Nine sayings test how well fifth graders can finish what a speaker starts: a penny for your thoughts, barking up the wrong tree, Rome wasn't built in a day, the grass is always greener on the other side, you can't judge a book by its cover, curiosity killed the cat, hold your horses, no pain no gain, and when it rains, it pours.
A matching task then sorts get cold feet, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, kill two birds with one stone, and birds of a feather flock together into idiom, adage, and proverb — building the labels readers use to talk about figurative language.
Style:
Idioms, Adages & Proverbs
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. "A penny for your thoughts" means asking someone what they are thinking.
2. "Barking up the wrong tree" means pursuing a mistaken idea.
3. "Rome wasn't built in a day" teaches that worthwhile things take time.
4. "The grass is always greener on the other side" means people envy what others have.
5. "You can't judge a book by its cover" warns against judging by appearances.
6. "Curiosity killed the cat" warns against being too nosy.
7. "Hold your horses" means to slow down and be patient.
8. "No pain, no gain" means effort is needed to succeed.
9. "When it rains, it pours" means problems tend to come all at once.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Get cold feet
→ Idiom (become too scared)
Idiom (accomplish two tasks at once)
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
→ Proverb (healthy habits)
Proverb (healthy habits)
Kill two birds with one stone
→ Idiom (accomplish two tasks at once)
Adage (similar people group together)
Birds of a feather flock together
→ Adage (similar people group together)
Idiom (become too scared)
Idioms, Adages & Proverbs
★ Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1) "A penny for your thoughts" means asking someone what they are thinking.
2) "Barking up the wrong tree" means pursuing a mistaken idea.
3) "Rome wasn't built in a day" teaches that worthwhile things take time.
4) "The grass is always greener on the other side" means people envy what others have.
5) "You can't judge a book by its cover" warns against judging by appearances.
6) "Curiosity killed the cat" warns against being too nosy.
7) "Hold your horses" means to slow down and be patient.
8) "No pain, no gain" means effort is needed to succeed.
9) "When it rains, it pours" means problems tend to come all at once.
★ Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1) Match each item to its correct answer.
Get cold feet
→ Idiom (become too scared)
Idiom (accomplish two tasks at once)
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
→ Proverb (healthy habits)
Proverb (healthy habits)
Kill two birds with one stone
→ Idiom (accomplish two tasks at once)
Adage (similar people group together)
Birds of a feather flock together
→ Adage (similar people group together)
Idiom (become too scared)
Ready to Practice?
Complete each section carefully.
10 Questions
10-15 minutes
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