Cliche Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.9-10.5.A

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Have you ever heard a phrase that was pretty clever? Then some one or some group continues to use the phrase over and over, until you simply can't stand to hear it. That is the birth of a cliché. Cliches are tired and often vastly overused phrases that make sense but are so overused they have zero impact. The latest cliché I have come across is "low hanging fruit". I hear that phrase in just about every book related to business I have picked up in the last three years. These worksheets will feature phrases and sayings that we ask you to either identify or jazz up entirely.

Cliche Worksheets:

So Predictable! – A cliché is a phrase that has been used so much that it no longer has any power. Clichés are both stale and predictable.

Avoiding Them! – Underline the clichés in the sentences below. Then rewrite each sentence so that it has the same meaning without using a cliché.

Needle in a Haystack – A location activity. They are buried within a heavy piece of text.

Coining Them – Why not create your own?

Clearing Up The Air – Practice this skill by rewriting each of the phrase below in clear, simple language. Follow the example.

Make It Simple – 1. Simplify the phrase to it’s basic meaning
2. Give the tired phrase a new twist
3. Invent an entirely new image or phrase

In the End – Can you predict how the phrases below will end?

Create! – Identify the missing word. Then complete the phrase with a different word which is original to the phrase, but which still connotes a similar meaning.

The Underlines – Write down the meaning of the underlined cliche in each sentence.

Fill in the Blank – Mike had his back against the ______________________ in the matter

Avoid Them At All Costs – You may either "translate" the clichés into plain language, or substitute words in the clichés to create original phrases.

Create New Ones – Use your creativity to create a new phrase with the same or similar meaning. Have fun with it!

Be Original in Your Writing – hen rewrite the sentence with a new colorful phrase so that it has the same meaning. Follow the example.

Tons of Room – Fill in the table for each cliché. Use the back of this page if you need more room.

Lots of Ways – Try each method with the clichés below. Then, on the back of this page, use both of your new twists and your new phrases in a sentence.

What Are Cliches?


Cliches are common elements of writing. A cliche is simply an expression or a word that has been used plenty of times in literature that it lost its value. The original meaning of it becomes vague and it is used to specifically describe something. A cliche is overused enough to make the text boring and dull. Sometimes, writers also use cliche in their writings to predict the action or events that will occur due to some previous event.

All cliches were once fresh and new. These expressions gained popularity over time. These new and fresh expressions became boring and dull once everyone started using them. They got used so extensively that they gained the status of a cliche. Cliche can often time become irritating and boring because it lost its actual color and meaning. Let's take the example of the cliche "as red as a rose". This cliche was once new. It was considered interesting. However, with the passage of time, it became a cliche. It does not leave that huge of an impact as it used to once. The overuse of this cliche has made it lose its significance.

Anton C. Zijderveld is a dutch sociologist. He presented his thoughts on the term cliche in the following lines.

"A cliché is a traditional form of human expression (in words, thoughts, emotions, gestures, acts) which – due to repetitive use in social life – has lost its original, often ingenious heuristic power. Although it thus fails positively to contribute meaning to social interactions and communication, it does function socially, since it manages to stimulate behavior (cognition, emotion, volition, action), while it avoids reflection on meanings."


When To Use Cliche


It is advisable to avoid cliches in your writing. However, you can use a cliche when you want to send your readers a very specific meaning. Make sure that the cliche that you are using has no possible alternative.