Practice
Animals and their young: English vocabulary
A cat has a kitten, but a sheep has a lamb. Learning the specific word helps you describe animals more clearly than saying only baby animal.
Name common young animals in English and use each word naturally in a short sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
animals and their young /ˈænɪməlz ænd ðer jʌŋ/
The short answer
Use kitten for a young cat, puppy for a young dog, calf for a young cow, lamb for a young sheep, foal for a young horse, and kid for a young goat. Chick and duckling name young birds, while piglet names a young pig.
The mare stayed close to her foal in the field.
Why it works: A foal is a young horse. Mare is a word for an adult female horse.
6 more examples
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The kitten slept in a basket near the window.
Kitten is the standard word for a young cat.
Not this:The
adult catslept on the chair. What changes: Cat is a general word, while kitten tells the reader that the cat is young. -
A puppy followed its owner across the park.
Use puppy for a young dog.
Not this:The
dogwaited by the gate. What changes: Dog can name an animal at any age, but puppy names a young one. -
The farmer gave the calf fresh water.
A calf is a young cow or bull. The plural is calves.
Not this:The
cowsstood near the barn. What changes: Cows are adult female cattle, while a calf is young. -
The lamb stayed beside the sheep.
Lamb is the usual word for a young sheep.
Not this:
Three sheepcrossed the road slowly. What changes: Sheep has the same form for one animal and for more than one. -
The foal learned to run beside its mother.
Foal names a young horse.
Not this:The
horsecarried a rider along the trail. What changes: Horse is the general animal name; foal specifies a young horse. -
Two ducklings paddled behind the duck.
Duckling is a young duck. Add s for the regular plural ducklings.
Not this:The
duckspread its wings. What changes: Duckling makes the young age clear.
Read the full guide
Use the specific young-animal word when it is familiar and useful to your reader. Baby cat is understandable, but kitten is the usual English word. If you do not know a special term, young animal is a safe general phrase until you can check the vocabulary.
Learn the animal and young word together
Memorize each pair as one small unit. This is easier than trying to remember a long list of young-animal words by themselves.
A cat has a kitten.
Kitten is the specific word for a young cat.
What is the usual English word for a young dog?
Use puppy: The puppy is chewing a toy.
Use common farm-animal pairs
Farm and countryside writing often uses calf, lamb, foal, kid, chick, and piglet. The words let you say exactly which animal you mean.
The goat stood beside her kid.
Kid means a young goat here. In another context, kid can also mean a child.
Which word names a young sheep?
Use lamb: A lamb ran across the grass.
Choose chick or duckling for young birds
A chick is commonly a young chicken. A duckling is a young duck. Use the more specific word when you know the bird.
The chick pecked at grain near the coop.
Chick tells the reader that the chicken is young.
Complete the pair: duck and ___.
Use duckling: A duckling swam behind its parent.
Check singular and plural forms
Most of these words make a regular plural with s. A few need extra attention. The plural of calf is calves, and sheep keeps the same form in the singular and plural.
The calves waited near the fence.
Change f to ves in calf and calves.
Which sentence is correct for more than one sheep?
Use Two sheep are in the field, not Two sheeps are in the field.
Use the vocabulary in a real sentence
Put the young-animal word near a verb or detail that helps the reader picture the situation. A short sentence is enough when the word choice is correct.
The piglet pushed through the straw.
Piglet identifies a young pig without adding a longer explanation.
Write one sentence with foal or kitten.
One possible answer is: The kitten climbed onto the sofa.
Before you go
Remember this
Pair the adult animal with its young word, then use the word in a simple sentence. Kitten, puppy, calf, lamb, foal, kid, chick, duckling, and piglet are useful starting points. Check the plural when you describe more than one animal, especially calves and sheep.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Animals and their young: English vocabulary"
What is the word for a young cat?
The usual English word for a young cat is kitten. Use kitten when the cat is young: The kitten slept in a basket. Cat is the general word and can describe an animal of any age.
The kitten slept in a basket near the window.
What is the difference between a calf and a lamb?
A calf is a young cow or bull, while a lamb is a young sheep. The plural of calf is calves. Sheep is unusual because the word sheep can describe one animal or several animals.
The adult cat slept on the chair.
Can kid mean a young goat in English?
Yes. A kid can be a young goat. The word also has another common meaning: a child. The surrounding sentence usually makes the meaning clear. In a farm context, a goat and her kid refers to the animal.
A puppy followed its owner across the park.
What is the plural of calf?
The plural of calf is calves. Change the final f to ves: one calf, two calves. This pattern also appears in a few other English words, but learn calves as the normal plural for young cattle.
The dog waited by the gate.
Do I say baby duck or duckling?
Both phrases can be understood, but duckling is the usual single word for a young duck. Use baby duck when you need a very general phrase or when you do not know the specific animal word.
The farmer gave the calf fresh water.