Identify the figurative language in the sentence below.
He ran a million miles to complete the work.
A Hyperbole
B Personification
C Simile
D Metaphor
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) Hyperbole.
In the sentence “He ran a million miles to complete the work,” the figurative language used is hyperbole. Hyperbole is a type of exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. In this case, the phrase “a million miles” is not meant to be taken literally but is used to emphasize how much effort or distance the person had to cover. The actual distance run is obviously not a million miles, but the use of hyperbole highlights the immense effort required to complete the task.
Hyperbole is often used in everyday speech, literature, and poetry to create a dramatic impact or to convey emotions like frustration, exhaustion, or determination. It exaggerates a characteristic or quantity to an extreme degree. In this sentence, the phrase exaggerates the effort put into completing the work, suggesting that the person worked tirelessly or went above and beyond.
To differentiate from the other types of figurative language:
- Personification involves giving human qualities to non-human things, but here, there is no inanimate object or abstract concept being given human traits.
- Simile compares two things using “like” or “as,” such as “He runs like the wind,” which is not the case here.
- Metaphor makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as,” but the sentence doesn’t make such a comparison.
Therefore, hyperbole is the most fitting answer in this case, as it overstates the distance to emphasize the effort involved in completing the work.