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ENGLISH PROVERBS
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For Post & Upper Intermediate Levels: 8 Matching EFL/ESL Exercises by Bibi Baxter
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11
Proverbs beginning with A
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12
Proverbs beginning with A,B,C,D
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11
Proverbs beginning with D,E,F
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12
Proverbs beginning with F,G,H,I
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11
Proverbs beginning with I,L,M
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11
Proverbs beginning with N,O,P
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11
Proverbs beginning with P,S,T
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11
Proverbs beginning with T,W,Y
For Native Speakers of English &
Advanced ESL/EFL Students: Proverb
Test by Bibi Baxter (Make corrections as necessary) List
of proverbs for reference only
Please
note that some of the sayings contain old English words, as follows:-
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doth = does
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silvern = silver
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teacheth = teaches
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nowt = nothing
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH A
- A bad workman ...
- A bird in the hand ...
- A drowning man ...
- A fool and his money ...
- A friend in need ...
- A miss ...
- A rolling stone ...
- A small leak ...
- A stitch in time ...
- Absence ...
- All's well that ...
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... are soon parted
... blames his tools
... can sink a great ship
... ends well
... gathers no moss
... is a friend indeed
... is as good as a mile
... is worth two in the bush
... makes the heart grow fonder
... saves nine
... will clutch at a straw
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12 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH A,B,C,D
- An apple a day ...
- Another man's grass ...
- Any time ...
- As you make your bed, ...
- Beauty is in the eye ...
- Better half a loaf than ...
- Better late than ...
- Birds of a feather ...
- Charity ...
- Children should be seen ...
- Cut your coat ...
- Discretion ...
- Don't count your chickens ...
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... according to your cloth
... and not heard
... before they are hatched
... begins at home
... flock together
... is the better part of valour
... keeps the doctor away
... is always greener
... means no time
... never
... no bread
... so must you lie on it
... of the beholder
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH D,E,F
- Don't put all your eggs ...
- Early to bed and early to rise, ...
- Eavesdroppers ...
- Empty vessels ...
- Enough ...
- Every cloud ...
- Every dog ...
- Experience ...
- Faint heart never ...
- Familiarity ...
- Fire ...
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... breeds contempt
... has a silver lining
... has its day
... hear no good of themselves
... in one basket
... is a good servant, but a bad master
... is as good as a feast
... make the most noise
... makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
... teacheth not fools
... won fair lady
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH F,G,H,I
- First come, ...
- Fools ...
- Forbidden fruit ...
- God helps ...
- Great minds ...
- Great oaks ...
- Habit ...
- Half a loaf ...
- He, who laughs last, ...
- He, who pays the piper, ...
- Imitation ...
- In for a penny ...,
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... calls the tune
... from little acorns grow
... in for a pound
... is better than none
... is second nature
... is the sincerest form of flattery
... first served
... laughs longest
... seldom differ
... tastes sweeter
... think alike
... who help themselves
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH I,L,M
- It's a long lane ...
- It's an ill wind ...
- Laugh ...
- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry...
- Least said...
- Let not the pot ...
- Let sleeping dogs ...
- Look after the pennies ...
- Look ...
- Make hay ...
- Many hands ...
- Misery ...
- Money makes ...
- More haste, ...
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... and grow fat
...soonest mended
... and the pounds will look after themselves
... before you leap
... call the kettle black
... less speed
... lie
... money
... make light work
... makes strange bedfellows
... that blows nobody any good
... that has no turning
... and you are on your own
... whilst the sun shines
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH N,O,P
- Necessity ...
- New brooms ...
- No news ...
- Once bitten...
- One good turn ...
- One man's meat ...
- One swallow ...
- Out of sight ...
- Out of the frying pan ...
- Penny wise ...
- Practice ...
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... deserves another
... doth not a summer make
... into the fire
... is another man's poison
... is good news
... is the mother of invention
... out of mind
... pound foolish
... sweep clean
... twice shy
... what you preach
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11 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH P,S,T
- Pride ...
- Set a thief to ...
- Silence ...
- Spare the rod and ...
- Speech is silvern ...
- Still waters ...
- The best form of defence ...
- The devil ...
- The early bird ...
- The least said ...
- There are none so deaf as ...
- There is no smoke ...
- There is nowt so queer as ...
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...is attack
...catch a thief
...catches the worm
...finds work for idle hands
...implies consent
...goes before a fall
...run deep
...silence is golden
...spoil the child
...the soonest mended
...those who will not hear
... without fire
... folk
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10 PROVERBS BEGINNING WITH T,W,Y
- There is strength ...
- To err is human ...
- Too many cooks ...
- To rob Peter to ...
- Truth ...
- Two heads ...
- What's sauce for the goose ...
- Whilst the cat's away ...
- Where there is a will ...
- You may as well be hanged ...
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... are better than one
... for a sheep as for a lamb
... in numbers
... is not necessarily sauce for the gander
... spoil the broth
... the mice will play
... there is a way
... to forgive is divine
... will out
... pay Paul
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HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW ENGLISH PROVERBS?
