Proverbs

English is the official universal language. It is, by far, the language of international trade, finance, diplomacy, etc. It is used not only in English spoken countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and The United Kingdom but worldwide. It has a rich vocabulary, with many words borrowed from other languages. It is also one of the easiest languages to learn because: (1) its widespread use in many countries; (2) its alphabet only consists of 26 letter; (3) its relatively simple grammar; (4) the vast selection of English resources to learn from, including TV shows, radio, movies, videogames, music, podcasts, books, apps, and websites.

Definition

They are more than old but familiar catchy sayings. They are brief and memorable expressions of popular wisdom. It is “a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and which is handed down from generation to generation.”

They are used to impart wisdom or guidance to others. They are the knowledge passed down for centuries across generations.

Some examples of proverbs include:

• The devil is in the details. It indicates that something may seem simple, but in fact the details are complicated and likely to cause problems or have a big, often negative, impact.
• Actions speak louder than words. People’s actions show their real intentions, feelings, and attitudes, rather than what they say.
• A lie has no legs. You can’t get away with a lie. Regardless of how long and hard you try to hide the truth, it will always eventually come to light.
• Hunger is the best sauce. It means when you are really hungry, everything tastes good.
• Practice makes perfect. The more you perform a skill, exercise or activity, the better and more efficient you will become at doing it.
• Don’t cry over spilled milk. Life happens. There is no point in being upset, worried or unhappy over situations that have already happened and we cannot control or change.

Proverbs are useful and powerful, but are not without faults or bias. In particular, they should not be considered as absolute truths. All’s fair in love and war means that rules do not apply when it comes to love or war. This is wrong.

Proverbs help ESL students to understand the English culture, mindset, and way of life, and develop their listening and speaking skills.

Where can you find proverbs?

Different lists of famous proverbs can be found in Wiktionary, the best resource by far, and The Phrase Finder.

Besides, you can search videos for proverbs, idioms, spoken words or phrases in YouGlish. It gives you unbiased answers about how English is spoken by real people and in context.