Swine, Pigs and Hogs

2023-04-29

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1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between swine, pigs and hogs.
  • 2
  • Dear teacher,
  • 3
  • I am Ken from China.
  • 4
  • I am one loyal reader for VOA, so glad to write an email to you again.
  • 5
  • I am just confused by three words: "pig," "hog" and "swine."
  • 6
  • I sincerely hope to know their differences.
  • 7
  • Thanks a lot!
  • 8
  • Thanks for writing to us again, Ken. This is a great question.
  • 9
  • I am not a farm animal expert, as I grew up in a small city.
  • 10
  • But a family member, my niece, Amanda, grew up on a farm with many pigs and hogs! So, I asked her for some help.
  • 11
  • Let's start with "swine."
  • 12
  • "Swine" is an older term that is mainly used in agriculture today.
  • 13
  • The term describes all animals that are pig-like: short-bodied, short-legged, thick-skinned and that have a large snout or nose.
  • 14
  • You may see the word "swine" in old sayings, stories and readings.
  • 15
  • The idiom "do not cast pearls before swine" means do not offer valuable things to people who will not appreciate them.
  • 16
  • In English, calling a person is swine is a big insult.
  • 17
  • In agriculture, the term is still widely used, for example, in the term "swine flu."
  • 18
  • In the United States, pigs and hogs are different to farmers.
  • 19
  • A "pig" is the term that is most often used for all members of the family of animals with the scientific name Suidae.
  • 20
  • Charlotte's Web is a book about the friendship between a spider and a pig named Wilbur.
  • 21
  • In farming, a "pig" refers to either a young swine or one that weighs less than 113 kilograms.
  • 22
  • Pigs are not often used for their meat or for breeding until they are much older or bigger.
  • 23
  • Some people in the U.S. have miniature or "teacup" pigs as pets because of their small size.
  • 24
  • "Hogs," on the other hand, are large and weigh over 113 kilograms.
  • 25
  • Hogs are raised for their meat or for breeding.
  • 26
  • Brianne's family raises hogs on their farm.
  • 27
  • There is another kind of animal called a pig - that is not really a pig.
  • 28
  • Guinea pigs are small mammals that are members of the rodent family.
  • 29
  • 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.
  • 30
  • They also look a little like small pigs with short legs and small bodies.
  • 31
  • I have two guinea pigs, Nina and Nibblets.
  • 32
  • Pigs are a touchy subject in a lot of cultures around the world.
  • 33
  • Jewish and Muslim people consider them religiously unclean.
  • 34
  • 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.
  • 35
  • So, like many things, there are big differences in how people see things depending on where they are and who they are with.
  • 36
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Ken!
  • 37
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 38
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 39
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between swine, pigs and hogs.
  • 2
  • Question:
  • 3
  • Dear teacher,
  • 4
  • I am Ken from China.
  • 5
  • I am one loyal reader for VOA, so glad to write an email to you again. I am just confused by three words: "pig," "hog" and "swine."
  • 6
  • I sincerely hope to know their differences.
  • 7
  • Thanks a lot!
  • 8
  • Answer
  • 9
  • Thanks for writing to us again, Ken. This is a great question.
  • 10
  • 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.
  • 11
  • Let's start with "swine."
  • 12
  • "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.
  • 13
  • You may see the word "swine" in old sayings, stories and readings.
  • 14
  • The idiom "do not cast pearls before swine" means do not offer valuable things to people who will not appreciate them.
  • 15
  • 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."
  • 16
  • Pig and hog
  • 17
  • In the United States, pigs and hogs are different to farmers.
  • 18
  • A "pig" is the term that is most often used for all members of the family of animals with the scientific name Suidae.
  • 19
  • Charlotte's Web is a book about the friendship between a spider and a pig named Wilbur.
  • 20
  • 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.
  • 21
  • Some people in the U.S. have miniature or "teacup" pigs as pets because of their small size.
  • 22
  • "Hogs," on the other hand, are large and weigh over 113 kilograms. Hogs are raised for their meat or for breeding.
  • 23
  • Brianne's family raises hogs on their farm.
  • 24
  • 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 rodent 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.
  • 25
  • I have two guinea pigs, Nina and Nibblets.
  • 26
  • Pigs are a touchy 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.
  • 27
  • So, like many things, there are big differences in how people see things depending on where they are and who they are with.
  • 28
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Ken!
  • 29
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 30
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 31
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 32
  • Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 33
  • ______________________________________________
  • 34
  • Words in This Story
  • 35
  • pearl - n. a hard, white, round object made inside the shell of an oyster, used to make jewelry
  • 36
  • appreciate - v. to understand the value of a person, to be thankful for something or someone
  • 37
  • breeding - adj. the process by which young animals are produced by their parents
  • 38
  • guinea pig - n. a small furry animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet
  • 39
  • mammal - n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin
  • 40
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  • 41
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