Table of Contents
- What is the word for a group of things?
- What is a word for a collection of things?
- What is a group of groups called?
- What is a Flink cow?
- What is a bunch of turkeys called?
- How many cows is a Flink?
- How many cows is a herd?
- How many animals make a herd?
- What is a herd of elephants called?
- What is a herd of goats called?
- What is the similar word of collected?
- What are the names of clothes?
- What is another word for looking good?
A collective noun is a word that refers to a set or group of people, animals or things. Collective Nouns are sometimes called Group Nouns.
What is a word for a collection of things?
What is another word for collection?
| accumulation | heap |
|---|---|
| accretion | aggregate |
| aggregation | batch |
| bunch | clump |
| clutch | conglomeration |
What is a group of groups called?
Loading when this answer was accepted… You can use the word supergroup to refer to a group of subgroups. The super- prefix is the opposite of the sub- prefix. Wiktionary defines supergroup as: Any group composed of other groups (in any of several contexts)
What is a Flink cow?
“Flink” as a collective noun for a group of twelve (or more) cows is, as you’ve probably gathered, a bit of a mystery. “Flink” is, however, found all over the internet, variously defined as “a group of twelve cows,” “at least twelve cows,” and so on.
What is a bunch of turkeys called?
rafter
How many cows is a Flink?
12
How many cows is a herd?
The average herd size in the U.S. is just over 200. Canadian dairy herds average 80 cows. But, worldwide, it is just three cows. Farms with more than 100 cows make up just 0.3 percent of the total dairy farm population.
How many animals make a herd?
A herd is by definition relatively unstructured. However, there may be two or a few animals which tend to be imitated by the rest of the members of the herd more than others. An animal taking this role is called a “control animal”, since its behaviour will predict that of the herd as a whole.
What is a herd of elephants called?
A group of elephants is called a herd or a parade.
What is a herd of goats called?
A group of goats is calleda tribe or a trip. Animal congregations often have seemingly odd names that vary by species. The proper collective noun for a group of goats differs from similar animals. For example, a group of sheep is known as a drove, a flock or a herd.
What is the similar word of collected?
Some common synonyms of collected are composed, cool, imperturbable, nonchalant, and unruffled.
What are the names of clothes?
Clothes Vocabulary
- T-shirt.
- sweater.
- jacket.
- coat.
- jeans.
- socks.
- shorts.
- tracksuit.
What is another word for looking good?
Find another word for good-looking. In this page you can discover 40 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for good-looking, like: easy-on-the-eyes, handsome, gorgeous, pleasing to the eye, stunning, bonny, pulchritudinous, lovely, ravishing, beauteous and beautiful.
Ask someone about collective nouns and they’re liable to holler «a murder of crows!» or «an exaltation of larks!» While the dramatic collective nouns are the ones that get the most attention, we use a number of collective terms every day. But what distinguishes a herd from a flock, or a swarm from a colony? And what do you call a group of fish?
The fish—true fish, at any rate—are the easiest to classify. They come in schools. No, not that school: this particular word comes from a Middle Dutch word that refers to a group of animals together. Fish also come in shoals, which comes from an Old English word that means «multitudes.» If it’s a group of one type of aquatic mammal—whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals—then they tend to gather in pods.
But once we get out of the sea, the rules for what to generically call groups of creatures get more complicated. Both herd and flock are used of animals (and usually farm animals) that are domesticated and kept under the care of a person. In this particular use, herd tends to be used of cattle or other bovine animals, and flock tends to be used of sheep and goats. But herd and flock are also used of game animals in set phrases—a herd of deer; a flock of geese. That’s just current usage, too. Historically, a herd was any group of animals traveling or eating together, as was a flock, and this jumble continued on into the modern era. Herd, a word most people associate with deer, horses, or cattle, has been used of porpoises, seals, and birds, and flock, a word we now associate with sheep and birds, has been used of elephants, lions, camels, and pigs.
Perhaps swarm is an easier collective noun to get one’s hands on. Its earliest uses were for great assemblies of bees on the wing, and indeed swarm of bees is still common. When applied to other creatures, swarm tends to be used of other insects, and particularly ones that fly—locusts, fireflies, cockroaches. But that’s not to say that swarm isn’t applied to other creatures: a swarm of eels was once common enough to merit mention in our Unabridged Dictionary.
