Mike in Finland

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Sampola discussion topic for Tuesday 29 November


This is our topic for Tuesday 29 November.


Proverbs 

1. Think of half a dozen (6) Finnish proverbs. Try to find very common ones and some that are less well known, or even obscure.
Translate your proverbs word-for-word into English.
Now work out how you would explain the meaning in English. Make some notes so you remember your explanations in next week’s class.

2. Do you think your example proverbs contain useful wisdom?
Do you often use proverbs in ordinary conversations?
Have you used proverbs as a way of teaching your own children certain ideas or ways of thinking?
Why have proverbs become popular, i.e. what is the attraction of a proverb?
Do you think that proverbs have become over-used, i.e. are they now clichés?
Do you groan inside if someone quotes a proverb to you?

3. Do you know the origins of your example proverbs?
Are all proverbs old?
Do you know any modern proverbs?
Do they apply to modern life?
Do you agree that proverbs go beyond one person and time period?

4. What’s the difference between a proverb and a quotation?
Which would you be most likely to use?   Why?
Think of 2 or 3 examples of effective quotations.

5. Can you work out the meaning of the following English proverbs?
* It’s not what you know, it’s who you know
* Everything happens for a reason.
* There are plenty of fish in the sea.
* Two wrongs don’t make a right.
* The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
* No man is an island.
* Too many cooks spoil the broth.
* You can’t win them all.
* Time is money.
* There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
* There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
* God helps those who help themselves.
* Many hands make light work.
* The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.

6. Which of the above English proverbs would be appropriate in the following situations?
* Your young son or daughter has just lost a sports competition.
* A colleague tells you they plan to get revenge for their neighbor making a lot of noise last night.
* A friend is feeling depressed because they are going through a difficult period.
* A friend who applied for a job, didn’t get it. The job was given to the boss’s nephew.
* Your colleague tells you that they got very bad service at a restaurant yesterday.
* You are in a work team where all the members have different ideas about how to do the job.