Tuesday 1 November 2011

Some Good Old Proverbs

Study to show thyself approved!

9 comments:

  1. A proverb is a sentence which briefly and sharply expresses some general established truth about life. It is often used in reference to human relations and human limitations or weaknesses.

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  2. What Role Do Proverbs Play in Society?

    Yes, actually proverbs play many roles in society. The first, possibly, most common role that a proverb plays is to educate. Most often tossed around as expert advice in conversation, the innate role to educate people on what might happen if they do something.

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  3. American Proverbs

    Some examples of American based proverbs include:

    •"Absence makes the heart grow fonder” – (this means that when you separate from someone that you love by putting distance between you that you will inevitably love them more and yearn to see them.)

    •"All that glitters is not gold” – (this means that just because something looks good, does not necessarily mean that it is good.)

    •"A monkey in silk is a monkey no less” – (this means that just because someone dresses fancy does not necessarily mean that they are fancy or of good character.)

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  4. Asian Proverbs

    Some examples of Asian proverbs include the following:

    •“The old horse in the stable still yearns to run” – (this means that those who are older still have things they would like to accomplish.)

    •“A spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie” – (this means that a small problem can snowball into a huge problem that can cause major damage.)

    •“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” – (this means that teaching people is better in the long run because it gives them the skills to provide for themselves as opposed to you doing things for them.)

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  5. African Proverbs

    Across the vast continent of Africa, many African nations disseminated proverbs that were meant to educate and inspire those who used them. Here are a few examples of African proverbs.

    •“A tree is known by its fruit” – (of Zulu origin - this means that success is shown by the deeds.)

    •“The word of friend makes you cry – the word of an enemy makes you laugh” – (of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – this means that a friend will tell you the truth and sometimes the truth hurts, whereas an enemy will only lead you down the wrong path by giving you advice that seems good but is not.)

    Check page 113 in A Comprehensive English Course for more proverbs.

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  6. Can you think of some proverbs in dialect?
    I know one: Who nuh hear will feel!

    Study and show thyself approved!

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  7. "who no hear wa moma say drink pepper water lime and sal"

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  8. this means - If you don't take advise from your elders you are at risk at ending up in an undesirable situation.

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  9. If yuh eye nah see, yuh mouth nah must talk which mean you must see for yourself before you talk.

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