Ask Flex / Drowning in paperwork
"Drowning in paperwork": metaphor or hyperbole?
It's a metaphor, because it describes having too much paperwork as if you were sinking in water. Britannica's dictionary uses this exact sentence as its example of a metaphor, and because it also exaggerates, you'll see it marked as hyperbole on some answer keys.
Metaphor first.
Call it a metaphor
One thing described as another. Paperwork as water.
Know why some say hyperbole
It exaggerates to make a point. Nobody is underwater.
Check your class notes
If both are choices, use the word your teacher used.
If it's not a figure of speech
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I'm studying figures of speech. Here's my sentence: [paste your sentence]. Tell me which figure of speech it is and why, in plain words. If more than one could be right, say which one a teacher would most likely want. Then give me two more examples of the same kind.
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"He was drowning in paperwork" is an example of what?
A metaphor. The paperwork is described as water he's sinking in.
Is "he was drowning in paperwork" figurative language?
Yes. Nobody is really underwater. It's a metaphor, and since it exaggerates, some call it hyperbole.
What if I am drowning in paperwork?
Then it's not a figure of speech at your desk. Sort the pile once before you do any of it. Flex has a page on it.
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