PROVERBS

MODUL 2
BY: KHLOO
20 PROVERBS WITH EXPLAINATION
AND EXAMPLE OF SENTENCE
PATTERNS
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lesson , students should
be able to
answer the PROVERBS quizzes given
make correct sentences using the
proverbs learnt.


1. Early to bed and early to rise makes
a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

Meaning: It is good for us to sleep early in the evening and
wake early in the morning.
Note: rise (verb) = get out of bed (after sleeping) | healthy
(adj.) = well; free from illness | wealthy (adj.) = rich |
wise (adj.) = having knowledge, experience and good
judgement

Quick Quiz:
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,
wealthy, and wise" is a recommendation not to go to
bed
A) late
B) early
C) before getting up

2. Charity begins at home

Meaning: Our first responsibility is to our own
family and friends.
Note: charity (noun) = the voluntary giving of
money or other help to poor people or people in
need

Quick Quiz:
The saying "charity begins at home" suggests
that
A) you should help people in other countries
first
B) your country should help people in other
countries first
C) you should help people close to you first

3. Keep your friends close and
your enemies closer

Meaning: You'll be safer if you know more about
your enemies than you know about your friends.
Look after your enemies better than you look
after your friends.
Quick Quiz:
If you "keep your friends close and your enemies
closer" you will
A) have no friends
B) have no enemies
C) sleep better at night

4. Least said soonest mended

Meaning: When we do or say something bad to
someone, a long apology and discussion does not help.
In such a case, the less we say the better.
Note: least (adverb): to the smallest amount | mend
(verb): repair; fix

Quick Quiz:
The saying "Least said soonest mended" advises that a
disagreement, for example, will be forgotten most quickly
if we
A) write a letter of apology
B) take time to say how sorry we are
C) say nothing or very little

5. Make hay while the sun shines

Meaning: If we want to make hay, we need
sunny weather, so when the sun comes we
should take the opportunity to make hay. Thus
the proverb suggests that we should make good
use of any opportunity while it lasts.
Note: hay (noun) = grass that has been cut and
dried for feeding to farm animals

Quick Quiz:
If we should "make hay while the sun shines",
we should buy the summer clothes we want
A) during the summer sales
B) after the summer sales
C) after the shops close

6. Oil and water don't mix

Meaning: If you add oil to water, the oil tries to
stay separate. This proverb is a way of saying
that certain people or characteristics do not go
together.
Quick Quiz:
You could say "oil and water don't mix" about
two people who
A) don't drink
B) don't get on together
C) don't look the same

7. Patience is a virtue

Meaning: The ability to wait for something without
getting angry or upset is a valuable quality in a person.
Note: patience (noun) = the ability to wait calmly; the
capacity to accept delay without getting angry | virtue
(noun) = a quality or trait that most people consider to be
morally good or desirable in a person

Quick Quiz:
"Patience is a virtue" suggests that getting angry when
you have to wait is
A) a good personal trait
B) a bad personal trait
C) a sign of patience

8. Quietness is a great treasure

Meaning: Silence is valuable.
Note: treasure (noun) = precious metals (like
gold), gems or other valuable objects | Compare
with a similar proverb: "Speech is silver, silence
is golden."

Quick Quiz:
"Quietness is a great treasure" is a proverb
about the value of
A) silence
B) treasure
C) greatness

9. Barking dogs seldom bite
Meaning: Don't be afraid of dogs that bark or people that
threaten you (say they will do something bad to you) - in
both cases they rarely take action.
Note: bark (verb): (of a dog) make a sharp, loud,
explosive sound | seldom (adverb): rarely, almost never |
bite (verb): (of an animal) use the teeth to attack and cut
| This proverb is also found as: "Barking dogs never
bite."

