English vs Spanish: Collective Nouns (Animals)

In Spanish a group of birds (despite the birds) is called BANDADA which in English is FLOCK. This word is not only a noun but it can also act as a verb.
e.g. Birds of a feather flock together.
A group of insects (despite the insects) is called ENJAMBRE. That in English is called a SWARM.
A group of fish is a BANCO but in English is a SHOAL. 
Groups of large quadruped mammals are called REBAÑOS in Spanish whereas in English they are called HERDS. Groups of small quadrupeds are  JAURIAS in Spanish and in English they are PACKS (as in a pack of wolves).
Groups of other mammals and animals in general are just called GRUPOS so a group of dolphins is just that a GRUPO DE DELFINES.
English is different from Spanish because it has names for groups of specific animals so a group of lions is just a GRUPO DE LEONES in Spanish but in English not necessarily. Some of those names are quite unusual but that is English.

Animal                                   Name of Group
Baboon                                   Congress
Bat                                         Murder
Dolphin                                   School
Ferret                                     Business
Lemur                                    Troop
Lion                                       Pride
Oyster                                    Bed
Sardine                                   Family
Stingray                                  Fever
Vulture                                   Committee

Though it is true that certain congressmen behave as baboons, and in certain families they live like sardines or certain committees are definitely made up by vultures; these are real animals and must not be confused with the ones we know.



















































































































































































































































































































































































































Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you say MIRADOR in English?

Image
"Hmm, why do I have this nagging feeling that someone is watching me watching?" In Spanish, a MIRADOR is any place that allows a privileged view of the surroundings. In English, a MIRADOR is a VIEWPOINT or a LOOKOUT. Another possible translation is VANTAGE POINT, though in a tourist context this term is a bit less common.
Read more

The Maps of Ship-Trap Island

Image
Once I had my high school students read The Most Dangerous Game, a short story by Richard Connell. Rainsford, the main character, is a professional hunter traveling by ship to his next hunting area, accidentally ends up in an island called Ship- Trap island. When he goes into the island he finds there are two men living in a palace in the island. One of them is a Cossack general and the other, his brutish servant.  The Cossack is called general Zaroff who is also  a game hunter but has become bored of hunting regular game and now uses the island's unique position to capture sailors from shipwrecks. He lets them go first and next after some time he hunts them down. Rainford's arrival who is worldwide famous presents Zaroff with a rare opportunity to find excitement in hunting again by hunting another hunter. Little does Zaroff know that Rainsford is The Most Dangerous Game in the World and hunting him will not be easy at all. My students enjoyed themselves at reading
Read more

How do you say EXAMEN SUPLETORIO in English?

Image
Darn! I wonder if there's a Make Up exam for this Make up exam! I remember that long ago I asked my distinguished and knowledgeable colleagues of that time to enlighten me and tell me the right English word for what we know in Ecuador as EXAMEN SUPLETORIO or EXAMEN DE RECUPERACION.  After hearing Recovery exam or Supplemenary test and even Supletory exam, I was not convinced so I decided to go to a higher authority and looked up one of those encyclopedic dictionaries from Oxford or Cambridge university (these were the pre-browser times) and found the right expression is MAKE UP EXAM which is taken when an exam has been missed or when a student needs to change one score with a more favorable one. The British say RECUPERATION EXAM which is perhaps more practical since to some people the term Make Up is confusing. Make-up is the word for the wearing of cosmetics. There are Make-up tests which are oriented to future Make-up artists.
Read more