English Sayings and Proverbs

Jane Coates

Can you complete these English proverbs?

• A bird in the hand…

• Silence is…

• Birds of a feather…

• Don’t run before you…

• Look before you…

Try the matching game!

• What does each proverb mean - can you put it in a sentence

• Are there similar proverbs in Chinese?

Which one is correct?

Every cloud has a silver lining

1.You can give a person a chance but you can’t make him or her take it

2.There’s always something good in bad

times

3.Don’t worry about problems before they arrive

Which one is correct?

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

1.You think that you can eat more than you can

2.Many women have won a man’s love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his stomach and found love in his heart

3.You may leave one problem only to go to another problem

Which one is correct?

You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink

1. You always think that other people’s lives are better than yours

2. You can give a person a chance but you can’t make him or her take it

3. Working for many hours without getting enough rest is not good

Which one is correct?

Don’t cross your bridges before you come to them

1. To have something to be proud of

2. There is a limit to everything. It will be the last little thing that will be too much.

3. Don’t worry about problems before they arrive

Which one is correct?

You can’t judge a book by its cover

1.You cannot know what something or someone is like just by looking at the outside or by outward appearance

2.There’s always something good in bad

times

3.Don’t question good luck

Which one is correct?

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

1. If we have the determination to do something we can always find the path or the method to do it.

2. Don’t question good luck-be glad for it

3. To have something to be proud of

Which one is correct?

Don’t burn the candle at both ends

1. To be frightened

2. Act early and you can save a lot of time

3. Working for many hours without getting enough rest is not good

Which one is correct?

Nothing ventured nothing gained

1. To be paying very close attention2. It is always worth trying to

attempt to do something-if you do not try-then you cannot succeed

3. There is a limit to everything. It will be the last little thing that will be too much.

Which one is correct?

Birds of a feather flock together

1. People often don’t like the same things

2. People of the same sort or type tend to mix with each other and stay together

3. To get married

Which one is correct?

It was the last straw that broke the camels back

1. There is a limit to everything. It will be the last little thing that will be too much.

2. To have a wretched life3. There’s always something good

in bad times

Which one is correct?

A stitch in time saves nine

1. To have something to be proud of

2. Act early and you can save a lot of time

3. Working for many hours without getting enough rest is not good

Which one is correct?

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach

1. You think that you can eat more than you can

2. We don’t have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship and good health

3. Many women have won a man’s love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his stomach and found love in his heart