
4. Gallons upon gallons poured from the sky.
5. That team is so bad they were tripping over each other.
6. The TV show is so bad the TV stopped working after the show ended.
7. Their music is so bad the windows broke.
Understatement Exercises:
2. The meal we had in Sublimotion, the world’s most expensive restaurant, was not bad.
3. Our favorite soccer team, FC Barcelona, does know a few unique tactics.
4. The TV show, Stranger Things, is somewhat popular.
5. The band is very well known, but I never heard of them.
6. The performer, Elvis Presley, was mediocre at best.
Hyperboles
2. The school was so Christian that the pope took a visit.
3. My friend is so athletic that he literally jumped out of the gym.
4. The gusts of wind were so strong they slapped me in the face.
5. The Celtics are so bad at protecting the ball, they might as well give it to the other team.
6. One Piece is so old that Jesus is still waiting for Luffy to find it.
7. The singer’s pitch was so high she cracked all the glasses in the room.
Understatement
2. The meal from the 3-star Michelin restaurant was a 5/10 at best.
3. Our team has Steph Curry, hopefully we could hit a three-pointer or 2 of them.
4. That television show Family Guy was ok.
5. The band is ok for getting a song to hit multi-platinum.
6. As a performer Tom Hanks was cool.
Hyperbole:
*Example in already done for us
2) A school week goes by as slow as a snail.
3) My friend can run from here to California if they tried!
4) It’s raining cats and dogs out there.
5) The Giants play like hot garbage!
6) “The Bachelor” is as interesting as watching paint dry.
7) This musical group has more musical ability than a room full of instruments.
Understatement:
*Example is already done for us
2) The meal was cooked by Gordon Ramsey himself, nothing special really.
3) Our team may have won the state championship, it’s no big deal.
4) For a TV show to win that many Emmy Awards, maybe it was luck!
5) The band is very well known in many respects, kind of like a common cold
6) As a performer, getting on stage in front of millions of people cheering your name waiting for the performance of a lifetime is a walk in the park!
Understatement 2:
Swift utilizes the rhetorical device known as understatement to advance his point in his essay “A Modest Proposal” by including them in parts of the passage that need the comedic relief from the dark topic and also to give more context to the time period. This is seen in the title of the essay itself, “A Modest Proposal” where we are led to believe there is an applicable and reasonable solution to the problems of food shortages that poverty stricken Irish civilians dealt with. However by the end of the passage we see that in fact his proposal is nothing short of outrages and blasphemous, as he suggests the Irish farmers sell and or cook their own children for food, going as far as to (satirically) suggest different ways of cooking. This was extremely effective because it draws the reader in under the guise of it being a perfectly well meant solution to an important crisis and as reader progress through the passage we come to realize that is not the case and instead sees the author making light of a dark situation in hopes to possibly expose the true feelings of British elite towards the conditions of the Irish civilians, as to them, the conditions of the poverty stricken Irish was nothing more than a joke and would laugh at the mere idea that eating their own children is what it may take to survive.
