Personification Examples in Poetry: Exploring Figurative Language

📚 Quick Study Guide

• ✨ Personification is a type of figurative language where human qualities or actions are attributed to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas.
• ✍️ It's used to make descriptions more vivid and relatable.
• 🍎 Examples include: "The wind whispered secrets through the trees" or "The sun smiled down on the earth."
• 🎭 Personification differs from anthropomorphism in that it's a literary device used for effect, while anthropomorphism often involves giving human characteristics to non-human entities within a narrative.
• 💡 Look for verbs or adjectives that typically describe human actions or feelings being applied to non-human subjects.

✏️ Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following sentences contains an example of personification?
   1. The car sped down the highway.
   2. The flowers bloomed in the spring.
   3. The wind howled in the night.
   4. The stars twinkled in the sky.
2. In the sentence, "The moon peeked shyly from behind the clouds," what is being personified?
   1. Clouds
   2. Moon
   3. Sky
   4. Stars
3. Which of these is NOT an example of personification?
   1. The computer threw a tantrum and crashed.
   2. Opportunity knocked on his door.
   3. The rain fell softly on the ground.
   4. The sun glared down at the beachgoers.
4. Identify the personification in the following line: "The engine coughed and sputtered before starting."
   1. Engine
   2. Coughed and sputtered
   3. Starting
   4. Before
5. What effect does personification have on writing?
   1. It makes the writing more confusing.
   2. It adds depth and imagery.
   3. It makes the writing more literal.
   4. It has no effect.
6. Which sentence uses personification to describe fear?
   1. Fear gripped his heart.
   2. He felt afraid.
   3. Fear is a strong emotion.
   4. He ran away from his fear.
7. Choose the best example of personification from the options below:
   1. The old house stood on the hill.
   2. The river snaked through the valley.
   3. Birds flew over the trees.
   4. The sun set in the west.