ENGLISH SYNONYMS.

Evening Star, Issue 3632, 13 October 1874, Page 3

ENGLISH SYNONYMS.

The copiousness of the English tongue, as well as the difficulty of acquiring the ability to use its immense vocabulary correctly, is well exhibited in the following array of synonymous words, which, if not new, are yet i capital illustrations of the nice distinctions which characterise so many of our vocables. It is no wonder that we slip occasionally, even the wariest of us. A little girl was looking at a picture of a number of ships, when she exclaimed, “ See, what a flock of ships !” We corrected her by saying that a flock of ships is called a fleet, and that a fleet of sheep is called a flock. And here we may add, for the benefit ° f the foreigner who is mastering the intricacies of our language in respect to nouns of multitude, that a flock of girls is called a bevy, that a bevy of wolves is called a pack, and a pack of thieves is called a gang, and a gang of angels is called a host, and a host of porpoises is called a shoal, and a shoal of buffaloes is called a herd, and a herd of children is called a troop, and a troop of partridges is called a covey, and a covey of beauties is called a galaxy, and a galaxy of ruffians is called a horde, and a horde of rubbish is called a heap, and a heap of oxen is called ,r a drove, and a drove of blackguards is called a mob, and a mob of whales is called a school, and a school or worshippers is called a congregation, and a congregation of engineers is called a corps, and a corps of robbers is called a band, and a band of locusts is called a swarm, and a swarm of people is called a crowd, and the city’s thieves and rascals are called the roughs, ■ and the miscellaneous crowd of the city folks is called the community or the public, according as they are spoken of by the religious community or the secular public,— ‘ American Educational Monthly.’