Which figure of speech uses extreme exaggeration for emphasis?

Study for the GACE Middle Grades Language Arts Test. Prepare with multiple choice questions, flashcards, and detailed explanations. Ace your exam!

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves deliberate and extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect. It is often used to create a strong impression or to evoke strong feelings in the reader or listener. For instance, saying "I've told you a million times" is a hyperbolic expression that emphasizes the speaker's frustration rather than conveying a literal number of times.

This technique is effective in various forms of writing, including poetry, prose, and everyday conversation, as it adds color and drama to the language. In contrast, other figures of speech such as metaphor, which draws comparisons between different things, or personification, which attributes human qualities to inanimate objects, do not rely on exaggeration. Alliteration involves the repetition of consonant sounds, primarily focusing on the sound rather than exaggeration in meaning. Therefore, hyperbole stands out as the correct response when discussing extreme exaggeration for emphasis.

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