What does herdsman mean?
Word: Herdsman
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Herdsman means a man whose work is looking after a herd of animals such as cattle, goats or camels. The plural is herdsmen.
How do you spell herdsman?
Syllables: herds - man
Tricky part: The first vowel sound is spelt er, as in her, not ear or ur. Heardsman is a common slip.
Watch out for: heardsman, hurdsman
Memory tip: Say 'her herd' to yourself: the er you write in her is the er you need at the start of this word.
Herdsman in a sentence
Example 1: The herdsman whistled, and the goats came trotting back down the slope.
Example 2: In a village near Jaisalmer, a herdsman walks his camels to the well each evening.
Example 3: The herdsman knew every buffalo in his care by the shape of its horns.
Fun Fact
Herd and shepherd share a root: a shepherd was once a 'sheep herd', the person who looked after the sheep.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
herd_m_n
a) s, o
b) z, a
c) s, a
d) e, a
Show answer
c) s, a. An s comes straight after the d, and the last vowel is the a of man.
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) herdsman
b) haystak
c) farmhowse
d) cartwheal
Show answer
a) herdsman. Farmhouse needs ou, haystack ends in ck, and cartwheel has ee, so herdsman is the only correct compound.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The ehdansrm led his cattle down to the river as the sun rose over the hills.
a) herdsman
b) doorman
c) chairman
d) horseman
Show answer
a) herdsman. Horseman needs an o, doorman two o's and chairman a c and an i; only herdsman uses a d with no o.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. pastuer 2. lifestock 3. herdsman 4. grazeing
a) a man who looks after cattle or other animals
b) eating grass in a field
c) animals kept on a farm
d) land covered with grass for animals to eat
Show answer
a) a man who looks after cattle or other animals. Pasture ends in -ure, grazing drops the e of graze, and livestock begins with live, so herdsman is the only correct word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A herdsman spends most of his working day ____.
a) behind the counter of a bakery
b) inside a busy railway office
c) on the deck of a fishing boat
d) out on hillsides with grazing cattle
Show answer
d) out on hillsides with grazing cattle
2. A herdsman would be most worried if ____.
a) the shop had sold out of bread
b) his pen suddenly ran out of ink
c) a calf wandered away from the group
d) the bus to town was a little late
Show answer
c) a calf wandered away from the group
