Personification and Onomatopoeia

What is Personification? 

Personification is a sort of figurative language in which the words are not meant to be taken literally or precisely. 

Consider the following example. “That pizza is calling my name,” says the pizza, who cannot speak. Personification is demonstrated by the phrase “calling my name.” The pizza, a nonhuman entity, is endowed with a human quality: the ability to converse. 

This is what it means to be personified. 

Personification involves the verbs in a sentence. This makes sense because often personification is creating action for non-human or nonliving things, giving them a human or life-like quality. 

Fireflies danced as the moon smiled down upon the kids is an example of personification. Fireflies don’t dance, and the moon doesn’t smile, but this descriptive use of personification gives human characteristics to both the fireflies and the moon creating a better image. 

Example: 

• That pizza is calling my name, is a figurative expression for “that pizza looks great.” 
• My car died. A car is a non-living object; hence it cannot die if it is never alive. So, it is an example of personification. 
• Sun glared angrily upon the desert.  
• The skyscraper was so tall that it kissed the sky. 
• The moon is smiling at us. 
• The tree was begging for water. 

What is Onomatopoeia? 

Onomatopoeic words are those that have sounds that are comparable to the words to which they refer. It helps the readers to hear the sound of the words that are mentioned. 

Example:

• The dog sniffed; he could smell meat. 
• The loud boom of the explosion startled everyone. 
• The strangers were met with a frightening growl from the dog. 
• As she pets the cat, it purrs constantly. 
• The cows’ mooing was hard to ignore.