Identify the figure of speech used in the following sentence:
During the summer holidays, the empty swings in the school playground waited patiently for the children to come back.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Personification
The swings “waited patiently” for the children, as people wait for friends they miss. Swings cannot wait or feel patience.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Metaphor | a hidden comparison: it says one thing is another, without “like” or “as” | Our grandmother’s kitchen is a treasure house of old recipes. |
| (2) Transferred epithet | a describing word moved from a person to a thing linked to them | After the argument, the whole family sat through an awkward dinner. |
| (3) Personification (answer) | human qualities or actions given to a thing, an animal or an idea | The moon smiled down on the sleeping village. |
| (4) Hyperbole | a big exaggeration made for effect | My uncle snores so loudly that the neighbours’ windows shake. |