ENGLISH PROVERB TEST
- A bad workman blames his hammer
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the tree
- A drowning man will clutch at driftwood
- A fool and his money are soon robbed
- A colleague in need is a friend indeed
- A kilometre is as good as a mile
- A rolling stone gathers some moss
- A small leak can sink a great boat
- A patch in time saves nine
- Absence makes the heart grow deeper
- All's well that ends satisfactorily
- An orange a day keeps the doctor away
- Another cow's grass is always greener
- Any time means some time
- As you make your bed, so must you sleep on it
- Beauty is in the face of the beholder
- Better half a slice than no bread
- Better late than punctual
- Birds of a kind flock together
- Charity begins at school
- Children should be quiet and not heard
- Cut your clothes according to your cloth
- Discretion is the better part of bravery
- Don't count your chickens before they are cooked
- Don't put all your eggs in one saucepan
- Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise
- Eavesdroppers hear no praise of themselves
- Empty vessels make most sound
- Enough is as good as a banquet
- Every cloud has a shiny lining
- Every dog has its bone
- Experience teacheth not nincompoops
- Faint heart never gained fair lady
- Familiarity causes contempt
- Food is a good servant, but a bad master
- First come, first go
- Fools rarely differ
- Forbidden fruit tastes better
- God hurts those who help themselves
- Great minds are alike
- Great oaks from little seeds grow
- Habit is routine nature
- Half a sandwich is better than none
- He, who laughs most, laughs longest
- He, who pays the wages, calls the tune
- Imitation is the sincerest form of replication
- In for a euro, in for a pound
- It's a long road that has no turning
- It's an ill wind that blows nobody any leaves
- Laugh and grow wrinkles
- Laugh and the everyone laughs with you; cry and you are on your own.
- Least said, rarely mended
- Let not the pot call the frying-pan black
- Let sleeping dogs die
- Look after the coins and the pounds will look after themselves
- Look before you jump
- Make harvest whilst the sun shines
- Many helpers make light work
- Misery makes unusual bedfellows
- Money makes worry
- More hurry, less speed
- Necessity is the cause of invention
- New brooms sweep nicely
- No news is bad news
- Once bitten twice hurt
- One good deed deserves another
- One person's meat is another man's poison
- One cuckoo doth not make a summer
- Out of earshot, out of mind
- Out of the saucepan into the fire
- Penny wise, pound stupid
- Practice what you believe
- Pride goes before a stumble
- Robbing Patrick to pay Paul
- Set a burglar to catch a thief
- Silence gives consent
- Spare the cane and spoil the child
- Speech is silver, silence is golden
- Still waters run quietly
- The best form of defence is violence
- The Devil finds work for idle layabouts
- The early bird catches the maggot
- The least said, the soonest repaired
- There are none so deaf as those who cannot hear
- There is no flame without fire
- There is nowt so odd as folk
- There is power in numbers
- To err is human, to forgive is virtuous
- Too many chefs spoil the broth
- Timewill out
- Two heads are bigger than one
- What's sauce for the goose is not necessarily gravy for the gander
- Whilst the cat's away, the mice will stay
- When there is a will, there is a way
- You may as well be harangued for a sheep as for a lamb
The answer
key
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ANSWER KEY
- A bad workman blames his tools
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- A drowning man will clutch at a straw
- A fool and his money are soon parted
- A friend in need is a friend indeed
- A miss is as good as a mile
- A rolling stone gathers no moss
- A small leak can sink a great ship
- A stitch in time saves nine
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder
- All's well that ends well
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away
- Another man's grass is always greener
- Any time means no time
- As you make your bed, so must you lie on it
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
- Better half a loaf than no bread
- Better late than never
- Birds of a feather flock together
- Charity begins at home
- Children should be seen and not heard
- Cut your coat according to your cloth
- Discretion is the better part of valour
- Don't count your chickens before they are hatched
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
- Eavesdroppers hear no good of themselves
- Empty vessels make most noise
- Enough is as good as a feast
- Every cloud has a silver lining
- Every dog has its day
- Experience teacheth not fools
- Faint heart never won fair lady
- Familiarity breeds contempt
- Fire is a good servant, but a bad master
- First come, first served
- Fools seldom differ
- Forbidden fruit tastes sweeter
- God helps those who help themselves
- Great minds think alike
- Great oaks from little acorns grow
- Habit is second nature
- Half a loaf is better than none
- He, who laughs last, laughs longest
- He, who pays the piper, calls the tune
- Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
- In for a penny, in for a pound
- It's a long lane that has no turning
- It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
- Laugh and grow fat
- Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you are on your own.
- Least said, soonest mended
- Let not the pot call the kettle black
- Let sleeping dogs lie
- Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
- Look before you leap
- Make hay whilst the sun shines
- Many hands make light work
- Misery makes strange bedfellows
- Money makes money
- More haste, less speed
- Necessity is the mother of invention
- New brooms sweep clean
- No news is good news
- Once bitten twice shy
- One good turn deserves another
- One man's meat is another man's poison
- One swallow doth not make a summer
- Out of sight, out of mind
- Out of the frying pan into the fire
- Penny wise, pound foolish
- Practice what you preach
- Pride goes before a fall
- Robbing Peter to pay Paul
- Set a thief to catch a thief
- Silence implies consent
- Spare the rod and spoil the child
- Speech is silvern, silence is golden
- Still waters run deep
- The best form of defence is attack
- The Devil finds work for idle hands
- The early bird catches the worm
- The least said, the soonest mended
- There are none so deaf as those who will not hear
- There is no smoke without fire
- There is nowt so queer as folk
- There is strength in numbers
- To err is human, to forgive is divine
- Too many cooks spoil the broth
- Truth will out
- Two heads are better than one
- What's sauce for the goose is not necessarily sauce for the gander
- Whilst the cat's away, the mice will play
- Where there is a will, there is a way
- You may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb
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