Polar Games
Guide

Personification examples: 30 easy ones

What personification is, how to spot it and 30 personification examples from nature, everyday objects and video games, with what each one means.

By Polarzinho ·

Polarzinho chatting in a garden with a smiling sun, a cloud with a little face and an alarm clock with eyes and tiny arms

The bamboo called me from the kitchen. I swear. Bamboo cannot talk, but you got the idea: I was hungry. That is personification.

Personification gives human actions, feelings or speech to animals, objects or things in nature.

Play Letter River Play Stop!

In nature

  1. The wind whispered at the window
  2. The sun smiled down on us
  3. The rain knocked on the door
  4. The trees danced in the breeze
  5. The sea was angry
  6. The moon peeked through the window
  7. The thunder shouted across the sky
  8. The flowers woke up in spring
  9. The river sang over the rocks
  10. The snow hugged the town

With everyday objects

  1. The alarm clock screamed at six
  2. The car coughed and died
  3. The computer refused to start
  4. The door groaned in pain
  5. The fridge hummed a complaint
  6. My phone died mid-call
  7. The kettle whistled
  8. The chair moaned when I sat down
  9. The clock raced against me
  10. The pencil got tired of writing

In video games

  1. The controller begged for new batteries
  2. The loading screen ignored me
  3. The boss laughed at me
  4. The map hid its secret
  5. The health bar sighed at the end
  6. The pause button saved me
  7. The level music cheered me on
  8. The console asked for a break
  9. The scoreboard mocked my score
  10. The internet abandoned the match

Personification or metaphor?

Neither uses "like" or "as", but personification always gives human traits. "The sun smiled" is personification. "The sun is a ball of fire" is a metaphor.

The blog also has posts on figurative language, metaphors, hyperbole and more.

Practice by playing

In Stop!, the quick category game, the clock chases you every round. (Personification, but that is exactly how it feels.)

Stop! home screen with the options to play with the crowd or create a room with friends

PolarzinhoIn Stop! the letter K gave me a smug look.

Stop!: play with the crowd or create a room with friends.

And in Letter River, the river seems to wait while you solve each clue.

Letter River letter board next to the list of clues, with a river and mountains behind

PolarzinhoIn Letter River, the letters whisper to each other when I take too long.

Letter River: the letter board and the clues beside it.

FAQ

What is personification?

Giving human actions, feelings or speech to animals, objects or nature: "the wind whispered".

What is the difference between personification and a metaphor?

Personification always gives human traits. A metaphor can compare anything to anything.

Is "the car died" personification?

Yes, in a light way: cars do not really die, but we describe them as if they were alive.

Your turn

Write three personifications about your backpack, your phone and the rain.

Play Letter River Play Stop!