1.cattle原意是“财产”,其后转义为“家畜”,常指菜牛或奶牛。在英国通常统指“家畜”,在美国则只指“牛类”。
2.cattle以单数形式出现,却表示复数的概念。cattle是集合名词,不能加不定冠词a,词尾也不可加s,常和many, few, these, those等连用。用作主语时，句子的谓语动词多用复数。
3.表示“一头牛”可说one head of cattle,“五头牛”说five head of cattle,在指多头牛时head of也可省去。表示“一群牛”应该用a herd of cattle或herds of cattle。
4.cattle可用于比喻,指“卑鄙的人(们)”。

keep cattle
养牛〔牲口〕 raise the cattle
I keep a large herd of cattle.我养一大群牛。
Keeping cattle is an important branch of agriculture.畜牧业是农业的重要组成部分。

trade in cattle
贩牛〔牲口〕 deal in cattle
He trades in cattle.他贩卖牲口。

Cattle feed on grass.牛以草为食。
Cattle are selling for record prices this year.牛今年的售价之高是创纪录的。
The cattle broke into the wheat fields and did much damage.牛群闯进了麦田,毁坏了不少庄稼。
The cattle huddled together in a corner of the field, trying to keep dry.牛群挤在田野上的一个角落里躲避雨淋。
He has thirty head of cattle on the farm.他在农场养了30头牛。
The cattle were driven down the hill.牛群被赶下山。
The driver drove the cattle from the field.那赶牲口的人把牛群从田里赶了出来。
The little boy was herding all the cattle for this farm.这小男孩为这座农场放牧所有的牛。
We have branded our cattle.我们已经给我们的牛打上了烙印。
The cattle banded together for protection from the wind.牲畜聚在一起抵御狂风。
The cowboys herded the cattle and drove them to market.这几个牧童把牲口赶在一起,并把它们赶到市场上。
They breed cattle for the market.他们饲养牲畜以供应市场。
The prisoners were herded like cattle.囚犯像牲口一样被赶到一起。
My father attended to cattle.我父亲照料牲口。
Tom has a cattle ranch in California. 汤姆在加州有一个大畜牧场。
All the farm workers had to help to haul the bags of cattle food down from the cart.所有的农场工人不得不去把一袋袋的饲料从大车上卸下来。

1.在以前的英语里,可以说much cattle,不可以说many cattle;但在现代英语里,可以说many cattle,不可以说much cattle。
2.a drove of cattle等于a herd of cattle,意思是“一群牛”。
3.cattle前有修饰语时，也可使用不定冠词。例如:
This is a prize cattle.这是一头获奖的牛。
4.说具体的牛,常用可数名词cow(母牛), ox(已阉公牛), bull(未阉公牛), calf(小牛)。

［词源］  ＜英国法语catel＜古法语chatel(财产,牲口)