Melancholic (Adjective)

The notebook looked on from the shelf with a melancholic expression. The moon sits melancholically in the night sky. Towels are draped across the floor, melancholically calling to be cleaned.

Whisper (Noun and Verb)

The lonely forest whispers for a friend. Whispers of wind surround me as I struggle to get home. The whispering whispers of leaves fall to the ground.

Horror looks at you between the eyes and notes how it makes you feel. The sun cries horrifyingly at the world below. The pen jumps across the page at a horrifying speed.

Water leaps and bounds. This kind water fountain allows all those who want to drink. Water is a considerate being.

In Peter Rabbit, author Beatrice Potter gives the rabbits clothes, human-like expressions, and the ability to speak and feel. In storybooks and storytelling, anthropomorphism is used to engage readers and to create charming protagonists. It's also a hugely effective educative tool that has been used for centuries.

In religion, Gods and Deities are given divine human qualities. In religious and sacred texts, they could get married, have children, ride horses, and rule over kingdoms.

In many popular films, especially Disney films, there are tons of examples of anthropomorphism. Think about Kung Fu Panda, Toy Story, or even Inside Out.

Personification Worksheets: Figurative Language For 5th Graders

Q: What is personification?

Personification is used in literature a lot. It’s a type of figurative language that gives inanimate objects a figurative personality or characteristic they otherwise wouldn’t have. Personification is a type of metaphor. For example, the bed groaned in pain when I sank into it. The bed can’t literally groan, but maybe it’s a squeaky bed that makes noises every time you move. The best part about personification is that you can be pretty creative as a writer. Think about it, look around you and choose an object. Then think of an attribute. With this object and human attribute, you can make a whole host of wonderful sentences and phrases.

Q: Five examples of personification Before you head into the practice worksheets, check out these examples.

The book leaped off the shelf. My abandoned wristwatch cried at me to use it. My textbook is calling for me to read it. Lennie's bag is crying to be cleaned. This lamp has a mind of its own; it does what it wants.

Personification is a type of figurative language that gives inanimate objects a personality or human characteristic. Expect more than a worksheet with these paperless personification worksheet flashcards, digital classroom quizzes, and famous examples of personification in poetry slideshows. They are grade-5 specific and are aligned with the Common Core standards to help 5th graders to demonstrate their understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Scroll down to practice our paperless worksheet on anthropomorphism, another interesting type of personification, with flashcard examples and a multiple-choice quiz.

What's Personification?

But first, what is personification, and how can it help make our writing more interesting?

What is personification?

Five examples of personification

Before you head into the practice worksheets, check out these examples.

5th Grade Personification Worksheets

Use these paperless worksheets to inspire your own personified phrases!

Paperless Flashcards: Personification Examples

Before you flip the flashcards, see if you can make some of your own using the words on the front.

Famous Examples of Personification in Poetry

Read through these famous examples of personification in poetry and note how each author uses personification. Once you’ve read them a few times, take the multiple-choice quiz at the end.

William Wordsworth- Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Multiple-Choice Personification in Poetry Quiz

What was the author of each poem trying to say using personification? Test your knowledge of personification from the extracts above. Got a question wrong? Press reset and try again.

1. Using extracts from the poem, how does William Wordsworth describe the golden daffodils?