Read the stories and choose the idiom or proverb that each story illustrates.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
It was Tom's birthday and he was excited to celebrate it with his friends. They had planned to go out for dinner, but Tom was feeling down. He had lost his job a few weeks back and he was struggling to make ends meet. The thought of spending money on a birthday dinner made him feel guilty.
When Tom's friends arrived, they could see that something was wrong. They asked him what was going on, and Tom explained his situation.
One of Tom's friends, Kate, told him that they had a surprise for him. They had all chipped in to get him a gift - a brand new laptop.
Tom was speechless. He had been wanting a new laptop for months, but he couldn't afford one. He was grateful for his friends' generosity, but he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
After the dinner, Tom went home with his new laptop. He couldn't stop thinking about how much money his friends must have spent on it. He started to worry that it was too expensive, and that he didn't deserve it.
The next day, Tom called his friend Kate and told her that he couldn't accept the gift. He felt like it was too much, and he didn't want his friends to spend so much money on him.
Kate was taken aback. She explained to Tom that they had all wanted to do something nice for him, and that they had all chipped in willingly. She told Tom that it was a gift, and that he shouldn't feel guilty about it.
Tom realized that Kate was right. He had been so focused on the cost of the gift that he had forgotten the most important part - the thought behind it.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Samuel was a young man with a fiery passion for politics. He believed that he could change the world through his words, and he was determined to make a difference.
One day, Samuel was at a political rally when he saw a man being beaten by a group of thugs. Without hesitation, Samuel rushed over to help the man. But he was quickly outnumbered, and he was knocked to the ground.
As Samuel lay there, bruised and battered, he felt a sense of hopelessness. He realized that sometimes, physical force wasn't enough to make a difference.
That's when he decided to take a different approach. Instead of using violence, he would use his words. He started writing articles and op-eds about the issues he cared about. He wrote about the need for change, and he inspired others to take action.
Slowly but surely, Samuel's words started to make a difference. People began to pay attention to the issues he was writing about, and they started to demand change.
Eventually, Samuel's writing caught the attention of a powerful politician. The politician invited Samuel to speak at a rally, and Samuel seized the opportunity.
On the day of the rally, Samuel stood up in front of the crowd and delivered a powerful speech. He spoke about the need for change, and he inspired the crowd to take action.
The speech was so powerful that it made national news. Samuel became a household name overnight, and he continued to use his words to inspire change.
Two heads are better than one.
Its water under the bridge.
Let the chips fall where they may.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Karen was a popular girl in high school. She was beautiful, smart, and always had the latest fashion trends. But despite her many strengths, she had one major flaw - she loved to gossip.
Karen loved to spread rumors about her classmates, even if she didn't know if they were true. She enjoyed the attention and the power she felt when others believed her stories.
One day, Karen overheard a conversation between two of her classmates. They were talking about her, and not in a flattering way. Karen was hurt and angry. How could they say such mean things about her?
In her anger, Karen decided to spread a rumor about the two classmates. She told everyone she knew that they were cheating on their exams and that they were going to be expelled from school.
Karen felt vindicated, but it didn't last long. The next day, she received a text message from one of her friends. It included a screenshot of a post on social media that had gone viral. The post was about Karen, and it wasn't pretty.
The post detailed all of the rumors that Karen had spread about her classmates over the years. It included stories about cheating, stealing, and even bullying. The post had been shared thousands of times, and it had become the talk of the school.
Karen was devastated. She realized that she had been throwing stones from her glass house, and now the glass had shattered. She had hurt so many people over the years, and now she was paying the price.
We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones.
Honesty is the best policy.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Lena was a young girl who loved to draw. She would spend hours in her room, creating beautiful works of art.
One day, Lena's art teacher announced that there would be an art competition at school. The winner would receive a prize, and their artwork would be displayed in the school's art gallery.
Lena was thrilled. She had always dreamed of having her artwork displayed for others to see. She immediately got to work on her submission.
As the deadline approached, Lena found herself struggling to finish her artwork. She had spent so much time on the details that she was running out of time to complete it.
That's when Lena made a decision. She would copy someone else's artwork and submit it as her own. She knew it was wrong, but she was desperate to win the prize.
A few days later, the winners of the competition were announced. To Lena's surprise, her artwork had won first place. She was overjoyed.
But that joy was short-lived. A few days later, Lena's teacher pulled her aside and told her that she had received a complaint from one of the other students. They had recognized the artwork that Lena had submitted as someone else's.
Lena was devastated. She knew that she had done something wrong, and she felt ashamed.
Honesty is the best policy.
In between a rock and a hard place.
The best of both worlds.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Jane had always dreamed of opening her own bakery. She had been working as a pastry chef for years and had saved up enough money to start her own business.
One day, while walking through the downtown area, Jane noticed that a small storefront was available for rent. She immediately fell in love with the space. It had large windows that let in lots of natural light, and it was in a prime location.
Jane knew that she had to act fast. She contacted the landlord and set up a meeting to view the space. After seeing it in person, Jane was even more excited. She could already picture her bakery set up inside.
The landlord told Jane that she had a few other people interested in the space, but she would give Jane first dibs if she made a decision quickly.
Jane knew that she had to act fast. She had saved enough money to cover the first few months of rent, but she needed to secure a loan to cover the rest. She spent the next few days meeting with bankers and filling out loan applications.
Finally, she got approved for the loan. She was thrilled. She immediately contacted the landlord and told her that she was ready to sign the lease.
