TRADITIONAL
PROVERBS
The
following is a collection of traditional proverbs.
Do any of these proverbs
exist in your own language?
What do they mean? Why do we use proverbs?
What do they mean? Why do we use proverbs?
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EXERCISE:A
Which of the proverbs mean the same as these
sentences.
1. It is not a good idea to decide if a thing
is good or bad just by how it appears at first or by its outward appearance.
2. When a bad thing happens there is always a
positive aspect to it.
3. If you don't see someone for a long time
you like them better.
4. When you are in a strange place
(temporarily) it is better to follow the local customs.
5. You should be happy with what you have got
even if it is less than what you want.
6. In many areas in life if you do not
confront a problem when it starts it can deteriorate rapidly therefore it is
much better to act soon.
7. This proverb was probably written by
someone who owns his own house and doesn't stay up all night dancing.
8. Don't become very upset by trivialities.
9. Don't take risks.
EXERCISE: B
Explain one of the proverbs. See if others can guess which proverb you are referring to. Remember
that your partner may have interpreted the proverb in a different way.
EXERCISE: C
Try to decide which proverb could help you
express yourself in the following situations. 1. You make an appointment with your
chiropodist for 6pm. You arrive at 6.15. He complains that he has been waiting
for 15 minutes. What would you say?
2. Your boss calls you into his office to ask
you why you haven't finished the task that he asked you to do earlier and he
complains that you are slow. What would you say to him? (you are being cheeky)
3. Your best friend gets married to a very
ugly fat person who has a very kind, pleasant personality. Your spouse asks you
how he could have possibly married her. What would you say?
4. Your friend smokes 60 cigarettes a day. He
has a bad cough and he is always whining (complaining) that he would like to
give up smoking. You offer to pay for expensive residential anti-smoking
therapy. He says that he doesn't want to do it because he will miss his
favourite television serial. What do you think to yourself?
1)Whatever has passed
us by is now in the past.
2)The two lawyers walked around the perimeter
of the estate as they discussed the parameters
of the case.
3)You must have patience
in dealing with the patients
in this clinic.
4)The period of peace
between the two wars is an interesting piece
of history.
5)They climbed to the mountain peak
to take a peek
at the sunrise. They left in a pique
because other climbers were already there.
6)The peasant
was surprised when the king served him pheasant
for dinner.
7)He peddled
his baskets of flower petals
as he pedaled
his bike around town.
8)We use the word percent
as part of a numerical expression (e.g., Only two percent of the
students failed.). We use the word percentage
to suggest a portion (e.g., The percentage of students who fail has
decreased.).
9)To carry out or prosecute
one's legal responsibilities is a fine thing; to persecute
a fellow citizen is not.
10) The personnel
office had a great deal of personal
information in its files.
11)He was poring
over his books when he accidently poured
coffee all over his papers.
12)The new lab seemed practical
enough, but building it was hardly practicable
in that tiny building.
Hodja is Relieved
One day two men came running to
Hodja's house."What's the matter?" asked Hodja.
"A man resembling you was knocked
down by a cart in the market," they said. "We thought it was you and
came to inform your wife."
"Was he of my height?" asked
Hodja. "Yes," said the men.
"Did he have a beard like
me?""Yes!"
"What was the colour of his
shirt?""Pink."
"Pink!" shouted Hodja, in
relief. "Then it was not me. I don't have a pink shirt."
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