English Proverbs
Proverbs in English are commonly heard in the course of normal speech--they will not be found as frequently in writing as they are used in vernacular discourse. Though cliché and trite, they encapsulate cultural meaning in a way that precipitates native speaker intuition that is almost automatic and immediate to the subject of conversation.
It is a worthwhile exercise to give students proverbs on a daily basis--"an apple a day, keeps the doctor away." They can constitute the basis of discussion of their meaning and definition, and how they might be used in normal English discourse. All proverbs have a moral lesson that is didactic in instruction. Can the students identify and understand the lesson in each proverb. This can be a point of discussion.
Proverbs can be used as well in oral exercises in which students are asked to repeat after the teacher without seeing it written down anywhere, until they can repeat the phrase from memory.
A further homework exercise is to pair students up and get them to create a short script dialogue using a number of proverbs within a conversation.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A dog is man's best friend.
A faint heart never won a fair lady.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A leopard can't change his spots.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A watched pot never boils.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Actions speak louder than words.
All for one and one for all.
All that glitters is not gold.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.
All play and no work makes (Jack, Jane) a (dull, stupid) (boy, girl).
All's fair in love and war.
All's well that end well.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
April showers bring May flowers.
Beauty is only skin deep.
Beggars can't be chosers
Better late than never
Better safe than sorry
Birds of a feather flock together
C
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Count your blessings.
Cowards die a thousand deaths, Heroes but one.
Curiosity killed (s) the cat.
Cut off your (his) nose to spite your (his) face.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Do not blame a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Don't change horses in midstream.
Don't lick the boot that kicks you.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Don't cry over spilt milk.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Don't lock the stable door after the horse is stolen.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Don't put the cart before the horses.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Every dog has his (its) day.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Give (one, them, him, her) an inch, and (one...) will take a mile.
God helps those who help themselves.
Good fences make good neighbors.
Great oaks from little acorns grow.
H
Half a loaf is better than none.
Haste makes waste.
He laughs best who laughs last.
He who hesitates is lost.
He who laughs last, laughs best.
He who lies down with dogs, rises up with fleas.
He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
He who runs away, lives to fight another day.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Honesty is the best policy.
If at first you don't succeed, then try, try again.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
If you can't beat them, (join them) then join them.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Inch by inch, life is a cinch.
It's never over till it's over.
It never rains but it pours.
It's never to late to mend.
K
Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.
Lend your money and lose a friend.
Let bygones be bygones.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Like father, like son.
Little strokes feel great oaks.
Live and learn.
Live and let live.
Look before you leap.
Make hay while the sun shines.
Many hands make light work.
Marry in haste, repent in leisure.
Mind your p's and q's.
Miss is as good as a mile.
Money burns a hole in your pocket.
Money is the root of all evil.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Nothing will come of nothing.
Now is a great experience.
O
Once bitten, twice shy.
One hand for the ship, and one hand for yourself.
One picture is worth a thousand words.
One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.
One tree doesn't (a forest make) make a forest.
One's (his, her, its, your) bark is worse than one's (his, her, its, your) bite.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Practice makes perfect.
Practice what you preach.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
S
Seeing is believing.
Short visits make long friends.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Sometimes you have to turn (run) as fast as you can just to stay in the same place.
Sticks and stones can break (my, your) bones, but (names, words) can never hurt (me, you).
Still waters run deep.
Strike while the iron is hot.
The acorn doesn't fall far from the oak tree.
The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry
The bigger they are the harder they fall
The early bird catches the worm.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
The grass always looks greener on the other side.
The more the merrier.
The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The reason for doing it right today is tomorrow.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The shoe is on the other foot.
The show must go on.
The sky's the limit.
There's always room for one more.
There's more than one way to skin a cat.
There's no place like home.
This is the first day of the rest of your life.
Time heals all wounds.
Time is money.
Time will tell. (Only time will tell.)
To the victors belongs the spoils.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Two heads are better than one.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Variety is the spice of life.
Waste not, want not.
Well begun is half done.
What's done is done.
What will be, will be.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When it rains, it pours.
When the cat's away, the mice will play.
When the going gets rough, the tough get going.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
You can't judge a book by its cover.
You can't please everyone.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Blanket Copyright, Hugh M. Lewis, © 2005. Use of this text governed by fair use policy--permission to make copies of this text is granted for purposes of research and non-profit instruction only.
Last Updated: 03/14/05