Quizzes

Can You Complete These 15 English Phrases?

Do you know the common English phrases and proverbs used throughout the centuries?

Shai K. 6/14/2020

English is an incredibly deep language with so many different sayings, proverbs and phrases. Do you know the common English phrases and proverbs used throughout the centuries?

"Half a loaf is better than _________."

A quarter loaf

No loaf

Zero loafs

An old loaf

'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a __________ step.'

Hard

Single

Small

Large

'Jack of all trades, __________ of none.'

Master

Expert

Novice

King

'Necessity is the _______________ of invention.'

Mother

Father

Inventor

Crux

'Speak softly and carry a _______________."

Big stick

Big gun

Large sword

Large knife

Big club

"Straight from the __________ mouth."

Horse's

Cat's

Dog's

Parrot's

"Take it down a ___________ or two."

Peg

Gear

Step

"Time and __________ wait for no man."

Tide

Life

Death

Taxes

"An empty vessel makes ____________."

For a bad journey

Much noise

No noise

No cry

"Better to wear out than to ___________ out."

Rust

Die

Walk

Thrown

"Cowards die many times before __________________."

Their deaths

They die

They live

They wager their lives

"Curses, like chickens, ________________."

Come home to roost

Are always around you

Give gifts you may not want

Cannot be unplucked

"Every man is the architect ___________."

Of his life

Of his destiny

Of his family

Of his heart

"It’s easy to be wise _________________."

After the event

When fools have died

When you're alone

But not kind

"It takes two to make _____________."

A quarrel

A dance

A baby

A family

That's a Fail

Bravo for having a go at this quiz, because few can master the obscure phrases we have picked out. Still, we hope this bit of fun has taught you a few phrases you can impress your friends with. That’ll give you the boost you need to learn even more! Better luck next time!

You Could Have Done Better...

This wasn't a triumph since you got less than half of the proverbs right. That said, there's lots of room for improvement. Why not try some of our other proverb and sentence completion quizzes so you can get some more practice in? You can even retake this test to see if you do better the second time around! In any case, check out the answers as well so you can see where you went wrong.

Good Job!

You’ve got what it takes! We can see you must be a good listener because there are not many phrases that you don’t recognize. It’ll only take a bit more patience and learning and you’ll be able to remember all of the great store of verbal wisdom we’ve all inherited. Well done!

You ACED It!

What a knowledgeable person you are! There doesn’t seem to be an English phrase that passed you by, does there? It’s great that you have such a treasure trove of witty wisdom buzzing through your mind. Way to go!