Why Most Idiom Lists Are Useless for SPM
Students memorise “a dime a dozen” and “raining cats and dogs” but never use them because they don’t fit SPM essay topics. Here are 20 idioms grouped by essay theme — so you can actually work them into your writing.
For Essays About Education and Hard Work
1. “Practice makes perfect” Use: “As the saying goes, practice makes perfect — and this is especially true for essay writing.”
2. “Knowledge is power” Use: “In today’s competitive world, knowledge is power, making education the most valuable investment.”
3. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” Use: “Mastering English takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is fluency.”
4. “The early bird catches the worm” Use: “Students who start preparing early have a clear advantage. As we know, the early bird catches the worm.”
For Essays About Challenges and Perseverance
5. “Every cloud has a silver lining” Use: “Despite the hardship, I learned that every cloud has a silver lining — failure taught me resilience.”
6. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” Use: “During exam season, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
7. “Fall seven times, stand up eight” Use: “The Japanese proverb says it best: fall seven times, stand up eight. Persistence defines success.”
8. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” Use: “Many doubted she could improve from a D to a B, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
For Essays About Relationships and Society
9. “Actions speak louder than words” Use: “True friendship is proven through actions, not words. Actions speak louder than words.”
10. “United we stand, divided we fall” Use: “Our multicultural society thrives because united we stand, divided we fall.”
11. “It takes a village to raise a child” Use: “Education isn’t just the school’s responsibility. As the African proverb says, it takes a village to raise a child.”
12. “Treat others as you wish to be treated” Use: “The golden rule — treat others as you wish to be treated — should guide our online interactions too.”
For Essays About Technology and Change
13. “A double-edged sword” Use: “Social media is a double-edged sword — it connects us globally but isolates us locally.”
14. “The pen is mightier than the sword” Use: “In the age of social media, the pen is mightier than the sword — words can change public opinion overnight.”
15. “Necessity is the mother of invention” Use: “The pandemic proved that necessity is the mother of invention, as schools rapidly adopted online learning.”
For Essays About Environment and Nature
16. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” Use: “This Native American proverb reminds us that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
17. “Prevention is better than cure” Use: “When it comes to environmental damage, prevention is better than cure — once a species is extinct, no law can bring it back.”
For Essay Conclusions
18. “Better late than never” Use: “It is better late than never to start making a difference.”
19. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Use: “As Lao Tzu wrote, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let that step be today.”
20. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second best time is now” Use: “The best time to address this issue was years ago. The second best time is now.”
How to Use Idioms Without Sounding Forced
Rule 1: Maximum 2 idioms per essay. More than that sounds like you’re showing off.
Rule 2: Place them where they naturally fit — usually in the introduction or conclusion.
Rule 3: Don’t explain the idiom. “As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, which means the more you do something, the better you get.” The second part is unnecessary.
Rule 4: Only use idioms you fully understand. A misused idiom is worse than no idiom at all.