Colony tends to be used of specific populations of animals that are settled in a place—a colony of rabbits or bees, for instance. But not all social animals come in colonies. Dogs come in packs; elephants in herds; people in a variety of conglomerations. In the end, there is no cut-and-dried rule for how to refer to a particular group of creatures. And this may be why we love the more fanciful collective nouns so much.
One of our best-known (and easily meme-able) collective nouns is a murder of crows. Unlike many collective nouns, this sense of murder even has enough evidence in print to merit entry into our dictionaries.
This use of murder goes back to the 1400s. There was, at that time, something of a fad for «terms of venery,» or names for groups of game animals. Treatises on hunting and hawking were very popular, and whenever the subject appeared in the 15th century, so too did lists of venery terms. Crows have been grouped in murders since the late 1400s—though no reason for the name was given. Etymologists suggest that the association of crows and ravens with death might have led to the name, but the writer of the manuscript where a murder of crows first appeared gives no hint.
Though there was a rage for terms of venery, most of them fell out of use in the 16th century. Murder of crows was one of them—but it was rediscovered in the early 20th century. Authors then posited that the crowd of crows was called a murder because of the tremendous noise they make.
Fans of collective nouns are familiar with an exaltation of larks, which was the title of a book by James Lipton on collective nouns. But this particular collective noun goes back to the 15th century, and comes from one of the most famous books on collective nouns in print.
The Book of Saint Albans, originally printed in 1486, was a collection of advice and information on hawking, hunting, and heraldry. It was the first book in England to be printed in more than two colors (six were used in the heraldry section), and authorship of the sections on hunting and hawking have been attributed to Dame Juliana Barnes (more often called Berners), the prioress of an abbey near St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Berners was likely brought up at court and evidently retained a taste for hawking and hunting after she took orders. The Book of Saint Albans contains a list of many terms of venery at the end of the treatise on hunting, and while many of them are so familiar as to be unremarkable—a gaggle of geese, a pride of lions—some are rather fanciful. Larks get two terms of venery in Berners’ book: exalting and exaltation. Here are some other flights of fancy from The Book of Saint Albans:
an unkindness of ravens
a clattering of choughs
a murmuration of starlings
a charm of goldfinches
Sometimes the collective noun applied to a particular bird was a marker of rank. Berners gave a list of which birds were suitable for hunting based on one’s station in life, and the names for those groups were also class-specifics. So hawks came in casts, for two kept in a nobleman’s hawking tower, or leashes, for three kept in a tower. Cast was used to mark technique: Berners notes that one should always cast a hawk at prey, and never let it fly. And a leash of hawks was modeled on the name for a group of hunting greyhounds, another animal favored by the gentry.
Birds that were unremarkable or were hunting birds used by lower classes were grouped in flights. A cast of hawks denoted nobility; a flight of goshawks indicated the hawks in question were owned by a yeoman.
Geese, Ducks, Swans, and Their Location
One of the surprising things about the lists of terms of venery is that they sometimes give different names to the same animal depending upon where they are.
Geese seem to be the birds that get the most differentiation. When on the ground, geese come in flocks, like many birds, and in gaggles, a word which is specific to geese and comes from the Middle English verb gagelyn, which means «to cackle» and is likely imitative in origin. A skein of geese is a group of geese in flight—and yes, that skein is related to the yarn skein.
Ducks on the water are called a paddling (for obvious reasons) and a raft, as they float together like a raft. There are no specific terms for ducks on the ground or in the air, though another collective noun for groups of ducks we see in print is badelyng—a corruption of paddling.
A group of swans, also once game birds, is a wedge when they’re in flight, likely because of the shape a group of swans takes in flight. And while we can call a group of swans a bevy, a herd, a game, or a flight, they can only be a bank when they’re on the ground.
A Melody of Harpers and a Poverty of Pipers
What is surprising about The Book of Saint Albans is not that it contains words for groups of game animals, but that it contains a number of terms that aren’t about the hunt at all: collective nouns for groups of people. The inclusion of these fanciful names for groups of people hints that perhaps collective nouns are founded as much in whimsy as in fact. A quick survey of the existing literature of the era shows that collective nouns like melody (for harpists) and poverty (for pipers) were only in use in these fanciful lists.
And this remains a problem, lexicographically speaking. Language lovers adore collective nouns, but most of them don’t meet the criteria for entry. For lexicographers, a word hasn’t fully entered the language until it’s used consistently in running prose without any sort of parenthetical explanation or gloss, and many of these terms haven’t. How often does one need to refer, for instance, to a group of brewers or butchers? And collective nouns for hermits seem to be magnificently missing the point.
