Gerund Word Explorer
Personification

The sun smiled down

The sun smiled down

The sun shone warmly and pleasantly.

The sun smiled down on the village fair.

Remember: The sun has no face, yet it 'smiles'. Giving a thing a human expression is personification, and here it sets a happy mood.

Short lessonSaying more or lessSometimes we stretch the truth, shrink it, or give things human feelings to make a point.

More like this

Not the best ideaA polite way of saying something was a bad idea.UnderstatementAges 15–20A bit of tidyingMakes a huge mess sound like a small job.UnderstatementThe alarm clock screamedThe alarm rang very loudly and suddenly.Personification