Jane worked day and night to get her bakery ready for opening day. She made sure that every detail was perfect, from the cupcakes to the decor.
When opening day arrived, there was a line out the door. People were excited to try Jane's baked goods, and they were not disappointed. The cupcakes were delicious, and the decor was charming.
Jane's bakery was a hit. She was overwhelmed with the response from the community. She knew that if she had waited too long to make a decision, someone else could have snatched up the space.
That's the last straw.
Strike while the iron is hot.
It's water under the bridge.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Samantha had always been a patient person. She tried her best to be kind to everyone and not let things bother her. But there was one thing that always pushed her to her limit: her coworker, John.
John was constantly rude and condescending towards Samantha. He would criticize her work and make snide comments about her intelligence. Samantha tried to ignore him, but it was getting harder and harder to do so.
One day, Samantha had had enough. John had made a particularly insulting remark about her work.
Samantha took a deep breath and approached John. She calmly told him that his behavior was unacceptable and that she would no longer tolerate it. John was taken aback. He had never seen Samantha stand up for herself before.
Samantha went on to explain that everyone has their limits, and that his behavior had pushed her to hers. She told him that if he continued to treat her and others with disrespect, she would have no choice but to report him to their boss.
John was embarrassed and apologized. He realized that his behavior had been hurtful and promised to do better.
That was the last straw.
Honesty is the best policy.
In between a rock and a hard place.
Give someone the benefit of the doubt.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Samantha had always been afraid of public speaking. She would get nervous and anxious just thinking about standing in front of a crowd and giving a speech. But when her boss asked her to give a presentation at the upcoming company conference, Samantha knew she couldn't say no.
She spent weeks preparing for the presentation. She rehearsed her speech over and over again and created a slide deck that she hoped would be engaging and informative.
On the day of the conference, Samantha was a nervous wreck. She felt sick to her stomach and her hands were shaking. But she knew that she had to be brave and give the presentation.
Samantha took a deep breath and walked onto the stage. She began to speak, and to her surprise, the words flowed out of her easily. She felt confident and in control.
As she spoke, she noticed that the audience was engaged and interested in what she had to say. She began to relax and even cracked a few jokes that got some laughs. By the time Samantha finished her presentation, she felt like she had conquered her fear of public speaking.
Going back to the drawing board.
Beat around the bush.
Bite the bullet.
Time Flies.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Once upon a time, there was a small village that was going through tough times. The crops were failing, and there was a shortage of food. The villagers were desperate and didn't know what to do.
One day, a man arrived in the village with a solution. He told the villagers that he had a potion that could make their crops grow again. The villagers were skeptical, but the man convinced them to try the potion.
The man poured the potion onto the fields, and to everyone's amazement, the crops started to grow again. The villagers were overjoyed and grateful to the man who had saved them.
However, a few weeks later, the villagers began to notice that the plants had started to wither and die. They realized that the potion had poisoned the soil and was now killing their crops.
The villagers were angry and frustrated. They felt like they had been deceived and betrayed by the man who had promised to help them. They decided to confront him and demand that he fix the problem.
But one wise villager spoke up and reminded the others of an old saying: "Let's think of what he HAVE learned." The wise villager explained that while the potion had caused the problem, the man had also solved a problem that was much larger. They should try to work with the man to find a solution instead of turning on him.
The villagers took the wise villager's advice and approached the man. Together, they came up with a plan to restore the soil and save their crops.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
No pain, no gain.
Make a long story short.
Don't throw the baby out of with the bath water.
Read the short story below. Which idiom or proverb fits best?
Tom had been dreaming of owning a sports car for years. He had saved up for months, and finally, he had enough money to buy his dream car.
One day, Tom visited a car dealership and saw the sports car he had been dreaming of. The car was beautiful, and Tom was thrilled. The salesman showed Tom the car's features and took him for a test drive. Tom was convinced that this was the car he wanted to buy.
However, just as he was about to sign the papers, another salesman approached him with an offer. He told Tom that he could get a better deal on a different sports car if he waited for a few weeks. Tom was tempted by the offer, but he didn't want to wait any longer to own his dream car.
The next day, Tom was driving his new sports car when he saw another car on the road. It was the same sports car he had seen at the dealership the day before, but it was newer and had better features. Tom realized that he could have gotten a better deal if he had waited for a few weeks.
Tom felt like he had made a mistake. He had let go of a better opportunity for something he could have had immediately. He realized that sometimes, it's better to wait and be patient for a better opportunity than to settle for something less.
Costs an arm and a leg.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
A bird in hand is wroth two in the bush.
Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Emma was a young girl who loved to play outside in the fields near her house. One day, as she was playing, a sudden gust of wind blew her favorite hat away. She tried to chase after it, but it was too fast. Emma watched as her hat flew higher and higher until it disappeared from sight.
Emma was devastated. She loved that hat, and it had been a gift from her grandmother. She searched for it all day, but it was nowhere to be found. Emma went home feeling sad and disappointed.
The next day, Emma's mother took her to the store to buy a new hat. They found a hat that was similar to Emma's old one, but it was even prettier. Emma was happy to have a new hat, but she still missed her old one.
A few days later, Emma was walking in the fields when she saw a group of children playing. One of the children was wearing her old hat. Emma was surprised and happy at the same time. She approached the child and asked where she got the hat. The child said that she had found it lying on the ground.
Emma realized that losing her old hat had led to a chain of events that brought her to meet new friends. She wouldn't have met the children or found her new hat if she hadn't lost her old one.