VOA名师答疑2023 Swine, Pigs 和 Hogs的区别

Swine, Pigs and Hogs²

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between swine, pigs and hogs.

Question:

Dear teacher,

I am Ken³ from China.

I am one loyal reader for VOA, so glad to write an email to you again. I am just confused by three words: "pig," "hog¹" and "swine."

I sincerely hope to know their differences.

Thanks a lot!

Answer

Thanks for writing to us again, Ken. This is a great question.

I am not a farm animal expert, as I grew up in a small city. But a family member, my niece, Amanda, grew up on a farm with many pigs and hogs! So, I asked her for some help.

Let's start with "swine."

"Swine" is an older term that is mainly used in agriculture today. The term describes all animals that are pig-like: short-bodied, short-legged, thick-skinned and that have a large snout or nose.

You may see the word "swine" in old sayings, stories and readings.

The idiom "do not cast pearls before swine" means do not offer valuable things to people who will not appreciate them.

In English, calling a person is swine is a big insult. In agriculture, the term is still widely used, for example, in the term "swine flu."

Pig and hog

In the United States, pigs and hogs are different to farmers.

A "pig" is the term that is most often used for all members of the family of animals with the scientific name Suidae.

Charlotte's Web is a book about the friendship between a spider and a pig named Wilbur.

In farming, a "pig" refers to either a young swine or one that weighs less than 113 kilograms. Pigs are not often used for their meat or for breeding until they are much older or bigger.

Some people in the U.S. have miniature or "teacup" pigs as pets because of their small size.

"Hogs," on the other hand, are large and weigh over 113 kilograms. Hogs are raised for their meat or for breeding.

Brianne's family raises hogs on their farm.

There is another kind of animal called a pig — that is not really a pig. Guinea pigs are small mammals that are members of the rodent⁴ family. They are called guinea pigs because they could be bought for a guinea, a gold coin that was used in Britain more than 200 years ago. They also look a little like small pigs with short legs and small bodies.

I have two guinea pigs, Nina and Nibblets.

Pigs are a touchy⁵ subject in a lot of cultures around the world. Jewish and Muslim people consider them religiously unclean. Comparing people to pigs or swine is a big insult in many places while, in East Asia, pigs are considered to have good qualities and are well liked.

So, like many things, there are big differences in how people see things depending on where they are and who they are with.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Ken!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

Words in This Story

pearl – n. a hard, white, round object made inside the shell of an oyster⁶, used to make jewelry⁷

appreciate – v. to understand the value of a person, to be thankful for something or someone

breeding – adj. the process by which young animals are produced by their parents

guinea pig – n. a small furry⁸ animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet

mammal – n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

1 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

2 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

5 touchy   

adj.易怒的；棘手的

参考例句：

• Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心，因为他容易生气。
• He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。

6 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。