Grade 7

English Lesson
(First Quarter)
What is a Riddle?
A riddle is a statement, question, or phrase that has
a double meaning. A riddle can also be described as a
puzzle to be solved. When someone uses a riddle, it can
be a thought provoking challenge to figure it out on
your own, or it can be a funny comment that makes you
laugh. Riddles can be great brain busters or
conversation starters to get you think.
A riddle is as hard or as simple as you and the
person you’re telling makes it. The answer can be right in
front of your nose and even in the riddle itself, or it can
be difficult and hard to comprehend. It depends on how
much you open your mind to the possibilities.
Different Types of Riddles
There are two types of riddles, enigmas and
conundrums.
An enigma is a problem in which the solution is
expressed metaphorically. You have to carefully think
about the riddle to come up with the solution.
A conundrum is a question that opens either the
question or the answer.
A riddle, however, doesn’t need to be classified as one
of these types. As long as it is difficult to figure out and
has an answer or a meaning to it, it can be classified as
a riddle. Today riddles aren’t used as much as they were
in ancient times, but they remain a definite way to get
your mind working.
Example of Riddles:
1. “Three eyes have I, all in a row; when the red one opens, all
freeze.”
ANSWER: traffic light
2. “What animal walks on all fours in the morning, two in the
afternoon and three in the evening?”
ANSWER: man
3. “What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?”
ANSWER: towel
4. I have a tail, and I have a head, but i have no body. I am NOT
a snake. What am I?
ANSWER: coin
5. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
ANSWER: A stamp
6. What has an eye but can not see?
ANSWER: needle
7. There was a green house. Inside the green house there
was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red
house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies.
ANSWER: watermelon
8. What kind of room has no doors or windows?
ANSWER: Mushroom
9. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
ANSWER: palm
10. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never
talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never
sleeps?
ANSWER: A river.
Proverbs
What is a Proverb?
Proverbs surround us everyday. Whether at work,
school, church or during a conversation with a friend,
the likelihood of hearing a proverb is high. With the influx
of different cultures and traditions in the United States, it
is not uncommon to come in contact with many
examples of proverbs.

A proverb is most often a phrase or saying that gives

advice in an obscure way. The phrase usually has an
allegorical type of message behind that when first heard
may seem a little odd. Usually a proverb is very well
known because of its popular use in colloquial
language.
TheDifferent Types of
Proverbs
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.)
“I have been bitten by a tsetse fly” – (of Tanzanian origin – this
means that a person will continuously be a pest until you pay off
a debt.)
“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.)
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.)
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.)
English Proverbs
Some examples of English proverbs include:
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise.
It’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep
alone.
See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see
a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all day.
‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at
all.
Monday’s child is fair of face/Tuesday’s child is full of
grace,/Wednesday’s child is full of woe,/Thursday’s child has far
to go,/Friday’s child is loving and giving,/Saturday’s child works
hard for its living/And a child that’s born on the Sabbath day/Is
fair and wise and good and gay.
English Proverbs
Some examples of English proverbs include:
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise.
It’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep
alone.
See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see
a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all day.
‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at
all.
Monday’s child is fair of face/Tuesday’s child is full of
grace,/Wednesday’s child is full of woe,/Thursday’s child has far
to go,/Friday’s child is loving and giving,/Saturday’s child works
hard for its living/And a child that’s born on the Sabbath day/Is
fair and wise and good and gay.