What is Personification?

Personification is a literary technique where you give human qualities or emotions to non-human things, animals, or ideas. It helps to create vivid and imaginative descriptions in writing.

Key Rules for Personification

  1. Human Traits: Assign human actions, feelings, or characteristics to things that are not human.
  • Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.”
  1. Not Literal: Personification is not meant to be taken literally but to add a creative touch to descriptions.
  • Example: “The sun smiled down on us.”
  1. Context: Use personification to enhance mood, create imagery, or convey emotions in your writing.

Tips and Tricks

  • Think Imaginatively: Consider how a non-human object might “feel” or “act” if it were a person.
  • Use Vivid Descriptions: Personification makes descriptions more engaging and lively.
  • Avoid Overuse: Use personification sparingly to keep your writing fresh and impactful.

Questions and Answers

Easy Difficulty

  1. What does personification do?
  • Answer: It gives human traits to non-human things.
  1. Which of the following is an example of personification?
  • a) “The cat sat on the mat.”
  • b) “The flowers danced in the breeze.”
  • Answer: “The flowers danced in the breeze.”
  1. Create a sentence with personification: “The moon”
  • Answer: “The moon gazed down on the quiet town.”
  1. What human quality is given to “the sun” in the sentence: “The sun warmed my face”?
  • Answer: The sun is given the human quality of warming, like a person giving warmth.
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The old house _ in the night.”
  • Answer: “The old house creaked in the night.”
  1. Identify the personification in this sentence: “The leaves danced in the wind.”
  • Answer: The leaves are given the human action of dancing.
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the ocean”.
  • Answer: “The ocean roared angrily against the rocks.”
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The car _ down the street.”
  • Answer: “The car zoomed down the street.”
  1. What is being personified in “The thunder grumbled angrily”?
  • Answer: The thunder is being given the human trait of grumbling.
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the clock”.
    • Answer: “The clock ticked away the minutes, impatiently waiting for the end of the day.”
  2. Which sentence uses personification?
    • a) “The dog barked loudly.”
    • b) “The night wrapped its blanket around the city.”
    • Answer: “The night wrapped its blanket around the city.”
  3. What human trait is given to “the wind” in “The wind howled through the trees”?
    • Answer: The wind is given the human trait of howling.
  4. Create a sentence with personification using “the flowers”.
    • Answer: “The flowers stretched their petals towards the sun.”
  5. Fill in the blank with personification: “The door _ open slowly.”
    • Answer: “The door creaked open slowly.”
  6. What is being personified in “The stars winked in the night sky”?
    • Answer: The stars are being given the human action of winking.
  7. Create a sentence using personification with “the wind”.
    • Answer: “The wind whispered secrets through the leaves.”
  8. Which of these sentences uses personification?
    • a) “The cat jumped onto the sofa.”
    • b) “The old book sighed with relief when it was opened.”
    • Answer: “The old book sighed with relief when it was opened.”
  9. Fill in the blank with personification: “The fire _ in the fireplace.”
    • Answer: “The fire crackled in the fireplace.”
  10. Create a sentence with personification using “the rain”.
    • Answer: “The rain tapped on the window, begging to be let in.”
  11. What human quality is given to “the moon” in “The moon watched over the village”?
    • Answer: The moon is given the human quality of watching.