Hyperbole
2. A week at school takes a year to end.
3. My friend jumped so high when she was dunking the basketball, she would have jumped into space.
4. It’s so hot it feels like I’m living in the sun.
5. The team stinks so bad they are like a landfill.
6. Grey’s anatomy is so long I could finish med school before the show ends.
7. Måneskin is so talented they can carry all of Italy’s musicians on their back.
Understatement
2. The meal cooked by Alain Ducasse, who holds three Michelin stars, is mediocre.
3. Our team lost so badly at the game, at least our uniforms looked nice.
4. That television show was all the talk, but I’ve never watched it.
5. For a band that tours around the world, they never went to music lessons.
6. As performers, the Rolling Stones were ok.
Hyperbole
1. School is so boring that watching paint dry looks more entertaining
2. My friend can become the next Usain Bolt from how fast she can run
3. The wind can literally pick me up and toss me away
4. That team was so trash that I could probably beat them
5. Berserk is going to make me lose my mind
6. That band is going to make me go deaf from how bad the music is
Understatement
1. The meal was okay, not that bad
2. Our team suffered many losses, but they’ll be alright
3. That television show Bojack Horseman is pretty well-known
4. The band is pretty underground, not many people heard of it
5. As a performer, getting on stage does shake my nerves a little bit
1) School is so distracting you couldn’t cross a street safely if you always had it in your mind
2)Mark could outrun a cheetah if he had good breakfast
3)Is so hot right now that if Greta Thunberg were here she would have panicked
4)FC Barcelona could win the world cup if they were allowed to play
5)The Office is officially best
6)Queen has the best music ever created
1)The meal was at least healthier than the McDonalds we had for lunch
2)Our team wasn’t feeling it today
3)That television show was lowkey entertaining
4)The band is alright if you just want to hear people having a good time
5)As a performer he needs improvement but the talent is there
Hyperbole:
2. School can make you frown just by walking through the door
3. My friend could’ve won Olympic gold if they tried at the age of 7
4. I’ve seen milk clearer than the sky right now
5. A junior varsity team would be more competent than the Cowboys
6. You’d think the script for the show was written by Shakespeare
7. A fork scratching a plate has more emotion in it than listening to them
Understatement #1:
2. The meal could’ve used some more taste
3. Our team must’ve been a bit tired
4. That television show was interesting, to say the least
5. The band is new, which clearly shows
6. As a performer you learn to take a bit of criticism
Understatement #2:
Swift uses understatement in providing a lot of valid reasons for a solution needing to be come up with, the device being used specifically in painting a grim reality for the inhabitants of the kingdom. When we finally get to his proposed solution, we are instantly taken aback by the sudden shift from something needing to be done to better the lives of children, to proposing they instead cannibalize them from a young age, and to top it all off, justifying this through an appeal to taste. Very effective use of understatement.
Hyperbole
1. The example was provided by the book
2. School in general – Friday feels like a more relaxable day in the whole week.
3. A friend’s athletic ability – My friend is so athletic that he literally jumped out of a five feet boundary.
4. The weather – The weather is very windy and feels like the wind has the ability to literally take me up and blow me away.
5. Your favorite or least favorite team – In the last Copa America tournament Neymar was on fire !
6. A television show – “Sultan Suleman” is as interesting as reading the book “Lady Macbeth” .
7. A musical group – Their musical group was pretty famous in the city and there were crowded people to see their music concert and turn their flashlight on and cheer.
Understatement
1.Example was provided by the book
2. The meal was – Last night’s food was cooked by my aunty, it tasted okay but nothing special really .
3. Our team – Our team won the last tournament against Jamaica High School but it’s not a big achievement to discuss.
4. That television show was – That television show was about how Joe Biden became the president of the United States, I didn’t watch that because maybe it was luck !
5. The band is – The band is now highly successful , although their guitarist is not as brilliant as some claim.
6. As a performer – As a performer, he is highly talented and popular, but I believe his performance is average and unappreciable.
Understatement #2
The following passage comes from Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal” . This essay uses a variety of tactics to criticize the seeming English indifference to the condition of their Irish subjects. Swift uses understatement to provide a variety of valid reasons why a solution is required. We can see in this passage the writer gave a reasonable solution of how the Irish people can solve their food shortages problem that stricken Irish civilians dealt with. In the end of this passage we can see the writer sarcastically suggests different ways of cooking by suggesting the Irish farmers to sell or cook their own children for food . This was incredibly powerful because it helped the readers understand that the writer didn’t intend it, but he wanted to portray how the elite British people thought about the poor stricken Irish people, and they made it sardonic.
HYPERBOLE
1. (book)
2. The school lunch is so good that Chef Ramsey could eat here everyday!
3. My friend is so un-athletic that she is out of breath from walking out her front door.
4. The weather is so hot today that my shoes could melt on the sidewalk.
5. My team is doing so badly, even the elementary schoolers could do better.
6. That tv show was so terrible that even the tv wanted to turn itself off.
7. That musical group was so tone deaf my ears could have started bleeding
UNDERSTATEMENT
1. (book)
