Idiom- All is well that ends well

[ridcully]

soyabean:

All is well that ends well is a idiom that originates from a Shakespeare Play..


Can we convert it to past tense form??

If we do, does it become All WAS well AND ended well????


Or All WERE well and ended well???
Can we change the 'That' to AND?
Thanks!!!

Hi soyabean

It's a proverb, not an idiom. A proverb, being a wise saying, should continue to be true; therefore, I would say that you cannot put it in the past tense.

'That' is being used to show a consequential condition. Mr Shakespeare would spin in his grave and curse you if you change his wording, athough interestingly enough he actually borrowed the proverb from someone else - but that's another story.

The indefinite pronoun 'All' in this case takes a singular verb. It refers to a set of circumstances.

Help that helps.
R

[soyabean]

Thanks Ridicully..:)

It helps..
Now I am wondering

Can In use the phrase ' All was well and ended well '
as the conclusion in a primary school composition??

I am using it not as a proverb, but just saying everything was ok in the end, and ended ok...

do you think it carries the meaning i want to convey??

Is it appropriate?

Thanks..

[ridcully]

soyabean:

Can In use the phrase ' All was well and ended well '
as the conclusion in a primary school composition??

I am using it not as a proverb, but just saying everything was ok in the end, and ended ok...

do you think it carries the meaning i want to convey??

Is it appropriate?

Ah, in that case, seems fine to me: It conveys the meaning you want.

'Appropriateness' depends on what happened in the compo!

Rgds
R

[corneyAmber]

soyabean:

Can In use the phrase ' All was well and ended well '
as the conclusion in a primary compo.

R

In my poor English I reply you \"can!\". Btw, we cannot make a reply with 'can' or \"cannot\" though as singaporeans, we do that a lot in our simplified dialogue. :lol:

[rosemummy]

If you want to follow Shakespeare, it should be All’s well that ends well.


I don’t think it’s considered an idiom or proverb, just a nice Shakespeare’s phrase. Or rather title to 1 of his plays. There’s nothing to stop you from using it in other tenses if it conveys accurately what you want to say. It’s just not Shakespeare.

[ridcully]

rosemummy:

If you want to follow Shakespeare, it should be All's well that ends well.


I don't think it's considered an idiom or proverb, just a nice Shakespeare's phrase. Or rather title to 1 of his plays. There's nothing to stop you from using it in other tenses if it conveys accurately what you want to say. It's just not Shakespeare.

It is a proverb, and it is not Shakespearean.

The proverb was coined by John Heywood, who wrote it in his book 'Proverbs' some fifty years before Shakespeare wrote the play. Shakespeare was familiar with Heywood's work.

There are many other proverbs we get from Heywood such as:
Strike while the iron is hot;
Look before you leap;
Two heads are better than one;
Many hands make light one;
One swallow does not make a summer.

Rgds
R

[rosemummy]

ridcully:

rosemummy:

If you want to follow Shakespeare, it should be All's well that ends well.


I don't think it's considered an idiom or proverb, just a nice Shakespeare's phrase. Or rather title to 1 of his plays. There's nothing to stop you from using it in other tenses if it conveys accurately what you want to say. It's just not Shakespeare.

It is a proverb, and it is not Shakespearean.

The proverb was coined by John Heywood, who wrote it in his book 'Proverbs' some fifty years before Shakespeare wrote the play. Shakespeare was familiar with Heywood's work.

There are many other proverbs we get from Heywood such as:
Strike while the iron is hot;
Look before you leap;
Two heads are better than one;
Many hands make light one;
One swallow does not make a summer.

Rgds
R

Yes, you're definitely right that \"All is well that ends well\" is a John Heywood's proverb. But if it's Shakespearean, isn't it \"All's well that ends well\"? Shakespeare probably came up with the title to his play from this proverb, but not in the exact same words.

[soyabean]

It is about a boy, who found a bag in the park, and submitted it to the police. To his surprise, he saw his mom at the police station, and the bag was actually his mom's. She was there to lodge a report on her lost bag. So in the end they both went home together. And the last sentence was' They were both happy that all was well and ended well'.


Is it ok...?

Is there another proverb that we can use in its place..?
Thanks!!

ridcully:

soyabean:

Can In use the phrase ' All was well and ended well '
as the conclusion in a primary school composition??

I am using it not as a proverb, but just saying everything was ok in the end, and ended ok...

do you think it carries the meaning i want to convey??

Is it appropriate?

Ah, in that case, seems fine to me: It conveys the meaning you want.

'Appropriateness' depends on what happened in the compo!

Rgds
R

[ridcully]

[quote]Yes, you're definitely right that \"All is well that ends well\" is a John Heywood's proverb. But if it's Shakespearean, isn't it \"All's well that ends well\"? Shakespeare probably came up with the title to his play from this proverb, but not in the exact same words.[/quote]
I have already answered the question and dealt with the substantive points raised.

:celebrate:

[ridcully]

soyabean:

It is about a boy, who found a bag in the park, and submitted it to the police. To his surprise, he saw his mom at the police station, and the bag was actually his mom's. She was there to lodge a report on her lost bag. So in the end they both went home together. And the last sentence was' They were both happy that all was well and ended well'.

Seems all right. It is acceptable to rewrite proverbs to use their literal meanings so long as you are aware that you have moved away from the proverbial meaning.

Given that this is a forum for parents seeking for the children to gain higher marks in exams!, I personally would stick with the original proverb on which to end a composition. My suspicion is that PSLE markers would give greater credit to a student using a proverb correctly rather than rewriting for literal meaning. However, I am unsure on this point because rewriting involves technical and stylistic skills which would attract marks. The problem, of course, is that the examiner might simply think that the student does not correctly know the proverb.

Just my two cents worth.
R