Medium Difficulty

  1. Create a sentence with personification using “the storm”.
  • Answer: “The storm raged fiercely, throwing its fury at the coast.”
  1. Explain why “the sun smiled down on the children” is an example of personification.
  • Answer: The sun is given the human action of smiling, which it cannot literally do.
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The mountain _ proudly.”
  • Answer: “The mountain stood proudly.”
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the city”.
  • Answer: “The city never slept, its lights blinking awake throughout the night.”
  1. Identify the personification in “The clouds wept gently over the field.”
  • Answer: The clouds are given the human action of weeping.
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The wind _ around the corners of the house.”
  • Answer: “The wind howled around the corners of the house.”
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the book”.
  • Answer: “The book seemed to whisper its secrets to those who opened its pages.”
  1. Explain why “the river sang a soothing song” is personification.
  • Answer: The river is given the human action of singing, which it cannot do.
  1. Create a sentence with personification using “the snow”.
  • Answer: “The snow blanketed the town with a soft, comforting embrace.”
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The leaves _ in the autumn breeze.”
    • Answer: “The leaves rustled in the autumn breeze.”
  2. Identify the personification in “The trees bowed their heads in the wind.”
    • Answer: The trees are given the human action of bowing.
  3. Create a sentence using personification with “the moonlight”.
    • Answer: “The moonlight danced across the water, casting shimmering reflections.”
  4. Fill in the blank with personification: “The fire _ in the hearth.”
    • Answer: “The fire crackled in the hearth.”
  5. Create a sentence with personification using “the ice”.
    • Answer: “The ice whispered secrets as it cracked and shifted.”
  6. Explain why “the trees clapped their branches in the wind” is personification.
    • Answer: The trees are given the human action of clapping, which they cannot actually do.
  7. Create a sentence using personification with “the moon”.
    • Answer: “The moon cast a watchful eye over the sleeping town.”
  8. Fill in the blank with personification: “The fog _ over the fields.”
    • Answer: “The fog settled over the fields.”
  9. Identify the personification in “The wind carried away the fallen leaves like a playful child.”
    • Answer: The wind is given the human quality of being playful.
  10. Create a sentence with personification using “the clock”.
    • Answer: “The clock’s hands ticked impatiently as time dragged on.”
  11. Explain why “the city hummed with activity” is personification.
    • Answer: The city is given the human action of humming, which it cannot literally do.

High Difficulty

  1. Create a sentence with personification using “the shadows”.
  • Answer: “The shadows crept along the walls, stretching and shrinking with the flickering light.”
  1. Explain how personification enhances imagery in “The old house groaned under the weight of time”.
  • Answer: Personification creates a vivid image of the house as if it is suffering from age, adding depth to the description.
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The thunder _ across the sky.”
  • Answer: “The thunder rumbled across the sky.”
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the darkness”.
  • Answer: “The darkness wrapped its cold arms around the quiet village.”
  1. Identify the personification in “The flowers bowed their heads as the rain fell.”
  • Answer: The flowers are given the human action of bowing their heads.
  1. Create a sentence with personification using “the morning sun”.
  • Answer: “The morning sun stretched its golden fingers across the horizon.”
  1. Explain why “the book sighed with relief when it was returned to the shelf” is personification.
  • Answer: The book is given the human action of sighing, which it cannot actually do.
  1. Fill in the blank with personification: “The wind _ as it passed through the trees.”
  • Answer: “The wind whistled as it passed through the trees.”
  1. Create a sentence using personification with “the storm”.
  • Answer: “The storm unleashed its fury, howling and banging through the night.”
  1. **Explain the effect of personification in “The mountain stood silent, watching over the valley.”**
    • Answer: Personification makes the mountain appear like a guardian, adding a sense of majesty and stillness.
  2. Create a sentence with personification using “the river”.
    • Answer: “The river murmured softly as it flowed over the pebbles.”
  3. Identify the personification in “The moon cast a curious gaze over the darkened landscape.”
    • Answer: The moon is given the human action of casting a gaze.
  4. Create a sentence with personification using “the autumn leaves”.
    • Answer: “The autumn leaves performed a swirling dance as they fell to the ground.”
  5. Explain how personification adds meaning to “The old tree whispered stories of the past”.
    • Answer: It creates a sense that the tree has lived through many events and has stories to tell, enhancing its historical significance.
  6. Fill in the blank with personification: “The sea _ with anticipation before the storm.”
    • Answer: “The sea roared with anticipation before the storm.”
  7. Create a sentence with personification using “the fireplace”.
    • Answer: “The fireplace crackled with warmth, embracing everyone in its glow.”
  8. Explain the use of personification in “The castle loomed over the landscape, brooding and silent”.
    • Answer: Personification gives the castle human qualities of brooding and silence, enhancing its imposing presence.
  9. Create a sentence with personification using “the stars”.
    • Answer: “The stars winked playfully from their distant perch in the sky.”
  10. Fill in the blank with personification: “The old clock _ its steady rhythm through the quiet room.”
    • Answer: “The old clock maintained its steady rhythm through the quiet room.”
  11. Explain why “the mountain whispered its ancient secrets” is an example of personification.
    • Answer: The mountain is given the human ability to whisper secrets, which enhances the sense of mystery and age.