Учебно-методический комплекс по учебной дисциплине «стилистика» для специальности «современные иностранные языки (перевод)»

Personification
[p
ә ֽ◌sәnifi′kei∫әn] is a kind of metaphor. It is representation of 
inanimate objects or abstract ideas as living beings. The abstract ideas are often capitalized 
and can be substituted by the pronouns he or she.
e.g.
Love fled 
And paced upon the mountains overhead, 
And hid his face amid a crow of stars
(W.B.Yeats). 
Personification is often effected by direct address to an inanimate object or an 
abstract idea,
e.g. 
Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art
(E.A.Poe). 
The stylistic purposes of metaphor and personification are different. They are used 
to impart dynamic force to description, to create an image, to characterize people or objects, 
to reproduce the particular mood of the viewer. 
Metonymy [mi
′tәnimi] (Gk ‘name change’) is transference of names based on 
contiguity (nearness) of objects or phenomena, having common grounds of existence in 
reality. Stylistics deals preferably with varieties of metonymy, revealing a quite unexpected 

---

substitution of one word for another or one concept for another. Such substitutions usually 
impart some expressive force to the utterance. 
The types of metonymy-forming relations are: 
•
a conspicuous feature can stand for a person, e.g. 
Across the country we 
went like the wind followed by a couple of black cars full of moustaches;
•
the name of the author can be used instead of the thing created, e.g. 
Forster, much more than Lawrence, corresponded to Mrs. Smith’s ideal of the 
English novel;
•
names of tools instead of names of actions, e.g. 
The pen is mightier 
than the sword
; 
•
the material instead of the thing made of it, e.g. 
The marble spoke
; 
•
the source of action instead of the action, e.g. 
Give every man thine ear 
and few thy voice
. 
•
(in advertising) the desired effect (beauty, happiness) instead of the 
product, e.g. 
Buy beauty for 30£
.