Dear Nicholas,
The enclosed/attached document is a list of common and basic English proverbs and sayings that I put together for your review. I hope you enjoy reading through the list and you can try to apply some of the expressions in our lessons to come.
Sincerely,
Teacher~Jeffrey
Proverbs/Sayings
actions speak louder than words
- what you do is more important than what you say
The politician promised to do many things but he never did anything. But actions speak louder than words and he lost the next election.
all roads lead to Rome
- the same end or goal may be reached by many different ways
All roads lead to Rome and the two groups used two different methods to finish the project.
bad news travels fast
- people are quicker to pass on bad news than good news
Bad news travels fast and the man heard about the job layoffs a week before the official announcement.
better late than never
- it is better to do something late than to never do it at all
The boy finally got a job after not working for three years but at least it was better late than never.
better safe than sorry
- it is better to be careful than to take a chance and risk an accident or illness or a failure which you may regret
It is better to be safe than sorry and I always bring my umbrella to work when it is a cloudy day.
blood is thicker than water
- family ties are stronger than other relationships
Blood is thicker than water and the man chose to help his family rather than his friends.
boys will be boys
- you should not criticize boys or men for being adventurous or mischievous or noisy because that is how you should expect them to behave
Boys will be boys and the two brothers always come home very dirty.
cat has nine lives
- cats are very strong and can survive many accidents or problems
The president of the small country survived crisis after crisis just like a cat with nine lives.
curiosity killed the cat
- asking questions or being curious about something that is not your business is often not a good thing
"Curiosity killed the cat," the mother said as the child asked questions about her birthday party.
customer is always right
- you should not disagree with your customers no matter what the problem is or you may lose your customer
The sales clerks were trained that the customer is always right and they must never argue with a customer.
early bird catches the worm
- arriving early gives one an advantage
My boss always comes to work early because he believes that the early bird catches the worm.
easier said than done
- something is easier to suggest or talk about than to actually do
It is easier said than done to decide that you will never eat chocolate again.
first come, first served
- the person who comes first will have his turn first or be served something first
It was first come, first served at the banquet so we went to the food table quickly.
first time for everything
- just because something has not been done or happened before does not mean that it will never happen
There is a first time for everything and the man recently decided to try skydiving.
a fool and his money are soon parted
- someone who acts unwisely with money will soon lose it
A fool and his money are soon parted and the man quickly spent the money that he had won in the lottery.
a friend in need is a friend indeed
- a friend who helps you when you need help is a true friend
He was my best friend since childhood so naturally I helped him when he got into trouble. We both know that a friend in need is a friend indeed.
give (someone) an inch and they will take a mile
- if you give a little to someone then they will then ask for more
The teacher was always strict in his classroom. He knew that if he gave the pupils an inch they would take a mile and he would lose all control.
grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence)
- a place or a situation that is far away or different seems better than one's present situation
My cousin is always looking for a new job. For her the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
honesty is the best policy
- it is always best to be honest in everything that you do
Honesty is the best policy and when the man found the purse on the street he gave it to a policeman.
if at first you don't succeed try, try again
- if you are patient and persevere you will achieve your goal even if you do not succeed at first
The father taught his son to be patient and keep trying. "If at first you don't succeed try, try again," he said often.
if the shoe fits wear it
- if something that is said describes you then it is probably meant for you
You should not criticize someone for something that you do yourself. Remember that if the shoe fits wear it.
just what the doctor ordered
- something that is good for someone to have or to do
The holiday was just what the doctor ordered and the employee returned to work energetic and refreshed.
let bygones be bygones
- to forget the problems of the past
My aunt decided to let bygones be bygones and she finally decided to talk to my mother again.
lightning never strikes twice (in the same place)
- the same type of misfortune does not occur twice to the same person
Lightning never strikes twice and I do not think that our house will be flooded again.
like father, like son
- a boy is often similar to his father
The boy always copied his father. It was very much like father, like son.
a little hard work never hurt/killed anyone
- one should expect to do hard or difficult work and not try to avoid doing it
The mother said that a little hard work never hurt anyone and asked her son to clean the kitchen.
live and let live
- to be tolerant and accept other people who may be different
People in a large city must learn to live and let live.
love is blind
- being in love with someone blinds you to his or her bad points
The girl was not very attractive to most people but love is blind and her boyfriend loved her very much.
many hands make light work
- a job is done easily if a lot of people share in the work
Many hands make light work and when the three men worked together they were able to quickly finish moving the furniture.
money doesn't grow on trees
- money is not easy to get but must be worked for
The girl's father told her that money doesn't grow on trees when she asked for money to buy new clothes.
money talks
- if you have lots of money you will be treated well, money can influence people
We learned that money talks when the rich couple got a reservation at the famous restaurant although we could not.
the more the merrier
- the more people who participate in an activity then the more enjoyable the activity will be
The more the merrier, we thought as we invited many people to our dinner party.
no news is good news
- when you do not receive any news about something or somebody it probably means that everything is going well
Although the woman had not heard from her son for several weeks, she believed that no news is good news and she did not worry.
