Personification Worksheets - 15 Worksheets Library - Free Printable

Let’s read the poem lines carefully and think about what “personification” means.

Personification is when something that isn’t human — like an animal, object, or nature thing — is given human traits, feelings, or actions. For example, if a tree “whispers” or the wind “sighs,” that’s personification.

Now look at the poem:

First part:
> The sun was shining on the sea,
> Shining with all his might:
> He did his very best to make
> The billows smooth and bright —
> And this was odd, because it was
> The middle of the night.

Here, the sun is described as having “might,” doing its “very best,” and acting strangely (shining at night). That sounds like a person trying hard and making choices — so the sun is being treated like a person.

Second part:
> The moon was shining sulkily,
> Because she thought the sun
> Had got no business to be there
> After the day was done —
> “It’s very rude of him,” she said,
> “To come and spoil the fun.”

Now the moon is “sulking,” thinking things (“she thought”), calling the sun “rude,” and even speaking (“she said”). These are all human behaviors — feeling upset, judging someone, talking.

So both the sun and the moon are being personified — but let’s check the question again:

> What is being personified in the poem?

The poem gives human traits to both the sun and the moon, but since the question says “what is being personified” (singular), we should pick the one that’s most clearly shown with human actions — especially speech and emotion.

Looking closely, the moon does more human-like things: sulking, thinking, judging, and speaking. The sun acts like a person too (trying hard, being odd), but doesn’t speak or show emotions as clearly.

But wait — actually, the first stanza personifies the sun (“he,” “his might,” “did his best”), and the second stanza personifies the moon (“she,” “sulking,” “thought,” “said”). So technically, both are personified.

However, many teachers expect you to name the main subject being personified — and since the moon has dialogue and clear emotions, she might be the focus. But let’s not guess — let’s go by what the text shows.

Actually, rereading the question: “What is being personified in the poem?” — it doesn’t say “only one.” But in school worksheets, they often expect you to list what’s personified.

Wait — looking back at the worksheet, there are two questions:

1. What is being personified in the poem?
2. What human characteristics are attributed to it?

The word “it” in question 2 suggests they’re expecting one answer for question 1.

Which one is more strongly personified? Let’s compare:

- Sun: referred to as “he,” has “might,” tries hard, acts oddly → human effort and behavior.
- Moon: referred to as “she,” sulks, thinks, judges, speaks → full human emotions and speech.

The moon has more human traits — especially speech, which is a big clue for personification.

But here’s the key: in the first stanza, the sun is personified. In the second, the moon is. The poem uses both. However, since the second stanza includes direct speech (“It’s very rude of him,” she said), that’s stronger evidence of personification.

Still, let’s think simply: the worksheet probably expects you to notice that the moon is the one who talks and feels — so she’s the clearest example.

But wait — actually, in many versions of this lesson, the answer expected is the moon, because she expresses emotion and speaks.

Alternatively, maybe they want both? But the question says “what is” (singular) and then “attributed to it” (singular pronoun).

Let me check online or recall standard answers... No, I shouldn’t do that. Let’s reason from the text.

In the second stanza, the moon is clearly given human traits: sulking (emotion), thinking (mental process), judging (“no business”), and speaking. That’s four human traits.

The sun is given: strength (“might”), effort (“did his best”), and odd behavior — three traits, but no speech or complex emotion.

So the moon is more fully personified.

Therefore, for question 1: The moon

For question 2: Human characteristics attributed to her include:
- Sulking (showing bad mood)
- Thinking (having thoughts/opinions)
- Judging others (“had no business”)
- Speaking (saying words)
- Feeling rudeness and fun (emotions)

We can summarize those as: emotions (sulking, feeling something is rude or fun), thoughts, and speech.

Final decision:

Question 1: The moon is being personified.

Question 2: She is given human traits like sulking, thinking, judging, and speaking.

Let’s write that clearly.

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Final Answer:
What is being personified in the poem?
→ The moon

What human characteristics are attributed to it?
→ The moon is described as sulking, thinking, judging the sun’s actions, and speaking — all things only humans do.