ENGLISH SYNONYMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1931, 14 October 1874, Page 4

ENGLISH SYNONYMS.

[AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY.] 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 capital illustrations of the nice distinctions which characterize so many of our vocables. It is no wonder that we slip ocasionally, 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 of 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 °f 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 I galaxy of ruffians is called a horde, and a horde of rubbish is called aheap, and aheap of oxen is. called a drove, and a drove of blackguards is called a mob, and a mob of whales is called a school, and a school of worshippers is called a congregation, and a congregation of engineers is called a corps;- and a corps of robbers is called aband, and band of locusts is called a swarm, and a swarm pf people is called a crowd, and a crowd of gentle-folk is called the elite, 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.