Wednesday 22 January 2014

Week 4 Tips - Personification

Personification is where you give something human qualities.

You might say that the sea was angry. Angry is an emotion and the sea doesn't literally have emotions, but using human emotions to describe the sea makes the reader think of big waves.

There will be many opportunities for using personification when you set your scene.

It's best to come up with your own examples, but here are some of mine:

The Weather

- Clouds sprinted through the sky. (The clouds moved very quickly.)
- The sun sang a happy tune. (The sun was shining in a pleasant way.)
- The snow hugged the hillside. (The snow covered the hillside.)

The Landscape

- Beyond the city, the mountains slept. (There were still mountains.)
- The waterfall teased the rocks. (The waterfall splashed the rocks.)
- Tower blocks talked to the sky. (The tower blocks were very tall.)

A Quick Exercise

How might you use personification to describe the following:
1. A deserted, tumbled down castle. (Tip: Imagine about how you would feel if you were that castle.)
2. A moon that keeps disappearing behind clouds. (Tip: Do you know any games where people disappear?)
3. Trees getting blown in the wind. (Tip: Think of activities where people move around.)
4. Thunder making a loud noise. (Tip: What words do you use when a person is noisy?)

Using personification helps make your writing vivid and powerful.

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