2. The five course meal was somewhat filling.
3. The first place trophy our team got was only a little hard to get.
4. The show nominated for best series was a kind of a good watch.
5. The band that got booed off stage was not really pleasing the crowd.
6. As a performer, my 24 hour shift gave me a good bit of money.
Exercise 1: Hyperbole
1. My neighborhood is so boring that when a cat walks across the street, it draws a crowd.
2. School is very boring; students fall asleep during lectures.
3. My friend is very athletic; he runs faster than the speed of light.
4. It’s raining cats and dogs.
5. Barcelona is the best team; every other team has to qualify to play against them.
6. The office is so funny; I almost pee myself while watching.
7. The musician screamed so loud she could break a glass.
Exercise 2: Understatement
1. Our school spirit is, shall we say, less than overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
2. Chick-fil-a makes the best chicken burgers.
3. Our soccer team has four injured players, and they might lose the final game.
4. The television show was so lousy I’d rather go blind than watch it.
5. The band is so loud, and I stay up all night listening to them play.
6. As a performer, I do not enjoy dancing in front of people.
Hyperbole:
1) Example in the book
2) Education makes you Alber Einstein.
3) My friend’s running speed is faster than a cheetah’s.
4) You are so dumb that even a 3-year-old can solve this problem.
5) An iPhone costs an arm and a leg.
6) The car went faster than a speed light.
7) His grandma is as old as the hills.
Understatement:
1) Example in the book.
2) It is a bit cold today.
3) Making the situation seem less serious than it is.
4) You might say Albert Einstein had a good head for numbers.
5) It rained a bit more than usual.
6) I have to have this surgery. It isn’t very serious.
7) He was not without imagination.
Hyperbole:
1. Example in the book
2. The classroom was louder than 100 zoos combined
3. My friend’s so slow, I bet a sloth could win her in a race
4. It’s not raining cats and dogs, it’s raining tigers and wolves
5. My team is so amazing, they play like gods
6. Compared to the show Euphoria, Emily in Paris feels like a walk in the park in terms of all the drama
7. Mitski is such a great artist, I don’t think singers existed before her
Understatement:
1. Example in the book
2. The meal was steak from a Michelin-star restaurant … so pretty average
3. My team is going to the Olympics, so they’re average
4. Abott Elementary won a few Emmys I believe, seems like an ok show
5. The Beatles made a good song or two
6. As a performer, my job is like any other corporate job
Hyperbole:
1. (in book)
2. We’ve been in school for an eternity.
3. He can run 1000 miles per hour!
4. I’m melting from the intense heat outside today.
5. My team is so good they can win all the gold medals in the world!
6. That TV show sucks so bad that it should be taken off the air and thrown away in the trash.
7. “Nirvana” is so talented and amazing! They’re the best band in the world!
Understatement:
1. (in book)
2. The five-star course meal was alright.
3. Our team that qualified to the World Cup for next year, is passable.
4. That television show that earned an Oscar, wasn’t too bad.
5. The band is very popular world-wide; I think they’re good.
6. As a performer, I have performed on Broadway and think I am a beginner.
Hyperbole:
2) My classes today felt like a billion years.
3) My friend ran for the ball faster than the speed of light.
4) It’s as hot as the sun out there.
5) The Golden State Warriors could play blindfolded and still win.
6) That episode was so long that I could finish running a marathon before it ended.
7) Big Time Rush makes the greatest music ever
Understatement :
2) The meal made by the professional chef was mediocre at best.
3) Our team has a few professional players so hopefully we can get some points.
4) That show only has 1,100 episodes.
5) The Backstreet Boys are apparently very popular, but I’ve never heard of them.
6) The performer who just received 4 Grammy nominations was mediocre at best.
To exaggerate how hungry they are, someone might say, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!” as an example of hyperbole. Using exaggeration, this strategy aims to produce a humorous or dramatic effect.
A person using the phrase “It’s just a little bit cold outside” to downplay how cold it is might be using understatement. This strategy attempts to minimize the situation in an amusing or casual manner.
Hyperbole
2. I have been in school for so long that I feel like I have aged a hundred years.
3. My friend is the fastest runner I’ve ever seen! They could probably outrun Usain Bolt!
4. It’s so hot outside today, I feel like I’m melting! It must be a million degrees out there.
5. The Lakers can play with one arm and still win.
6. The Amazing World of Gumball was so fun to watch that I can’t stop thinking about it even when it’s not on.
7. Bruno Mars makes the best music in this world.
Understatement
2. The meal made by Gordon Ramsay was acceptable.
3. Our team has a couple recruited players from out of state, hopefully we win a couple games.
4. That television show is only 3 hours long.
5. The band is well known throughout the world, I think they have a couple good songs.
6. As a performer, having millions of people look at you should be nothing.