English Language Arts · 7th Grade · Language in Action: Conventions and Style · Weeks 28-36

Figurative Language in Everyday Use

Recognize and analyze the use of idioms, proverbs, and adages in common language and literature.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5.a

About This Topic

Idioms, proverbs, and adages are figurative expressions that carry meaning beyond their literal words. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal words ("break a leg"), a proverb offers practical advice or a universal truth ("Don't count your chickens before they hatch"), and an adage is a time-honored saying that reflects widely accepted wisdom ("Actions speak louder than words"). Recognizing these expressions is essential for reading comprehension because they appear constantly in literature, nonfiction, and everyday conversation.

For 7th graders in US schools, understanding figurative language means grappling with cultural context. Many idioms are deeply rooted in specific regional or historical traditions, making them opaque to students who did not grow up with those references. Common Core Standard L.7.5.a asks students to interpret figurative language in context, which requires both linguistic analysis and cultural awareness.

Active learning builds these skills because students learn idioms and adages best through use, not memorization. Matching games, context-based writing, and small-group interpretation challenges develop the contextual reasoning that tests and real-world reading require.

Key Questions

1. How does understanding the cultural context help interpret the meaning of an idiom?
2. Compare the literal and figurative meanings of common proverbs.
3. Explain how the use of an adage can add wisdom or humor to a text.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the cultural context of at least three common idioms to explain their non-literal meanings.
• Compare the literal interpretations of five proverbs with their commonly understood figurative meanings.
• Explain how the use of two adages in a given text contributes to the author's message or tone.
• Identify the type of figurative language (idiom, proverb, or adage) used in ten different sentences.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of an idiom or adage in conveying meaning within a short narrative.

Before You Start

Understanding Literal vs. Figurative Language

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of the difference between words meaning exactly what they say and words meaning something else to grasp idioms, proverbs, and adages.

Context Clues for Vocabulary

Why: Interpreting figurative language often relies on using surrounding words and sentences to determine meaning, a skill developed when learning to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary.

Key Vocabulary

Idiom	A phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meanings of the words in it. For example, 'kick the bucket' means to die.
Proverb	A short, well-known saying that expresses a common truth or piece of advice. For example, 'A stitch in time saves nine'.
Adage	A traditional saying or observation that is widely accepted as true, often reflecting wisdom. For example, 'The early bird catches the worm'.
Figurative Language	Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. It includes idioms, proverbs, and adages.
Literal Meaning	The most basic or obvious meaning of a word or phrase, without any exaggeration or metaphor.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Idioms can be translated word-for-word across languages.

What to Teach Instead

Idioms are language-specific and rarely translate literally. Teaching students to look for contextual clues rather than word-for-word meaning is critical, especially for multilingual learners. Active learning tasks that pair idioms with situational context help all students develop this inference skill.

Common Misconception

Proverbs and adages are the same thing.

What to Teach Instead

While both express general truths, adages tend to be older, more time-tested sayings, while proverbs are broader traditional expressions. The line between them is sometimes blurry, but discussing the distinction encourages close reading. Sorting activities work well here because they prompt students to articulate their reasoning rather than guess.

Common Misconception

Understanding figurative language is mainly about memorizing expressions.

What to Teach Instead

The real skill is interpretation in context. A student who memorizes "break a leg" will still struggle when encountering an unfamiliar idiom. Active tasks that require students to infer meaning from context build the transferable reasoning skill that matters for reading comprehension.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Literal vs. Figurative Interpretation

Present students with five common idioms ("hit the nail on the head," "under the weather," "piece of cake"). Each student writes the literal meaning and then the figurative meaning. Pairs discuss what context clues would help a reader choose the right interpretation, then share examples with the class.

15 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Proverbs Across Cultures

Post six proverbs from different cultural traditions around the room. Students rotate, write the implied meaning of each, and note any connections to familiar English-language proverbs. Debrief by comparing how different cultures express similar wisdom using different images.

20 min·Small Groups

Sorting Activity: Idiom, Proverb, or Adage?

Give groups a set of expression cards to categorize. Students must also write a brief justification for each categorization. Disagreements become discussion points during class debrief, reinforcing the distinctions through argumentation rather than memorization.

15 min·Small Groups

Quick Write: Figurative Language in Context

Students select an adage or proverb and write a short paragraph using it in context -- either explaining it in relation to a current event or connecting it to a scene from a book they are reading. This anchors the figurative expression in something concrete.

12 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Journalists often use idioms and proverbs to make their writing more engaging and relatable to readers. For instance, a sports reporter might say a team 'pulled out all the stops' to win a game.
• In legal settings, understanding the precise meaning of phrases is critical. While lawyers avoid slang, common adages can sometimes be referenced in arguments to emphasize a point about fairness or precedent.
• Customer service representatives frequently encounter idioms in customer complaints or requests. They must interpret phrases like 'feeling blue' or 'on the ball' to accurately address the customer's needs.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with three sentences, each containing either an idiom, proverb, or adage. Ask them to: 1. Identify the figurative language used. 2. Write its literal meaning. 3. Write its figurative meaning.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'How might someone misunderstand the idiom 'bite the bullet' if they didn't know its cultural origin?' Facilitate a brief class discussion, guiding students to connect cultural context with meaning.

Quick Check

Present students with a list of ten phrases. Ask them to circle the phrases that are idioms, underline the proverbs, and put a square around the adages. Review answers as a class, clarifying any confusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an idiom, a proverb, and an adage?

An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning differs from its literal words, like "bite the bullet." A proverb offers practical advice from shared experience, like "Every cloud has a silver lining." An adage is a time-honored saying accepted as truth, like "Honesty is the best policy." All three are figurative, but their purpose and form differ.

Why are idioms hard for English language learners?

Idioms are culturally embedded, so their meaning is invisible from the literal words. A student new to English who hears "it's raining cats and dogs" cannot guess the meaning without cultural context. Teaching students to use context clues, speaker tone, and situational setting helps all learners navigate unfamiliar figurative expressions.

How does understanding figurative language improve reading comprehension?

Many authors use idioms and proverbs to convey tone, cultural identity, and character voice. Readers who recognize these expressions understand not just what is said but what is implied. Missing figurative language often means missing the point or emotional tone of a passage entirely.

What active learning strategies work best for teaching figurative language?

Matching games, sorting activities, and context-based quick writes are especially effective because they require students to reason about meaning rather than recall a definition. Group tasks where students explain an unfamiliar idiom to a peer replicate real-world comprehension challenges and significantly improve retention.