Which of these phrases is an example of hyperbole?
A.
The drive to my grandma's house on Sunday took a million years.
B.
Grandma's house is next door to my best friend's childhood home.
C.
My grandma hasn't lived long or done much.
D.
My grandfather asked my grandmother to marry him three times before she said yes.
A.
The drive to my grandma's house on Sunday took a million years.
To determine which of these phrases is an example of hyperbole, we need to understand what hyperbole is. Hyperbole is a figure of speech used to exaggerate or overemphasize a statement for emphasis or dramatic effect. It is not meant to be taken literally.
Let's analyze the provided phrases to identify any instances of hyperbole:
A. "The drive to my grandma's house on Sunday took a million years."
This phrase is an example of hyperbole. While a drive could be slow or feel longer than expected, using the expression "a million years" is an exaggerated way of saying that the drive felt excessively long.
B. "Grandma's house is next door to my best friend's childhood home."
This phrase is not an example of hyperbole. It simply states the proximity between Grandma's house and the childhood home of the speaker's best friend without any exaggeration.
C. "My grandma hasn't lived long or done much."
This phrase is not an example of hyperbole. It presents a straightforward statement about the speaker's grandma, without any exaggerated claims.
D. "My grandfather asked my grandmother to marry him three times before she said yes."
This phrase is not an example of hyperbole. It mentions a factual occurrence of the speaker's grandfather proposing multiple times before his grandmother accepted the proposal, without any exaggerated elements.
Therefore, the phrase that is an example of hyperbole is A. "The drive to my grandma's house on Sunday took a million years."