What is a proverb?
The category of proverbs in English also has its own importance and when it comes to proverbs, they are basically a short, traditional saying which imparts advice, and wisdom and they are also related to universal truths in many ways. Proverbs can also teach practical and moral lessons in a memorable and concise manner because they have significance in different cultures which reflect various belief systems and values.
You should be able to use some of these proverbs in your English speaking if you practice them every day. Learning English is not enough, practice it every day to get better at it. Practicing English is now FREE because on the AceFluency App, you get 20 minutes of FREE calling practice talk time daily to connect with co-learners.
Importance of Proverbs in English
There is a huge importance of proverbs in English as they convey different cultural diversities and they also refer to how a particular fixed saying has evolved from a particular region. Proverbs teach many things in different situations and they can convey a kind of message in a context. Let us know about important aspects of proverbs in some points given as follows:
1. Convey wisdom:
Proverbs serve as a means of giving lessons and insights from one generation to another generation and they often encapsulate wisdom in their meanings. While this is true for the majority of the proverbs but some proverbs may go out of the way depending upon the region and the situation which may not be appropriate everywhere to be used.
2. Cultural identity of proverbs:
All proverbs have a connection with a particular culture as they come from the same. Proverbs have a great origin and whenever any proverb is used in a situation, the origin of the proverb comes to the mind of many people as they know that this particular proverb has a fixed cultural identity. Proverbs play an important role in bringing cultural identity to the world.
3. Moral values:
Apart from bringing cultural identity and conveying wisdom, the most important role of any proverb is to impart moral values on different topics. For example, “honesty is the best policy” conveys a moral value that everyone needs to be honest and they need to show honesty in all their actions and words so that the world can be made a better place to live and equal justice can be imparted to all.
4. Language identity through proverbs:
Proverbs definitely convey language identity as some of them are fixed with the words and people normally try to find the equivalent in their local language. While some of them do have equivalents in the target language but some of the proverbs do not have equivalents at all as they are fixed for a particular place. It is also true that once the original proverb is spoken as per the fixed source language, that’s what gives the proper expression of the meaning.
Also Check : What is a verb ? Definition & Types of Verb
Most popular proverbs in English
As far as understanding the most popular proverbs is concerned, there are some proverbs which are very famous in the English language and they play a very important role in our day-to-day conversation. Some of the most popular English proverbs include, actions speak louder than words, every cloud has a silver lining, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, the early bird catches the worm, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, practice what you preach, fortune favours the bold.
These proverbs can help any speaker in a day-to-day conversation and you as a student of the English language can very well learn these proverbs to make sure that your English improves in a better way and you will be able to feel more confident and fluent in your daily conversation with friends, colleagues and in offices.
25+ popular proverbs in English with meaning
As English also has hundreds of proverbs, we will be knowing the most popular 25+ proverbs in English with meaning and it will be easy for you to understand how you can use them in your English in a better way. So, let’s start with all those proverbs given as follows:
1. Actions speak louder than words: It means doing is more important than saying. As you want to bring changes, you need to show it by doing it yourself then only society will understand because actions speak louder than words.
2. All that glitters is not gold: Anything which looks valuable may not be valuable. The new car may look quite awesome but all that glitters is not gold.
3. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch: you should not make plans based on any uncertain event. It is true that you are quite excited for your next interview but please don’t try to count your chickens before they hatch.
4. Every cloud has a silver lining: There is a positive aspect in every difficult situation. It was quite disappointing for you to lose the last game but every cloud has a silver lining as you can learn some great lessons to do better in the next game.
5. Haste makes waste: Doing something quickly can result in various mistakes. While you tried to finish the project fast, it did not become successful as there were many mistakes as it is said haste makes waste.
6. Ignorance is bliss: It is better to remain without knowledge than to know any unpleasant truth. He started arguing with her by telling unknown secrets just to win the debate. There you can say that ignorance is bliss.
7. Kill two birds with one stone: To complete two tasks with a single effort By doing the company work while travelling, he tried to kill two birds with one stone.
8. Let the cat out of the bag: To give out a secret You cannot let the cat out of the bag about the upcoming party because it will spoil our plans.
9. No pain, no gain: you can’t achieve anything without hard work. Exercise is difficult but you can’t see benefits without it. So, no pain, no gain.
10. Out of the frying pan and into the fire: To escape one problem to go into another He thought that changing his job would help him but the job turned out to be worse than the last one so it was like out of the frying pan and into the fire.
11. Practice what you preach: To follow what you say If you want your brother to be honest, you should practice what you preach.
12. Rome wasn’t built in a day: It takes time in achieving some significant things. If you want to build a successful career, you need to give it consistent time and effort as Rome wasn’t built in a day.
13. Too many cooks spoil the broth: If too many people are involved in a task, they can spoil it. We need a small, better team rather than too many people for this project as too many cooks spoil the broth.
14. Make hay while the sun shines: To take advantage of a situation If you want to make hay while the sun shines, you will have to do it right now.
15. Silence is golden: It is better to remain silent than to speak about something. Sometimes silence is golden, so you should follow it whenever it is appropriate.
16. The ball is in your court: It is up to you to take the next step. Now the ball is in this political party’s court to decide on this candidate.
17. Birds of a feather flock together: People with similar nature do similar things. We all like the same movie. Birds of a feather flock together.
18. Better late than never: To do something late than never do it. This is my essay although it is late. Better late than never.
19. Don’t judge a book by its cover: Don’t judge anyone or anything by appearance. He looks poor but he is very rich. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
20. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today: Do something today instead of procrastinating. You have free time now so it is better to do it now instead of procrastinating as the saying goes don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
21. Easy come, easy go: To make money quickly and lose it quickly He won $500 in a lottery but he spent it all with his friends at a party. Easy come, easy go.
22. Knowledge is power: The more you know, the more powerful you become in your professional area. Having good knowledge to become a good doctor can save the lives of many people as the saying goes that knowledge is power.
23. Laughter is the best medicine: When you are feeling sad or you are in a difficult situation, laughter can make things easier. I am sorry to hear about your bad result but laughter is the best medicine to get rid of any stress.
24. Like father, like son: It is said when a son is similar to his father. He started playing cricket at a young age as his father used to do. Like father, like son.
25. Practice makes a man perfect: The more you practice, the better you become You must have heard that practice makes a man perfect so you should follow it and achieve your goal.
26. Two heads are better than one: It becomes easier to do something as a team than doing it alone. He was stuck in a project so he wanted some people to get involved and resolve it. Two heads are better than one.
27. Absence makes the heart grow fonder: Being away from somebody or something makes you miss that person or something more He used to hate going to his uncle’s home but it’s been a long time since he went last time and he is missing it now. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Also Check This: 51 Daily Used Common English-Speaking Sentences for Beginners
Conclusion:
English proverbs are going to be great for you to feel more confident if you can use them appropriately in a situation. You should learn all the proverbs with examples and meanings given above and you as a student will be able to feel that your English is improving gradually day by day and that will help you to have a better understanding of the English language. You should use proverbs in a particular situation where you feel they can convey the right meaning.
To find such situations, you must speak in English every day. AceFluency App provides you with a platform and a community of real English speakers with whom you can practice English for FREE every day. You get 20 minutes of FREE calling talk time every day to connect with co-learners and 9 days of participation access in Speaking Rooms to practice English in live group discussions.
