1.exaggerate的基本意思是“超越事实”,可指“(使…)显得大”,也指“扩大”,尤指“过分夸大”。
2.exaggerate既可用作不及物动词,也可用作及物动词。作“(使…)显得大”“扩大”解时,常接具体名词; 作“夸大，夸张”解时,常接抽象名词。
3.exaggerate与cannot连用意为“再夸大也不过分”。
4.exaggerate可用于被动结构。

用作不及物动词
▲S+～(+A)
She always exaggerates when she tells something she's done.每当她谈及自己所做的事时,她总是言过其实。
People will not believe a man who always exaggerates.人们不会相信老是夸大的人。
He always exaggerates to make his stories more amusing.他总是用夸张的手法使他的故事更有趣。
用作及物动词
▲S+～+n./pron.
That dress exaggerates her height.穿那件衣服使她显得高些了。
Those shoes exaggerated the size of his feet.那双鞋使他的脚显得特别大。
Her hair style exaggerates the roundness of her face.她的发型使得她的脸显得更圆了。
The artist exaggerated parts of the drawing to make them clearer.画家把图画的某些部分扩大使其更加清晰。
He exaggerated the difficulties.他夸大了困难。
He exaggerated the dangers of the trip in order to frighten them into not going.他夸张了旅行的危险,目的是恫吓他们使他们不敢去。
The little girl tried to exaggerate her illness.这个小女孩试图夸大自己的病情。
The old fisherman exaggerated the size of his catch.这个老渔夫夸大了自己所捕的鱼的大小。
We can't exaggerate his scientific attainment.我们无法估量他在科学上的造诣。
◇ 用于be ～ed结构
The importance of this matter has been exaggerated.这件事的重要性被夸大了。
Its use can't be exaggerated.它的用途怎么夸张也不过分。

exaggerate, magnify
这组词都有“夸大,夸张”的意思。它们的区别是:exaggerate多指“夸大”,带有强烈的“过火”意味,后常接较抽象的名词; magnify常表示“扩大”“放大”,后接意义比较具体的名词。试比较以下两个句子:
He often exaggerates the facts.
他老是夸大事实。
We magnify objects with a microscope.
我们用显微镜来放大物体。