Teacher Shahana stands in front of a big screen.

Teacher Shahana is in her twenties, with above the shoulder straight brown hair. She wears black leggings and a blue Homework Zone T-shirt.

She says HEY, TVOKIDS, I'M
TEACHER SHAHANA.
AND TODAY I'M HERE
TO TELL YOU ABOUT
A SPECIAL WRITING
TOOL OR TECHNIQUE
THAT WRITERS USE CALLED
PERSONIFICATION.
NOW, EVERYONE KNOWS
WHAT A PERSON IS,
BUT WHAT ON EARTH IS
PERSONIFICATION?
WELL, IF WE LOOK INSIDE
THE BIGGER WORD,
WE SEE THE WORD THAT
WE ALL KNOW... PERSON.
SO, ALL IT REALLY IS IS
A TOOL THAT WRITERS USE
WHEN THEY GIVE HUMAN
QUALITIES TO ANIMALS,
OBJECTS AND OTHER
NON-HUMAN THINGS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY
MAKE NON-HUMAN THINGS
SOUND LIKE THEY'RE
REAL PEOPLE.
HERE ARE A FEW
EXAMPLES OF SENTENCES
THAT USE PERSONIFICATION.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN
IDENTIFY THE WORD OR PHRASE
IN THE SENTENCE THAT
PERSONIFIES THE SUBJECT.
HERE'S OUR FIRST SENTENCE:
"THE STARS DANCED PLAYFULLY
IN THE MOONLIT SKY."
NOW, THE FIRST THING
WE WANT TO DO IS
IDENTIFY THE SUBJECT
OF THE SENTENCE.
IN THIS CASE, THE SENTENCE
IS TALKING ABOUT THE STARS,
SO WE CAN CIRCLE
OUR SUBJECT.
AND IN THE SENTENCE THE
STARS ARE MADE TO SOUND,
KIND OF, LIKE THEY'RE
LIVING OR HUMAN
BECAUSE THE SENTENCE SAYS,
"THEY DANCED PLAYFULLY."
SO THE WORD THAT
PERSONIFIES THE STARS,
OR MAKES THEM SOUND
REAL, IS THE WORD DANCED.
LET'S TRY OUT
ANOTHER EXAMPLE:
"THE THUNDER GRUMBLED
LIKE AN OLD MAN."
HMM, WELL, HERE
IN THIS CASE,
OUR SUBJECT IS
THE THUNDER;
THAT'S WHAT THE SENTENCE
IS TALKING ABOUT.
THE SENTENCE SAYS THAT
"THE THUNDER GRUMBLED
LIKE AN OLD MAN."
WE ALL KNOW THAT THUNDER
CAN'T REALLY GRUMBLE,
BUT PERHAPS THE
SENTENCE TELLS US THAT
THUNDER IS GRUMBLING
SO WE CAN IMAGINE
WHAT THE THUNDER
WOULD SOUND LIKE.
NOW, HERE'S OUR
LAST EXAMPLE:
"MY COMPUTER THROWS
A FIT EVERY TIME
I TRY TO USE IT."
THE SUBJECT IS
MY COMPUTER.
HMM, A COMPUTER CAN'T
REALLY THROW A FIT.
ALTHOUGH, PERHAPS THE
SENTENCE IS JUST SAYING
THAT THE COMPUTER DOESN'T
WORK WHEN YOU TURN IT ON.
AND WE CAN SEE
THAT HAPPENING
OVER HERE IN
THIS PICTURE.
NOW, WHY DO WRITERS
USE PERSONIFICATION?
THERE ARE THREE
MAIN REASONS WHY:
FOR ONE, IT CAN BE
USED AS A WAY
TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING
SO THAT OTHERS
CAN UNDERSTAND
IT BETTER.
NUMBER TWO, IT CAN BE USED
TO EMPHASIZE A POINT,
OR TO MAKE A POINT STAND
OUT OR TO STRESS IT.
AND FINALLY, IT CAN
SPICE UP OUR WRITING
AND MAKE IT SOUND MUCH
MORE COLOURFUL AND LIVELY.
THANKS FOR JOINING
ME, TVOKIDS.
I'M TEACHER SHAHANA.
AND THE NEXT
TIME YOU WRITE,
MAKE SURE YOU USE
PERSONIFICATION.