That’s not to say that lexicographers are somehow biased against these terms. By all means, resurrect them and use them as much as possible. (But pity the poor pipers, perhaps, and choose a less stingy noun than poverty.) Here’s a list to get you started from The Book of Saint Albans:
a feast of brewers
a goring of butchers
an observance of hermits
a school of clerks
a doctrine of doctors
a tabernacle of bakers
a prudence of vicars
a state of princes
a congregation of people
a diligence of messengers
a discretion of priests
an execution of officers
an eloquence of lawyers
a drunkenship of cobblers
a proud showing of tailors
a skulk of thieves
The New Collective
The coining of collective nouns didn’t end in the 15th century; the penchant for wordplay never goes out of style. Here are some of our favorite more modern collectives:
a tuxedo of penguins (for their striking coloration)
a bask of crocodiles (for their sunning habits)
a destruction of cats (no explanation necessary)
a troop of baboons (but a barrel of monkeys and a band of gorillas)
a tower of giraffes
a parliament of owls
a cackle of hyenas
a smack of jellyfish
an ambush of tigers
a wisdom of wombats
Collective nouns can be a little tricky to identify and use. Are they singular, or are they plural? What type of verb do I use with a collective noun? With a little practice, collective nouns can quickly be mastered.
In this post we’ll review what collective nouns are, the singular and plural forms of collective nouns, and how to ensure proper subject-verb agreement when using collective nouns.
After reviewing the information below, test yourself with a post-assessment quiz and practice with our high quality, standards-aligned questions here.
The Basics of Collective Nouns
What is a Collective Noun?
A collective noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity (Hint: a “collection” of people or things). Even though you can count the individual members of the group, you usually think of the individuals as a group, a whole, or as one unit.
Because collective nouns describe a plurality of something, they are often confused with plural nouns. Additionally, collective nouns can be made into plural nouns, like most common nouns.
Consider this: A group is learning about different types of nouns.
There are three nouns in the sentence above. One is a collective noun, and the others are plural nouns.
Collective Noun: group
Plural Nouns: types, nouns
What is the relationship between collective and plural nouns?
Plural means more than one, so plural nouns are referring to more than one of that particular noun. The most common way to make a noun plural is by adding an ‘s’ to the end of the word, though there are various reals related to making singular nouns plural.
Examples:
Singular: Tree / Plural: Trees
Singular: Student / Plural: Students
Collective nouns are singular words used in place of plural nouns. Collective nouns can be singular or plural, but plural nouns are always plural.
Let’s use the example from above: A group is learning about different types of nouns.
What is a group? It is a collection of people, places, or things. In this case, we can infer that the group is a number of students.
The word “students” is a plural noun for student.
The sentence could be written without using a collective noun: Students are learning about different types of nouns.
So aren’t collective nouns plural if they are made up of more than one of the same thing? It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking collective nouns are plural; however, these words are designed to represent a single unit of more than one of the same thing.
Collective nouns can also be plural: Groups are learning about different types of nouns.
What does “groups” mean in this sentence? It means more than one group, making it a plural collective noun.
Collective Proper Nouns
Collective nouns may also be proper nouns when that proper noun represents a group.
- Music groups and businesses are often used as collective nouns.
- Maroon 5 is playing on the radio.
- Since Maroon 5 is a music group with multiple members, it is a collective proper noun, and It is treated as a singular noun in a sentence.
- Target is a popular store for everyday needs.
- Since Target is a large retail chain, it would be considered a collective proper noun in this sentence.
- If a specific Target is being referenced, it is no longer being used as a collective proper noun, and is treated as a singular proper noun in a sentence.
- I shop at the Target on the corner.
- Maroon 5 is playing on the radio.
- Hint: If you substitute a generic collective noun like “the band” or “the company” with the proper noun, you can see that the proper noun is a collective noun, so it should be treated as a collective noun in a sentence with singular verbs.
Exceptions
Some collective proper nouns, sports teams in particular, often use the plural form of the team name and require the use of a plural verb and plural pronouns as needed:
- The Cubs have won the World Series, breaking their 107 year losing streak.
However, if the name of a city is used in place of the team name, it is treated as a singular noun:
- Chicago won the World Series, breaking its 107 year losing streak.
How do you use collective nouns?
Collective nouns can be used in any type of sentence, but the most common mistakes made when using collective nouns is subject-verb disagreement and pronoun disagreement.
