School or shoal of sardines?
As far as I know, 'shoal' and 'sardines' are collocates. But I've ever seen a phrase in Youtube: school of sardines. So which is more used? Thanks for your help!
Top answer
"Shoal" and "school" are pretty much the same word (and incidentally each is a separate word from its homophone). They both derive, it seems, from the Dutch schole and are about the same age, although an earlier form of "shoal" is much older and is from the Germanic side of English. If you put a gun to my head, I would have to say that "shoal" sounds more salty, more nautical than "school", which is the ordinary word.
- "Shoal" and "school" are pretty much the same word (and incidentally each is a separate word from its homophone).
- They both derive, it seems, from the Dutch schole and are about the same age, although an earlier form of "shoal" is much older and is from the Germanic side of English.
- If you put a gun to my head, I would have to say that "shoal" sounds more salty, more nautical than "school", which is the ordinary word.
- I would also say, if you cocked the hammer, that a shoal of fish is nothing more than a lot of them in one place, whereas a school of them makes it sound like they are traveling together on purpose.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
"Shoal" and "school" are pretty much the same word (and incidentally each is a separate word from its homophone). They both derive, it seems, from the Dutch schole and are about the same age, although an earlier form of "shoal" is much older and is from the Germanic side of English. If you put a gun to my head, I would have to say that "shoal" sounds more salty, more nautical than "scho
0
Related Questions