no use crying over spilled/spilt milk
- there is no point in worrying or complaining about something that you cannot change
There is no use crying over spilled milk and we should not worry about what happened in the past.
old habits die hard
- it is hard to stop doing something that has become a habit even if you want to stop it
Old habits die hard and it is very difficult for my grandfather to change some of his habits.
one good turn deserves another
- a good deed or doing a good thing should be repaid with another good deed or by doing another good thing
One good turn deserves another and I was quick to help my friend after he made a big effort to help me.
one man's trash is another man's treasure
- something that someone thinks has no value may be considered valuable by someone else
One man's trash is another man's treasure and people were happy to find the old furniture outside the house.
pen is mightier than the sword
- writing and ideas are more powerful than the use of force
The general believed that the pen is mightier than the sword and he tried to use words rather than force to overcome his enemies.
a penny saved is a penny earned
- money saved through spending wisely is just as valuable as the money that you earn by working
A penny saved is a penny earned and it is just as important to be careful spending money as it is to earn money.
people who live in glass houses should not throw stones
- you should not complain about other people unless you are perfect yourself
The man always criticizes his friend for gossiping about other people but people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. He always does the same thing himself.
practice makes perfect
- you will become better at something if you practice
The tennis player believes that practice makes perfect and spends every evening playing tennis.
put one's money where one's mouth is
- to follow through with a stated intention
The company always says that they will buy a new computer for the secretary but they should put their money where their mouth is and buy it.
Rome wasn't built in a day
- it takes time and hard work to complete a difficult job
Rome was not built in a day and the government officials realized that it was going to take many years to rebuild the old area of the city.
seeing is believing
- you must see something before you can believe that it really exists
Seeing is believing and until we saw the Egyptian pyramids we could not imagine their beauty.
shape up or ship out
- behave properly or leave
The employee was told to shape up or ship out because of her bad attitude.
silence is golden
- sometimes it is better to say nothing
The man believes that silence is golden and he is very careful what he says.
slow and steady wins the race
- being patient and determined will lead you to success
Slow and steady wins the race and the man was successful because of his hard work and patient determination.
speak of the devil (and he appears)
- a person appears just when you are talking about him or her
We were in the coffee shop talking about our friend when speak of the devil, our friend suddenly appeared.
streets are paved with gold
- a place (usually a city) where you can make much money
Many people believed that the streets were paved with gold when they moved to the city to try to have a better life.
there are plenty of other fish in the sea
- there are many potential partners in the world
There are plenty of other fish in the sea, I told my friend when she separated from her boyfriend.
time and a place for everything
- there are times and places when something should be done and other times in which they should not be done
There is a time and a place for everything and a symphony concert is not the place to discuss business.
time flies
- time seems to pass very quickly
Time flies and before we had a chance to enjoy the summer weather it was already autumn.
time is money
- time is valuable and wasting time is like wasting money
"Time is money," the angry customer said as he waited for a long time at the car rental counter.
times change
- the values and fashions of life change
Times change and when my friend went to buy some tapes for her tape recorder she found that they were no longer being produced.
tomorrow is another day
- there will be another opportunity to do something in the future
The boy gave up his plans to get on the basketball team but tomorrow is another day and he will try again next year.
truth is stranger than fiction
- real life is sometimes stranger than fiction
Truth is stranger than fiction and the man survived in the mountains for several months after his airplane crashed.
two heads are better than one
- two people working together can achieve better results than one person working alone
Two heads are better than one and when the two carpenters began to work together they quickly solved the problem of building the cabinets.
two wrongs don't make a right
- you cannot justify doing something wrong or bad just because somebody else has done the same thing to you
Two wrongs don't make a right and just because the boy's friend was not punished for taking the equipment without permission, this did not make it right for others to do the same thing.
the way to a man's heart is through his stomach
- a woman can win a man's love if she gives him the food that he likes
The woman believed that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and she spent a lot of time cooking for her husband.
what goes around comes around
- justice will be served and you will get what you deserve
What goes around comes around and it is wise to maintain good relations with the people who you work with.
when in Rome do as the Romans do
- you should adjust your habits to match the customs of the people or place where you live
The diplomat believed that when in Rome do as the Romans do and he made an effort to learn the language and the customs of the people where he lived and worked.
when it rains it pours
- problems often appear together in large numbers or quickly one after the other
When it rains it pours and much time was spent dealing with problem after problem caused by the new accounting system.
where there's a will there's a way
- if you are sufficiently determined you can overcome difficulties and do what you want to do
Where there's a will there's a way and the young woman worked very hard to get enough money to go to the computer school.
you are only young once
- enjoy life while you are young and before you must face the responsibilities of life
The young man's grandmother believed that you are only young once and encouraged her grandson to do many new things in his life.
you are what you eat
- in order to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food
You are what you eat so you should try to eat healthy food.
you can't teach an old dog new tricks
- people become used to their way of doing things and you can't get them to change
My friend refused to try anything new and would never go to a new restaurant. It is true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Thank you very much, it will be very helpful to my expression in speaking.
No comments:
Post a Comment