What is the difference between an adage and a proverb?

Almost nothing in practice. Both are short traditional sayings. Proverb usually implies advice and adage usually implies an observation, and most lists mix them freely.

Why do these matter for reading?

Because writers quote half of one and expect the reader to finish it. A headline that reads too many cooks is doing exactly that. A student who knows the whole saying reads the headline as intended.

Are these phrases going out of use?

Some are. The ones on this page were chosen because they still turn up in editorials, novels, and everyday speech, which is a different list from the one in a hundred-year-old collection.

7th grade adages and proverbs

7th grade adages and proverbs worksheets

An adage or a proverb is a short traditional saying that gives advice or states a piece of common wisdom. Seventh graders read a situation, then write the ending of the saying that fits it, which is how these phrases actually get used.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.7.5.a.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Complete the saying: choose the ending that fits, and write it on the line.

The town rebuilt the mill within a year, proving that where there is a will (there is a cost / there is a crowd / there is a way).
Fixed: The town rebuilt the mill within a year, proving that where there is a will there is a way.
Our first program was clumsy, but Rome (fell in a single night / was not built by one hand / was not built in a day).
Losing the final stung, but there is no use crying (before the whistle / in the rain / over spilled milk).

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 7th grade sheet

7th grade sheets draw from 42 sentences, 8 to a page. None of these sentences are on 6th grade sheets.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

The fort was abandoned once the railroad came, since time and tide wait for no one.
Emma writes one letter a month; out of sight out of mind.
We packed rain gear even under blue sky, because you hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Fix it. Complete the saying: choose the ending that fits, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

The situation before the saying is the teaching, so read it first and stop before the proverb. Ask your student what lesson the situation carries, and only then look at the endings. Students who reach for the ending first tend to pick the saying they know best rather than the one that fits. Many of these sayings turn up as titles, headlines, and half-quotations that assume you know the rest, so learning the full form is also reading practice.

Watch for: Proverbs are advice, not descriptions: each one exists to guide a choice. Matching the saying to the situation is matching advice to a problem. Some proverbs argue with each other (many hands make light work; too many cooks spoil the broth). Both are true in different situations, and knowing WHICH situation is the actual skill.

Common questions about 7th grade adages and proverbs

What is the difference between an adage and a proverb?: Almost nothing in practice. Both are short traditional sayings. Proverb usually implies advice and adage usually implies an observation, and most lists mix them freely.
Why do these matter for reading?: Because writers quote half of one and expect the reader to finish it. A headline that reads too many cooks is doing exactly that. A student who knows the whole saying reads the headline as intended.
Are these phrases going out of use?: Some are. The ones on this page were chosen because they still turn up in editorials, novels, and everyday speech, which is a different list from the one in a hundred-year-old collection.

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Aligned to Common Core L.7.5.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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