Personification
The wind whispered secrets through the trees as night fell.
Personification is when non-human things are given human qualities or actions. In this sentence, the wind is described as “whispering secrets,” which is a human action.
He’s got a heart of stone
comparing heart and stone without using like or as
She was as graceful as a swan
Comparing graceful and swan using as
I’ve told you a million times to clean your room.
(This is an exaggeration for effect — a key sign of hyperbole. No one literally says something a million times.)
“bite the bullet”
To face something difficult bravely “Bite the bullet” means to do something unpleasant or difficult that you’ve been avoiding.
The fire swallowed your house in minutes
It gives it human characteristic, cause fire can’t swallow
life is a roller coaster of emotions
comparing life and roller coaster without using like or as
The thunder grumble like a old man
comparing thunder and old man with using like
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
(This is a clear exaggeration to show extreme hunger — classic hyperbole.)
a piece of cake”
It means something is very easy to do.
Saying something is “a piece of cake” is a way of saying it’s simple or not challenging.
The sun leaves whisper in the wind
It’s giving leave a human quality
The snow was a white blanket over the ground
comparing snow and a white blanket without using like or as
He is as fast as a cheetah on the track.
Comparing how fast he is to cheetah using as
My backpack weighs a ton.
(It’s an exaggeration used to emphasize how heavy the backpack feels.)
“once in a blue moon”
Very rarely
“Once in a blue moon” describes something that happens very infrequently.
The sun smiled down on us.
“This is personification because the sun is given the human quality of smiling, which it cannot literally do.”
Her smile was as bright as the sun
Comparing smile and bright sun with using as
He was as brave as a lion
it uses the word “as” to compare his bravery to that of a lion.
(The ice cream was cold and sweet.)
(This is a literal description, not an exaggeration. The others are hyperboles.)
“break a leg”
Good luck
This idiom is often used in theater as a way to wish someone good luck in a performance.
The leaves danced in the wind.
(This is personification because leaves cannot literally dance—“danced” is a human action given to non-human things (leaves). The sentence gives human-like behavior to nature, which is the essence of personification.)
The city was a jungle, full of wild energy and hidden dangers.
The sentence compares the city to a jungle without using “like” or “as.” It’s a metaphor because it suggests that the city is wild, chaotic, and possibly dangerous—just like a jungle—but not in a literal sense.
She sings like an angel.
This is a simile because it uses “like” to compare her singing to that of an angel.
This test is taking forever.
(It’s an exaggeration to show the test feels very long, even though it won’t literally last forever.)
“pull someone’s leg”
To play a trick or joke on someone.
“Pulling someone’s leg” means joking or teasing them in a playful way.