proverbs are never out of season

Proverbs are short and pithy sayings that express some traditionally held truth. 

They are usually metaphorical and often, for the sake of memorability, alliterative. 

                   Learn these 6:

1.     Without wisdom, wealth is worthless. 
2.  Fight fire with fire.
3.     Better bend than break.
4.  Manners make man.
5.    Speech is silver, silence is golden.
6.  What is worth doing is worth doing well. 

 

    proverbs

PART1. 

Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society's values and beliefs is its proverbs.

It's interesting to note that the two most common words in English proverbs are 'good' and 'never'. 

A bit of armchair psychology leads to the conclusion that, if proverbs really do reflect belief, then the English are (or at least were when these proverbs were coined) inclined to be virtuous but negative - not so far from the truth perhaps?

PLUS: For a funny way to end proverbs,   

see what 6-year-old kids did to English beliefs here

PART2. 

Now, ready for a ..... proverbs quizz

a-z> aphorism-witticism

   According to Wolfgang Mieder, author of the book "Proverbs Are Never Out of Season," the definition of a proverb is 

 "a phrase ... which contains above all wisdom, truth, morals, experience, lessons, and advice concerning life and which has been handed down from generation to generation." 

A proverb can help you perfect your conversational English skills, as proverbs often come up in conversation. 

An example is 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Read more: How to Learn English Proverbs




PART3. Follow-up 

Click on ... SMART-Words

Communication: Synonyms for words related to speech -

This collection of synonyms and antonyms also explains the meaning of synonyms to learn how to use them in in spoken words or writing. The meaning of synonyms is highly important in writing essays, papers, abstracts, etc.