TOPIC 2 PROMPT: ADAGES
We have all heard of many common adages or old sayings in the English language such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Adages often take the form of an advice or a guideline for practical living, for example, "let a sleeping dog lie", or astute observations of what happens in life, such as “the early bird catches the worm”. Traditional adages such as these are generally considered as accurate descriptions of life and taken as words of wisdom. In recent times, however, there have been new sayings coined which have a humourous twist to them. The common denominator among them is that they offer a humorous-pessimistic observation of what happens in life (examples below).
Choose one adage from the list below and write an essay based on it in not more than 500 words. The aim of your essay is to clarify the meaning of the adage in as interesting and effective a way as possible.
1. The amount of work done varies inversely with the amount of time spent in the office.
2. There are two sides to every argument unless a person is personally involved, in which case there is only
one.
3. Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
4. Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.
5. When you don't know what you are doing, do it NEATLY
6. For surgeons: Never say "oops" in the operating room.
7. Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
8. The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone he can blame it on.
Adages taken from: http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html & http://www.pshrink.com/humor/CollectedLaws.html