Quick Quiz:
The proverb "Barking dogs seldom bite" suggests that
people who say they are going to do something bad to
us usually
A) sound like a dog barking
B) bite us
C) do nothing

10. Cleanliness is next to
godliness

Meaning: This (humorous) saying suggests that being
clean is nearly as good as being godly or very holy.
Note: cleanliness (noun) = the state of being clean |
godly (adj) = very religious; devout; pious

Quick Quiz:
The saying "cleanliness is next to godliness" is
A) a humorous way of suggesting that it is good to be
clean
B) a religious belief that you need to be clean to be
close to God
C) a humorous way of suggesting that religious people
are clean

11. Death is a remedy for all ills

Meaning: When we die, all our problems are solved.
Note: death (noun) = the act of dying; the end of life |
remedy (noun) = cure; solution | ills (noun) = problems;
misfortunes

Quick Quiz:
If "Death is a remedy for all ills", when we die we will
have
A) many more ills
B) no more problems
C) no more solutions

12. Easy come, easy go

Meaning: If we get something (like money)
easily and without effort, we can lose it easily
too.
Quick Quiz:
The saying "easy come, easy go" suggests that
we are least likely to lose something we
A) find
B) are given
C) work hard for

13. United we stand, divided we
fall

Meaning: If we work together we can be
successful. If we fight each other we will fail.
Note: Compare: "Divide and rule."

Quick Quiz:
If it is true that "united we stand, divided we fall",
we should
A) co-operate
B) multiply
C) take turns at standing

14. Variety is the spice of life

Meaning: Monotony is bad for us. We need plenty of change. It
adds interest to our lives, just as spice adds interest to food.
Note: variety (noun) = change | spice (noun) = a strong-smelling
vegetable substance used to flavour food, such as cloves or pepper
| Compare: "A change is as good as a rest."

Quick Quiz:
Someone who believes that "variety is the spice of life" is most likely
to
A) have the same job until retirement
B) like spicy foods
C) change jobs quite often

15. You can lead a horse to water, but
you can't make it drink

Meaning: You can show people the way to find
something or to do something, but you cannot force
them to act after that.
Note: lead (verb): cause a person or animal to go with
one by holding them by the hand or by a rope etc; go in
front of someone to show them the way

Quick Quiz:
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it
drink" suggests that
A) horses don't like water
B) people have free will
C) people prefer authority

16. Knowledge is power

Meaning: Facts, information and skills
give us strength and influence.
Quick Quiz:
If "knowledge is power", military
intelligence is
A) a waste of knowledge
B) a waste of power
C) important in winning a war

17. Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning: Don't restart an old argument or
conflict.
Quick Quiz:
"Let sleeping dogs lie" is a proverb about
A) animals
B) conflicts
C) truth

18. Man does not live by bread
alone

Meaning: This proverb suggests that people have a
spiritual side as well as a physical side. We need to take
care of our spirit as much as our body.
Origin: This saying is based on a verse in the Bible
(Deuteronomy 8:3).

Quick Quiz:
If someone says to you "man does not live by bread
alone", the chances are that he is
A) hungry
B) religious
C) a baker

19. Necessity is the mother of
invention

Meaning: If we absolutely need to do something that has never
been done, we will find a way to do it. It is this need or necessity that
forces people to invent things.
Note: necessity (noun) = something that is essential; an imperative
need | invention (noun) = the act of inventing | invent (verb) = design
or create something that has not existed before

Origin: Based on the line "Necessity, who is the mother of invention"
in The Republic written by Plato (Greek author & philosopher, 427-
347BC).

Quick Quiz:
"Necessity is the mother of invention" is a proverb about
A) motherhood
B) the cause of inventions
C) the cause of poverty

20. Once bitten, twice shy

Meaning: If an animal (such as a dog) bites you one
time, you will be extra careful the next time. This sayings
talks about learning from our mistakes.
Note: once (adverb) = one time | twice (adverb) = two
times | shy (adj.) = reserved; timid; reluctant | Also:
"Once bit, twice shy" and "Once burned, twice shy"

Quick Quiz:
If you are "once bitten, twice shy", you
A) have learned from a mistake
B) haven't learned from a mistake
C) have learned to make the same mistake again