Identify Adages and Proverbs

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
Lizzie’s tutor kept encouraging her to put her heart into her work, but she would not take advantage of his advice. Instead, she just kept rolling her eyes and mocking his voice. He told her, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. If we can’t work together, you’ll have to work by yourself.”

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
Jay should have known better than to mention the water fountain around Marissa. They had decided it was wise to accept their differences long ago, and she expected that he would let sleeping dogs lie. It surprised her when she heard him bring up the fight to their new friend.

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
Sandy did not like the new girl. Her mother encouraged her to spend some time outside of her comfort zone, but Sandy was not interested in getting to know someone new. However, when the two girls were paired for some classwork, Sandy realized that you can’t judge a book by its cover. “We had so much to talk about! We got along like two good old friends,” Sandy told her mom that night.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Jacqueline was on the phone with a salesperson. He kept offering her better and better deals on the magazine he was selling. He finally told her that she would lose money by not taking such a good offer. Jacqueline believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch. She told him that she thought that he was probably not telling the whole truth.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Frank’s mother said that she would give him a ride to the theater as soon as he finished his chores. He worked very hard to get them done both well and quickly. She asked, “Why are you trying to finish so fast? The movie doesn’t start for hours.” He replied, “The tickets go on sale in just thirty minutes, and I want to get there as soon as possible in case they sell out. The early bird gets the worm!”

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Taylor was very jealous of her brother when she learned that he was going to Texas. Her mother reminded her that there are many nice things about home. Taylor told her mother that traveling would be good for her. However, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Taylor was shocked to learn that her brother was terrified to fly away from home, so he felt as jealous of her as she felt of him.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
The doctor explained to Dule that spending time outside would help him heal quickly. Dule replied, “My cast makes it painful to walk outdoors. That advice will only make everything feel worse.” The doctor suggested that Dule use a wheelchair in place of crutches, but Dule refused. The doctor shrugged and said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Terence was telling his mother about the problems with litter that his class had been discussing that day at his school. She suggested that he could create a school club to pick it up. Suddenly filled with inspiration, Terence leapt from his seat. His startled mother told him that he could probably finish his dinner first because hurrying could cause him to make mistakes. Leaving the room, Terence called out, “I want to strike while the iron is hot!”

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Joy felt extremely grateful when her aunt offered her a hand-knitted sweater. Joy always felt that gifts made by hand were very special. When she received the sweater, she was a little surprised to find that it was neon green. Her father said, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Joy decided to simply be grateful for something new.

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
When Zach saw that the city was planning to do away with the trees in the park, he was furious. He said to his sister, “How could they? Don’t they know that nature is very important? It makes me want to push over the people who are responsible.” His sister replied, “Well, the pen is mightier than the sword. Instead of knocking someone down, you might want to write a carefully worded letter to the mayor.”

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Sammy wanted to buy an expensive gift for his mother because gifts are a good way to show love. However, he also wanted to save his earnings since saving money is a good practice. Knowing that you cannot have your cake and eat it too, he decided to make his mother a thoughtful gift from the heart.

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
Derrick believed that he could not be both a friend and a leader to his group. He had been told all his life that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, so he expected that some of any leader’s decisions might be unpopular. He decided that he would always make the best choice for the group even if it made others dislike him.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
At the end of the summer, Tom traveled all the way back to his home. Now, he could barely remember looking with boredom at things in his house. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so every detail of home seemed extremely beautiful.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Teamwork is a vital skill, so Sung agreed to work with a group on the task. Personally, she felt that too many cooks spoil the broth and that someone needed to step up and take charge of the group. She told the group that they should start by assigning a role to each team member.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
The teacher needed to get a new box of tissues for her classroom, but she did not want to leave the students alone. She knew that when the cat is away, the mice will play. Instead of going, she searched the room for a helpful face. Her student Esmeralda volunteered to go since she thought helping the teacher would be a kind thing to do.

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Lola had loved playing banjo for many years when she met Sylvester. Sylvester told her that using the banjo to make music caused him to feel very happy. She agreed that making music was absolutely delightful. Since birds of a feather flock together, Lola and Sylvester quickly became close friends. They play their banjos together nearly every day.

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
Tony felt grateful that there was a diagram in the chair’s assembly directions since a picture is worth a thousand words. His father walked into the room and told him to pay attention to even the smallest detail because it is very frustrating to make mistakes. Tony said that he would scour every page of the directions.

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Harry felt bitter toward the textbook writers because they had written a very confusing chapter. His teacher told him, “The book probably still has something to teach you.” Harry said, “It’s kind of hard to trust people who don’t explain themselves clearly.” His teacher said, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Click on the proverb in the passage below.
It was very hard for Brianne to avoid spending money. She wanted to set aside her earnings for the future, but she also wanted to enjoy the money she had made. Since a penny saved is a penny earned, she decided to ask her parents to get her a savings account. They agreed to help her put her money into savings.

Click on the adage in the passage below.
Jose was determined to become the best batter on the team. It would take months of dedicated effort, but he truly believed that practice makes perfect. He attempted to swing his bat at every good pitch. When his coach said Jose was their strongest batter, Jose felt that all of his hard work had been effective.