Have you ever heard the expression ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’? It tells us to not decide what someone (or something) is like just by their appearance. It tells us to take more time to know about the person (or thing) before making an opinion. This is because something that first looks bad may be actually be good, and someone who first looks unfriendly may be actually be kind.
The expression comes from the idea that a book may not have a nice cover but contains a very interesting story. In other words, our first opinion can be very different to our final opinion.
Here are some examples:
Tom looks quiet and unfriendly. But when I talk to him, I find out that he is very funny and kind. I guess it’s true when they say don’t judge a book by its cover.
The restaurant looks old and dirty from the outside, but the food is delicious. We can’t judge a book by its cover!
Mr. Smith looks very strict, but he is actually a kind teacher who always helps his students. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
So how do we use this expression? The verb ‘judge’ is usually in its negative form eg. ‘don’t judge’ or ‘shouldn’t judge’ but it is sometimes used with other words to create a negative sense eg. ‘never judge’ or ‘avoid judging’.
This expression is an example of an English proverb. Proverbs are traditional expressions people often use that teach us lessons on how to live. Other examples of popular proverbs are ‘practice makes perfect’ and ‘actions speak louder than words’.
Related links
