1. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE REVIEW UNDERSTATEMENT PARADOX HYPERBOLE
Interactive Quiz created by Nancy Roberts Garrity at St. John Fisher School
UNDERSTATEMENT
PARADOX
HYPERBOLE
“Kevin’s room was just a little messy.”
“We laughed so hard that we cried.”
“He was hopping mad.”
NOTE: In order to play this game, it must be viewed in slide show (F5)

2. DIRECTIONS
Read the sentence on each slide. Then click on the button that identifies the type of literary technique.
Figurative language is writing or speech not intended to be taken literally. Some commonly used figures of speech are simile, personification, and metaphor. You will see examples of these in this exercise.
A hyperbole is a deliberately exaggerated overstatement used to heighten effect. Some examples are: “I’d stand in line a hundred years to get tickets for that concert,” or “the giant basketball player was taller than a tree.” Hyperboles have also been used poetically to stress undying love, such as: “I will love thee, my dear, till all the seas go dry.”
An understatement means saying less than is actually meant. It is a type of irony that expresses a fact too weakly or less emphatically often for a humorous effect. Some examples are: “My sister, who’s severely claustrophobic, is just mildly afraid of being in enclosed areas,” and “The group’s extraordinary performance at the concert was slightly entertaining.”
A paradox is a statement that appears to be contradictory, but actually presents a truth. Some examples are: “Julia was so tired, she couldn’t sleep,” and “The extreme silence was so loud, it hurt my ears.”

3. He felt lonely in the crowded room.
paradox
hyperbole
understatement

4. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

5. YIPPEEEE!!!!

6. I had to wait an eternity for the file to download.
paradox
understatement
hyperbole

7. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

8. YIPPEEEE!!!!

9. The sun was so hot he froze to death.
understatement
hyperbole
paradox

10. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

11. YIPPEEEE!!!!

12. paradox understatement hyperbole
The charred hamburger that dad cooked on the grill looked slightly unappetizing.
paradox
understatement
hyperbole

13. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

14. YIPPEEEE!!!!

15. After his twenty-five mile marathon,
the runner was slightly tired.
understatement
hyperbole
paradox

16. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

17. YIPPEEEE!!!!

18. She’s said so on several million occasions.
hyperbole
paradox
understatement

19. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

20. YIPPEEEE!!!!

21. Sometimes we can get there faster if we take it slowly.
hyperbole
understatement
paradox

22. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

23. YIPPEEEE!!!!

24. understatement paradox hyperbole
Although he hadn’t eaten any food in a week, he was just a little bit hungry.
understatement
paradox
hyperbole

25. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

26. YIPPEEEE!!!!

27. I’m so tired that I can’t sleep.
hyperbole
paradox
understatement

28. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

29. YIPPEEEE!!!!

30. Her smile was so dazzling, we all had to wear sunglasses.
paradox
understatement
hyperbole

31. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

32. YIPPEEEE!!!!

33. The flooded area after the huge storm was just a little bit soggy.
understatement
hyperbole
paradox

34. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

35. YIPPEEEE!!!!

36. We were given a mountain of homework to do tonight.
paradox
hyperbole
understatement

37. OH NO!!!
TRY AGAIN!

38. YIPPEEEE!!!!

39. WONDERFUL JOB!
YOU'RE FINISHED!