Workbook Solutions: Personification and Imagery | Year 6 English IGCSE (Cambridge) PDF Download

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6 Cambridge Primary English 6 – Burt & Ridgard © Cambridge University Press 2021
3  Personification and imagery
3.1 The River
1  Personification: The washing machine coughed and spluttered before 
stopping. The window flung itself open and breathed in the fresh 
air. The icicle shivered and its teeth chattered. The sun beamed as it 
tiptoed its way across the sky. 
2–3 Learners’ own answers. 
3.2 Compare poems
1 Possible answers:
optimism silliness sadness peace
elated crazy despondent composed
enthusiastic daft gloomy cool
exultant foolish melancholy passive
happy hare-brained mournful placid
hopeful light-hearted regretful quiet
jubilant mad sad relaxed
positive ridiculous solemn serene
sunny wistful tranquil
2  a  P ossib le ans w ers: 
•  the end of winter and the coming of spring into summer. 
• It is winter. 
• Learners’ own answers for mood.
 b  Possible answers: the sounds in the first line of the poem are a 
little harder and colder.
 c  The words gradually soften to represent the coming months and 
new life associated with the rosebuds.
3 a Learners’ own answers.
 b Wild and piled.
 c They are in the middle of the line.
3.3 Look deeper
1 a  DUM de DUM de DUM de DUM (7 syllables) / de DUM de 
DUM de DUM de (7) / DUM de DUM de DUM de DUM (7) / 
de DUM de DUM de DUM de (7) 
 b  Learners’ own answers but should be along the lines of jolly and 
upbeat.
2 a  End rhymes: Learners could say there is no end rhyme pattern 
if they have not picked up the half rhymes after and water. End 
rhyme pattern is in lines 2 and 4, giving ABCB.
 b  Internal rhymes: Line 1 has hill and Jill; line 3 has down and 
crown.
  c  Half rh ymes: water and after are a half rhyme at the end of lines 
2 and 4.
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6 Cambridge Primary English 6 – Burt & Ridgard © Cambridge University Press 2021
3  Personification and imagery
3.1 The River
1  Personification: The washing machine coughed and spluttered before 
stopping. The window flung itself open and breathed in the fresh 
air. The icicle shivered and its teeth chattered. The sun beamed as it 
tiptoed its way across the sky. 
2–3 Learners’ own answers. 
3.2 Compare poems
1 Possible answers:
optimism silliness sadness peace
elated crazy despondent composed
enthusiastic daft gloomy cool
exultant foolish melancholy passive
happy hare-brained mournful placid
hopeful light-hearted regretful quiet
jubilant mad sad relaxed
positive ridiculous solemn serene
sunny wistful tranquil
2  a  P ossib le ans w ers: 
•  the end of winter and the coming of spring into summer. 
• It is winter. 
• Learners’ own answers for mood.
 b  Possible answers: the sounds in the first line of the poem are a 
little harder and colder.
 c  The words gradually soften to represent the coming months and 
new life associated with the rosebuds.
3 a Learners’ own answers.
 b Wild and piled.
 c They are in the middle of the line.
3.3 Look deeper
1 a  DUM de DUM de DUM de DUM (7 syllables) / de DUM de 
DUM de DUM de (7) / DUM de DUM de DUM de DUM (7) / 
de DUM de DUM de DUM de (7) 
 b  Learners’ own answers but should be along the lines of jolly and 
upbeat.
2 a  End rhymes: Learners could say there is no end rhyme pattern 
if they have not picked up the half rhymes after and water. End 
rhyme pattern is in lines 2 and 4, giving ABCB.
 b  Internal rhymes: Line 1 has hill and Jill; line 3 has down and 
crown.
  c  Half rh ymes: water and after are a half rhyme at the end of lines 
2 and 4.
7 Cambridge Primary English 6 – Burt & Ridgard © Cambridge University Press 2021
3 a  Onomatopoeia: Using words that include 
sounds that are similar to the noises the 
words they refer to.
   Alliteration: Using words, especially in 
poetry, of the same sound/s, especially 
consonants, at the beginning of several 
words that are close together. 
 b   1 uses alliteration, e.g. cunningly creeping 
and spectral stalker (but could also be 
onomatopoeia as cunningly creeping and 
spectral stalker are both suggestive of 
the actions). 2 uses onomatopoeia, e.g. 
SHUSHES, hushes, flitter-twitters. 3 uses 
alliteration, e.g. Cook, could, cookies. There 
is also a resonance of the same sound with 
the word good – a hard G just to match 
the hard C. (It could also be referred to as 
assonance the same oo/ou vowel sound.)  
4 uses both alliteration and onomatopoeia, 
e.g. cobbles, clattered, clashed or horse-
hooves and clattered, clashed, tapped, tlot 
tlot (also a made-up word).
3.4 Right Here Was the Ocean
1  Personification means using human qualities 
or actions to describe a non-living object. 
The word personification is a clue because it 
contains the word person. Personify is a verb 
meaning to describe something as if it were a 
person. So, rather than saying: The moon is a 
crescent shape tonight, say: The moon is just 
peeping out tonight.
2  Using a human word to describe an object 
makes a poetic image more vivid. It can also 
tell you how the narrator of the poem feels 
about the object. For example, The moon shyly 
watched me, shows sympathy with the moon; 
whereas, The moon barely noticed me does not 
show sympathy . Poems can also be written in 
first person as if the object has feelings like a 
person.
3 
3.5 Explore figurative language
1  a  The tide of life ebbs and flows . It sings 
when life is good. It cries when times are 
bad.
 b Learners’ own answers.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.
3.6 Write your own poem
1–3 Learners’ own answers.
Z R S T A N Z A T R Z A O H
N S O A H R T I H A P L N S
M M T I H Y T Y O N R L O E
A E P Y R R M A M O E I M H
O S T P E E A L Y I S T A R
Y H H A I A N N E T S E T E
M E A A P S A I E I N R O A
R N Y M P H O T C T R A P R
S I M I L E O R S E O T O L
I R N P T I Y R S P I I E M
E C N A N O S S A E H O I N
M S R T Y T E M S R A N A O
A D Y A L P D R O W S P O N
M O H A E I N O T A E T Z Z