personification

Everyday

1. Personification is a way of writing that gives human feelings or actions to things that are not human: «The wind howled.» «The sun smiled down.» tree →
2. A personification of something is a person or character who stands for an idea: Father Time is a personification of time. tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons, personification is a key figure of speech for poetry and descriptive writing, alongside similes and metaphors; pupils find it in poems («the leaves danced») and use it to make settings come alive. In art and history, the statue of Justice holding scales is a personification. Phrases: «use personification», «an example of personification», «the personification of».

Examples

• «The trees whispered secrets» is personification. tree →
• Underline the personification in the poem. tree →
• «The angry sea swallowed the boat» uses personification. tree →
• Father Christmas is a personification of Christmas giving. tree →
• The old car coughed and groaned up the hill. tree →
• She was the personification of kindness. tree →
• Hebe was the personification of eternal youth under its most attractive and joyous aspect. tree →

Note

Verb: «personify» (personifies, personified). Long word: per-son-i-fi-ca-tion. Different from a simile (uses like/as) and a metaphor (says something is something else); personification is a kind of metaphor that makes things act like people.