Personification: making the world come alive

Personification gives human qualities to things that are not human: “The old house groaned in the storm.” Houses cannot groan, but the image tells us the house is old, strained and perhaps a little frightening.

It creates mood quickly

“The sea swallowed the last of the light” feels threatening. “The sea sparkled and waved at the children” feels cheerful. The same sea, two different moods.

Use verbs

The strongest personification usually comes from a verb: the clock nagged, the leaves whispered, the city woke.

Keep it consistent

If the wind is an angry giant in one sentence, do not make it a playful puppy in the next, unless the change is the point.

Learn from the poets

In “Who Has Seen the Wind?” (our Poetry corner), Christina Rossetti never describes the wind itself. The trees “bow down their heads” as it passes.

Try it: write four sentences about a classroom at night in which the furniture seems alive.