Idioms, Proverbs & Phrasal Verbs
What you will be able to do
- Understand and use high-frequency idioms
- Explain common proverbs and their lessons
- Use essential phrasal verbs correctly
- Tell a literal phrase apart from an idiom
- Choose the right expression for a context
1 Quick Introduction
Idioms, proverbs and phrasal verbs are the colour of English. An idiom's meaning is not literal ('a piece of cake' = easy); a proverb is a short saying that teaches a lesson ('Look before you leap'); a phrasal verb is a verb + particle whose meaning shifts ('give up' = stop trying). Boards test these directly, and good writing uses them naturally.
मुहावरे (idioms), कहावतें (proverbs) और phrasal verbs अंग्रेज़ी का रंग हैं। मुहावरे का अर्थ शाब्दिक नहीं होता ('a piece of cake' = आसान); कहावत एक छोटी उक्ति है जो शिक्षा देती है ('Look before you leap'); phrasal verb एक verb + particle है जिसका अर्थ बदल जाता है ('give up' = प्रयास छोड़ना)। बोर्ड इन्हें सीधे जाँचते हैं, और अच्छा लेखन इन्हें सहजता से प्रयोग करता है।
2 A Real-Life Situation
A coach motivates the team:
Coach: Don't give up. The final will be no walk in the park, but remember — where there's a will, there's a way.
3 The Grammar Rule
| Type | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Idiom | non-literal phrase | break the ice = start talking |
| Proverb | a wise saying / lesson | Honesty is the best policy. |
| Phrasal verb | verb + particle | look after = take care of |
4 Common Idioms & Proverbs
High-frequency idioms (with meanings):
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a piece of cake | very easy |
| once in a blue moon | very rarely |
| break the ice | start a conversation |
| let the cat out of the bag | reveal a secret |
| hit the nail on the head | be exactly right |
| under the weather | feeling unwell |
| cost an arm and a leg | be very expensive |
| burn the midnight oil | study/work late |
Proverbs teach a lesson: A stitch in time saves nine (act early), Look before you leap (think first), Practice makes perfect, Where there's a will, there's a way.
To study or work late into the night.
nine — acting early prevents bigger problems later.
Key Points
- An idiom's meaning is figurative, not literal
- A proverb is a short saying that teaches a lesson
- Learn the meaning and use it naturally in a sentence
5 Essential Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb + particle (preposition/adverb) whose meaning is often different from the verb alone. Learn the common ones with meanings:
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give up | stop trying / quit |
| look after | take care of |
| look into | investigate |
| put off | postpone |
| call off | cancel |
| bring up | raise (a child / a topic) |
| carry out | perform / complete |
| get along (with) | have a good relationship |
| come across | find by chance |
| put up with | tolerate |
Some phrasal verbs are separable (turn the TV off / turn off the TV); others are not (look after the baby, not 'look the baby after').
They called off the match.
To tolerate something unpleasant.
Key Points
- A phrasal verb = verb + particle, with a shifted meaning
- Learn common ones: give up, look after, put off, call off, carry out
- Some are separable (turn it off); some are not (look after it)
6 Vocabulary Builder
| Word | Meaning | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|
| Idiom | a non-literal phrase | मुहावरा |
| Proverb | a wise saying | कहावत |
| Phrasal verb | verb + particle | वाक्यांश-क्रिया |
| Figurative | not literal | आलंकारिक |
| Separable | the object can split it | विभाज्य |
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid
8 Practice Exercises
- break the ice
- under the weather
- once in a blue moon
- hit the nail on the head
- a piece of cake
- start a conversation
- feeling unwell
- very rarely
- be exactly right
- very easy
- Don't ______ ; keep trying! (quit)
- The police will ______ the matter. (investigate)
- They ______ the picnic because of rain. (cancel)
- She ______ her younger brother. (takes care of)
- We ______ an old photo while cleaning. (found by chance)
- give up
- look into
- called off
- looks after
- came across
- He gave off chess after losing.
- Please look the children after.
- It was a piece of the cake.
- They put up the meeting off.
- He gave up chess after losing. (error: gave off)
- Please look after the children. (error: look ... after)
- It was a piece of cake. (error: the cake)
- They put off the meeting. (error: put up ... off)
- She let the cat out from the bag.
- He is feeling under weather.
- We carried on the experiment successfully. (meaning: performed)
- She let the cat out of the bag.
- He is feeling under the weather.
- We carried out the experiment successfully.
- up / never / give / dreams / your / on
- into / will / police / the / matter / look / the
- cake / a / it / piece / was / of
- Never give up on your dreams.
- The police will look into the matter.
- It was a piece of cake.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. give up | a. cancel |
| 2. put off | b. quit |
| 3. look after | c. postpone |
| 4. call off | d. take care of |
9 Micro Quiz
10 Reading Practice
The exam was no piece of cake, so Riya burned the midnight oil for a week. "Don't give up," her mother said, "where there's a will, there's a way." On the big day, Riya broke the ice with a confident smile. When the results came out, she had hit the nail on the head — top of the class. Her hard work had paid off.
- What does 'no piece of cake' mean here?
- Identify the proverb and its lesson.
- Explain the phrasal verb 'paid off'.
- It means the exam was not easy (difficult).
- 'Where there's a will, there's a way' — determination finds a way to succeed.
- It means her hard work brought a good result / was worthwhile.
11 Speaking, Writing & Daily Use
- The test was a piece of cake.
- He visits us once in a blue moon.
- Don't give up so easily.
- The police will look into the case.
- Where there's a will, there's a way.
12 Challenge Zone
13 Chapter Mind Map
IDIOMS / PROVERBS / PHRASAL VERBS
|
+------------+------------+
| | |
IDIOMS PROVERBS PHRASAL
non-literal wise saying VERBS
piece of a stitch in verb+particle
cake time saves 9 give up
break ice look before look after
you leap separable?14 One-Minute Revision
Remember these
- An idiom's meaning is figurative (a piece of cake = easy)
- A proverb is a short saying that teaches a lesson
- A phrasal verb = verb + particle (give up, look after, call off)
- Some phrasal verbs are separable (turn it off), some are not (look after it)
- Learn the meaning, then use it naturally in a sentence