English Language Listening Library Online
Mixer #121 | Intermediate B1

What is your favorite proverb?

A proverb is a simple saying that explains a general rule or feeling. Six people share their favorites.

Sarah / England
speakerMy favorite proverb would have to be "Don't judge a book by its cover." I think it can be used in many different daily situations. Obviously, when you meet new people, you always need to give someone a chance. So, I think that a chance is always good for someone, probably better than judging on first impressions.

Paul / England
speakerA proverb I like is "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," which is a cautionary proverb. It means don't always bank on you guessing the result. It also a reminder that life can change very quickly, so it's good to learn a certain degree of patience and allow certain things to run their course before you get excited.

Gareth / England
speakerThere's a very famous proverb from Confucius, and it's "Hear and I forget; see and I understand; I do and I know." I like it because it means until you actually do something, it's hard to really, truly know it. I believe that a lot of the times when you're learning, and you're learning by hearing stuff from your lecture or from a podcast, it's very difficult to acquire that knowledge and to actually really grasp it. When you see something, it gets a little bit better, but when you do something, that's when you really truly know something.

Katia / Mexico
speakerOne proverb that I think of often, it says, "Everything will be as it should be." When I think of it, I get very relaxed, I don't tend to worry as much as I usually do. For me, that means, regardless of how much I worry or how much I try regardless of that, everything will be as it should be. So, that's a proverb that I really like.

Lindsay / United States
speakerI really like the proverb, "The grass is always greener on the other side." I think that's really true, and I find that it's always like that. I always want what I can't have, and then when I get that, then I find out that it's not as great as I had hoped it would be. So, because of this, I try to always keep that in mind and be happy for what I have.

Warren / Canada
speakerI think "What goes around, comes around" is what comes to mind for me. I think it is really true. Basically, if you do something good, good things will happen to you. And if you do bad things, bad things are going to happen to you, maybe not right away but eventually.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

first impressions

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Better than judging on first impressions.

A first impression is your first thoughts or feelings about someone when you meet them. Notice the following:

  1. My first impression of him was that he was bossy.
  2. I usually give a poor first impression.

bank on

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Don't always bank on guessing the result.

When you bank on something, that means you are expecting it to happen. Notice the following:

  1. You can bank on the stores being crowded before Christmas
  2. I was banking on a good grade for this class, but I didn't get one.

run their course

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Allow certain things to run their course.

When you let something run its course, you let it continue even if there appears to be problems. Notice the following:

  1. The demonstration started badly, but rather than stop it we let it run its course.
  2. When two people have a conflict, sometimes it is just best to let it run its course.

grasp

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It's very difficult to really grasp it.

To grasp something is to understand it. Notice the following:

  1. Math is a hard thing to grasp for some people.
  2. To write well, you need to grasp the basics of sentence structure.

keep in mind

 

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I try to always keep that in mind.

When you keep something in mind, you are aware of it. Notice the following:

  1. The traffic is bad on Route 10 so keep that in mind if you go that way.
  2. Please keep in mind that class starts one hour earlier next week.

 

Vocabulary Quiz

impression • bank on • run its course
grasp • keep in mind
  1. You should the weather might be bad.
  2. I usually getting a nice gift for my birthday.
  3. Science is really hard to .
  4. He gave me a bad .
  5. It started to rain during the race, but we let it .
Answer the following questions about the interview.

One Minute English Video

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Mixer Video #121
What is your favorite proverb?

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