Swine, Pigs and Hogs
2023-04-29
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between swine, pigs and hogs.
2Dear teacher,
3I am Ken from China.
4I am one loyal reader for VOA, so glad to write an email to you again.
5I am just confused by three words: "pig," "hog" and "swine."
6I sincerely hope to know their differences.
7Thanks a lot!
8Thanks for writing to us again, Ken. This is a great question.
9I am not a farm animal expert, as I grew up in a small city.
10But a family member, my niece, Amanda, grew up on a farm with many pigs and hogs! So, I asked her for some help.
11Let's start with "swine."
12"Swine" is an older term that is mainly used in agriculture today.
13The term describes all animals that are pig-like: short-bodied, short-legged, thick-skinned and that have a large snout or nose.
14You may see the word "swine" in old sayings, stories and readings.
15The idiom "do not cast pearls before swine" means do not offer valuable things to people who will not appreciate them.
16In English, calling a person is swine is a big insult.
17In agriculture, the term is still widely used, for example, in the term "swine flu."
18In the United States, pigs and hogs are different to farmers.
19A "pig" is the term that is most often used for all members of the family of animals with the scientific name Suidae.
20Charlotte's Web is a book about the friendship between a spider and a pig named Wilbur.
21In farming, a "pig" refers to either a young swine or one that weighs less than 113 kilograms.
22Pigs are not often used for their meat or for breeding until they are much older or bigger.
23Some 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.
25Hogs are raised for their meat or for breeding.
26Brianne's family raises hogs on their farm.
27There is another kind of animal called a pig - that is not really a pig.
28Guinea pigs are small mammals that are members of the rodent family.
29They 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.
30They also look a little like small pigs with short legs and small bodies.
31I have two guinea pigs, Nina and Nibblets.
32Pigs are a touchy subject in a lot of cultures around the world.
33Jewish and Muslim people consider them religiously unclean.
34Comparing 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.
35So, like many things, there are big differences in how people see things depending on where they are and who they are with.
36Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Ken!
37What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
38And that's Ask a Teacher.
39I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between swine, pigs and hogs. 2Question: 3Dear teacher, 4I am Ken from China. 5I 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." 6I sincerely hope to know their differences. 7Thanks a lot! 8Answer 9Thanks for writing to us again, Ken. This is a great question. 10I 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. 11Let'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. 13You may see the word "swine" in old sayings, stories and readings. 14The idiom "do not cast pearls before swine" means do not offer valuable things to people who will not appreciate them. 15In 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." 16Pig and hog 17In the United States, pigs and hogs are different to farmers. 18A "pig" is the term that is most often used for all members of the family of animals with the scientific name Suidae. 19Charlotte's Web is a book about the friendship between a spider and a pig named Wilbur. 20In 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. 21Some 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. 23Brianne's family raises hogs on their farm. 24There 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. 25I have two guinea pigs, Nina and Nibblets. 26Pigs 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. 27So, like many things, there are big differences in how people see things depending on where they are and who they are with. 28Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you, Ken! 29What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 30And that's Ask a Teacher. 31I'm Faith Pirlo. 32Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 33______________________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35pearl - n. a hard, white, round object made inside the shell of an oyster, used to make jewelry 36appreciate - v. to understand the value of a person, to be thankful for something or someone 37breeding - adj. the process by which young animals are produced by their parents 38guinea pig - n. a small furry animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet 39mammal - n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin 40Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 41Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.