English Grammar

Personification | Definition, Examples and Types

Personification and its types
Written by grammrary.com

Adding Life into Language through The Art of Personification

Is there any way to bring life into non-living objects? Definitely! Through the art of Personification, which stands out, and brings life to language. In fact, it gives breath, voice, and colors to language. This is the world of personification, a poetic technique that shines the ordinary. Let’s explore the Personification Definition, Personification Examples, and Types of Personification.

Personification Definition:

The word personification comes from the Latin, persona.’ which means ‘mask.’ It is defined as a Figure of Speech that brings a touch of Human characteristics and attributes to non-living objects or abstract concepts. This is a tool to add life into life-less, a way to add the lively touch to think, feel, and act as humans do.

  • According to Dictionary.com , it is defined as the referral to human characteristics or attributes to non-living objects, animals or abstract concepts.
  • Grammarly defines it as a way to make engaging content. It involves assigning human attributes or characteristics to non-humans.
  • Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a human who is exhibits a certain human quality to a non living  object.
  • According to Britannica, it is a figure of speech in which human qualities are assigned to non living objects, animals or abstract concepts.
  • According to Merriam-Webster, it means assigning personal attributes to inanimate objects, like illustrating an abstraction or a thing as a human.

Examples:

  • Wind whispers
  • Time marches
  • Fear grips
  • Sun smiles
  • Ocean roars
  • Stars dance
  • Whispers of the forest
  • Death knocks
  • Moon watches
  • Hope springs
  • Mountain stands
  • City never sleeps
  • Love blossoms
  • Silence hangs
  • Road beckons
  • Rain weeps
  • Curiosity peeks
  • Fire roars
  • Thunder bellows
  • Night wraps
  • Laughter echoes
  • Mirror reflects
  • Reflection ponders
  • Garden beckons
  • Winter paints
  • Shadows dance
  • Desperation claws
  • Pages whisper
  • Storm rages
  • Dreams soar
  • Dreams beckon
  • Echoes linger
  • Wisdom speaks
  • Memories whisper
  • Regret lingers

Role of Personification in writing:

This is a tool to connect concrete to abstract. enabling us to explore the entanglements of our experiences and emotions. It adds life to our surroundings, allowing us to imagine the world with compassion and harmony. 

This extends into nature and makes its way into advertising, storytelling, and mythology. It allows writers to create transparent imagery, elicit feelings, and construct a more profound relationship between the content and the audience. This outshines the boundaries of human experiences, enhancing empathy and understanding.

Try Using These in Your Daily Life:

Below are some examples of Personification:

  • Wind whispers
  • Time marches
  • Sun smiles
  • Fear grips
  • Stars dance
  • Whispers of the forest
  • Ocean roars
  • Moon watches
  • Death knocks
  • City never sleeps
  • Hope springs
  • Mountain stands
  • Rain weeps
  • Love blossoms
  • Silence hangs
  • Road beckons
  • Thunder bellows
  • Curiosity peeks
  • Fire roars
  • Night wraps
  • Laughter echoes
  • Mirror reflects
  • Reflection ponders
  • Winter paints
  • Desperation claws
  • Garden beckons
  • Shadows dance
  • Pages whisper
  • Storm rages
  • Echoes linger
  • Dreams beckon
  • Dreams soar
  • Wisdom speaks
  • Memories whisper
  • Regret lingers
  • Fear retreats
  • Sleep embraces
  • Time whispers
  • Whispers of the river
  • Stormy thoughts
  • Sunshine smiles
  • The horizon calls
  • Adventure beckons
  • Echoes of the past
  • Imagination runs
  • Thunderous applause
  • Echoes of history
  • Shadows of doubt
  • Joy pirouettes
  • Thunderstorms argue
  • Sorrow lingers
  • Patience walks
  • Serenity whispers
  • Curiosity tiptoes
  • Envy glares
  • Courage roars
  • Temptation beckons
  • Secrets murmur
  • Nostalgia smiles
  • Melancholy weaves
  • Chaos whispers
  • Resilience stands tall
  • Wisdom nods
  • Innocence giggles
  • Fate whispers
  • Shadows of doubt
  • Dreams of tomorrow
  • Time’s silent footsteps
  • Embers of passion
  • Echoes of silence
  • Raindrops converse
  • Whispers of dawn
  • Hopes take flight

Types of Personification

Pathetic Fallacy:

  • Definition: These infuse human attributes or emotions into nonliving objects or nature. 
  • For Example:  The sad clouds wept for an hour.

Zoomorphism:

  • Definition: It assigns animal characteristics to non-animal entities.
  • For instance: His car’s engine barked like a hungry dog.

Anthropomorphism:

Definition: It involves infusing human characteristics, traits, emotions, or behaviors into animals or non living objects.

For instance: The old egg beater is screaming as it is tired after the whole weekend.

Personification and its types

Lets explore Personification and its types, with Definition and Examples

About the author

grammrary.com

The author of Grammrary.com is a Certified TEFL Trainer from Arizona State University with over 7 years of experience teaching English to students from different cultures around the world. Teaching English is both his profession and passion, and he is dedicated to helping learners improve their language skills.

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