Fiducia TogetherPersonification
Also called Anthropomorphism
Giving human qualities to something that is not human.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Personification describes an object, an animal, an idea or a force as if it had human feelings, intentions or actions: "the wind screamed", "the house watched", "death is patient".
Where it applies
English Language and Literature. It is very common in poetry and in descriptive writing tasks, and it is one of the easiest techniques to use badly in your own writing.
How it works
It gives something agency it does not have. A wind that "screams" is frightening in a different way from one that is merely loud, because screaming implies a screamer.
The related term pathetic fallacy is a specific kind of this: weather or landscape reflecting a mood.
How to use it in your work
Ask what the personification implies about intention. "The sea reached for him" makes the sea a predator; "the sea washed over him" does not. That is the analysis.
In your own descriptive writing, one strong piece of personification beats five weak ones. "The trees danced and the flowers smiled and the sun laughed" reads as a list of techniques, which is exactly what an examiner will call it.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.