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 attention

2. 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 life
3. 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