Let

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Lets make hay while the sun shines!

• What is an adage or proverb and how can we tell
  what they mean?

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Adages and proverbs offer advice and observations
about life. You can build your knowledge of
adages and proverbs by asking someone what they
mean or by looking them up online. They are
sometimes very figurative. It is not important
that you know the difference between an adage and
a proverb. It is important that you are able to
tell what they mean so that you can understand
the text of which they are a part.
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• Lets practice. Each of the the following slides
  show an adage or a proverb. Discuss with a
  partner what you think each one means. Your
  teacher will then click to reveal the actual
  meaning. Good luck!

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• A watched pot never boils

Things you look forward to seem to take a long
time to happen.
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• You live, and you learn

Mistakes can teach useful lessons.
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• Dont bite the hand that feeds you

Dont hurt those who take care of you, or they
may not want to take care of you anymore.
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• Nothing ventured, nothing gained

You cant expect to achieve something if you
never even try to do it.
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• The early bird catches the worm

If you start something early, you have a better
chance of succeeding at it.
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• Find the adage or proverb in each sentence, and
  then decide the correct meaning. You may confer
  with a partner.
• Although I was still mad at my cousin for losing
  my book, I decided to let sleeping dogs
• lie and not mention it again.
• a. It is better not to restart an old argument.
• b. It is better to let your relatives pets sleep
  on the floor.

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• Although I was still mad at my cousin for losing
  my book, I decided to let sleeping dogs
• lie and not mention it again.
• It is better not to restart an old argument.
• It is better to let your relatives pets sleep on
  the floor.

They are not LITERALLY talking about dogs. They
are using figurative language!
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• When I pack my lunch, I always tell myself that
  an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
• a. Telling doctors you eat an apple every day
  keeps them from scolding you.
• b. Eating an apple every day keeps you in good
  health.

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• When I pack my lunch, I always tell myself that
  an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
• a. Telling doctors you eat an apple every day
  keeps them from scolding you.
• b. Eating an apple every day keeps you in good
  health.

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Dad said that while the rest of us are out
grocery shopping, hes going to make hay while
the sun shines and take a nap.a. The best place
to take a nap is outside in the sun.b. Take
advantage of an opportunity while you have chance
to do so.
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Dad said that while the rest of us are out
grocery shopping, hes going to make hay while
the sun shines and take a nap.a. The best place
to take a nap is outside in the sun.b. Take
advantage of an opportunity while you have chance
to do so.
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When Danny asked his grandmother why she saved
used wrapping paper, shereplied, Waste not,
want not.a. If you careful not to be wasteful,
you will not find yourself in need of things.b.
If you dont want anything, you are not a
wasteful person.
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When Danny asked his grandmother why she saved
used wrapping paper, shereplied, Waste not,
want not.a. If you are careful not to be
wasteful, you will not find yourself in need of
things.b. If you dont want anything, you are
not a wasteful person.
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I didnt want to move to a different town, but
every cloud has a silver lining I made lotsof
friends at my new school.a. You can find
interesting shapes in every cloud in the sky.b.
You can find something good in every bad
situation.
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I didnt want to move to a different town, but
every cloud has a silver lining I made lotsof
friends at my new school.a. You can find
interesting shapes in every cloud in the sky.b.
You can find something good in every bad
situation.
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Here are some more common adages and proverbs.
Talk with a partner about what you think they
mean. Look their meanings up on the computer to
confirm. Pick your favorite to illustrate and
share with your classmates. Birds of a feather
flock together. Don't judge a book by its
cover. The early bird gets the worm.  
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Better safe
than sorry.    Never look a gift horse in the
mouth.  The best things in life are free.  
Two wrongs don't make a right.  Practice makes
perfect.
Do not remove a fly from your friends head with
a hatchet.A bad penny always turns up.A chain
is no stronger than its weakest link.A fool and
his money are soon parted.Actions speak louder
than words.All that glitters is not
gold.Beggars cant be choosers.Dont cut off
your nose to spite your face.Dont put all your
eggs in one basket.
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You are now quite a bit wiser than when we
began talking about proverbs and adages. Think
of your favorite adage or proverb. Think about
the lesson or advice it illustrates. Who could
use this advice? Think of someone from your life
or from a book, and write a letter to him or her
to share this proverb or adage. Explain in the
letter why you think he or she should follow this
advice. (An example is on the next slide.) Be
ready to share with your classmates!
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• January 5, 2012
• Dear Penelope,
• Hello there. How are you? I hope you are well.
• I have been thinking about the opportunities
  lately that you have passed up because you are so
  shy and scared of being with new people.
  Remember when our English teacher asked if we
  would work on the yearbook for this year?
  Remember how excited we were, until you said you
  couldnt because you didnt know much about
  putting a yearbook together or about photography?
  You also said you didnt know the kids who
  already work on the yearbook.
• You know what I think? Nothing ventured, nothing
  gained! If you never give it a chance, how will
  you ever know if you like it or if you are good
  at it? You are very artistic, and I think you
  would be really good at it. It would be so fun
  if we could do it together. You may try it and
  not like it at all, but how will you ever know if
  you never even give it a shot? This is a perfect
  chance for us to make new friends too!
• Please take a chance with me. I will be right
  beside you and we can learn together.
• Think about it Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
• Let me know what you think.
• Your friend,
• Yalanda

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Now that you know about adages and proverbs, try
to notice how often you hear them in
conversation, on TV, in music lyrics, and in your
books. When you hear them, jot them down to
share in class!Make hay while the sun shines!