Hyperbole is the Shouting of Writing

“ Thou all-shaking thunder,

  Strike flat the thick rotundity o’ th’ world.”

King Lear III, 2; Lear addressing  the storm

          In no imaginable scenario, in this world, the next, or any world conceivable in the universe, known or unknown, is it ever, under any version of circumstances e’er experienced by man or beast, even the slightest hint of a good idea to use hyperbole. Okay, seldom. It is seldom a good idea to use hyperbole. It will usually make you seem less credible. Below are examples of some of the worst hyperbole I have ever seen:

“Plaintiff’s reasoning defies the natural language of the statute and all logic.”

“Plaintiff makes a tremendous leap of logic to assume that the 2004 Amendment was designed to correct a problem that only it imagines to exist.”

“The former is an imaginative leap shorn of all logic.”

These are actual examples taken from an opposing brief in one of my cases.

          Underlining and highlighting are the hyperbole of formatting. Use underlining and highlighting sparingly. Some judges have told me that when underlining and highlighting are overused, they feel like the writer is shouting at them.

          In no imaginable scenario, in this world, the next, or any world conceivable in the known or unknown universe is it ever, under any version of circumstances e’er experienced by man or beast, even the slightest hint of a good idea to shout at a judge.

Here’s to a superlative 2025!