Subject-Verb Agreement:
If a singular collective noun is used in a sentence, it needs to be treated like a singular noun.
Incorrect Example: The team are playing in the championship game.
Correct Example: The team is playing in the championship game.
We use the singular verb “is” with a collective noun, because a collective noun represents a singular unit. If the collective noun is made plural, than the verb will follow plural noun rules:
The teams are playing in the championship game.
Let’s look again at our sample sentences and add one more using a singular noun for students:
- A group is learning about different types of nouns.
- Students are learning about different types of nouns.
- Groups are learning about different types of nouns.
- A Student is learning about different types of nouns.
What differences do you see in the sentences?
- A group is learning about different types of nouns.
- Students are learning about different types of nouns.
- Groups are learning about different types of nouns.
- A student is learning about different types of nouns.
You’ll notice that verb usage for singular nouns are the same. Sentences 1 and 4 use the singular verb “is”.
The sentences with singular nouns also use the article “A” before the noun.
The verb usage for plural nouns are the same as well. Sentences 2 and 3 use the plural verb “are”, and there is no need for an article before the noun.
Subject-Pronoun Agreement
Pronoun agreement follows the same rules as verb agreement for collective nouns. Singular pronouns are used for singular collective nouns, and plural pronouns are used for plural collective nouns.
Incorrect Example: The bouquet of flowers is wilting, even though they were labeled as fresh.
Correct Example: The bouquet of flowers is wilting, even though it was labeled as fresh.
We use the singular pronoun “it” with a collective noun, because a collective noun represents a singular unit. If the collective noun is made plural, than the pronoun will follow plural noun rules:
The bouquets of flowers are wilting, even though they were labeled as fresh.
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3 Tips For Recognizing and Using Collective Nouns
Tip #1: If it takes more than one person, animal, or thing to use the word, it’s probably a collective noun
- Remember: Collective nouns are words or phrases that represent a group of people or things as a singular unit.
- Think: If I was looking at a flock flying across the sky, would I be seeing one thing, or multiple things together?
- If I was looking at a flock, I would be looking at a group of birds flying together. So flock is a collective noun.
- Think: If I was looking at a flock flying across the sky, would I be seeing one thing, or multiple things together?
Tip #2: Subject-Verb Agreement: Singular collective nouns use singular verbs, plural collective nouns use plural verbs
- Remember: Collective nouns are considered singular unless it is specifically made plural. Verbs used with collective nouns need to follow proper subject-verb agreement by using singular verbs with singular collective nouns, and plural verbs only when the collective noun has been made plural.
- The class is expected to follow classroom expectations.
- The classes are expected to follow classroom expectations.
Tip #3: Pronoun Agreement: Singular collective nouns use singular pronouns, plural collective nouns use plural pronouns
- Remember: Just like subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement needs to be carefully checked to make sure singular pronouns are used for singular collective nouns, and plural pronouns are used for plural collective nouns.
- The crew on the aircraft carrier is prepared to deploy if it is called on.
- The crews on the aircraft carriers are prepared to deploy if they are called on.
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Applying the Basics: Collective Noun Practice
Now that you understand what collective nouns are, and how to use them properly in a sentence, let’s practice identifying them and checking for proper verb and pronoun usage. Remember, collective nouns are considered singular nouns, and they should be used with singular verbs and pronouns.
The Ultimate List of Collective Nouns
Refer to the chart below for an extensive list of common collective nouns.
*Please note that this list does not include all collective nouns, and many of the words can be used for different things as well as cross categories.
Collective Nouns: Identifying Collective Nouns
Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of collective nouns.
Select the collective noun(s) in the sentences below. Remember, a collective noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity. Collective nouns can be made plural like most common nouns.
1. I went with a group of students to see the statues commemorating the army of soldiers that fought in the Korean War.
- In this sentence, group and army are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people in a single unit.
2. The audience cheered as the team took the field for the first game in the series against its biggest rival.
- In this sentence, audience, team, and series are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people or things in a single unit.
3. The committees are working on different projects to help increase community involvement in school events.
- In this sentence, committees and community are collective nouns. The word committees is also a plural collective noun. Each word represents multiple people in a single unit or units.
4. His family bought a bunch of movies from Best Buy to donate to the company’s gift drive.
- In this sentence, family, bunch, Best Buy, and company’s are collective nouns. Best Buy is a proper collective noun, and company’s has an apostrophe and an ‘s’, because it is also acting as a possessive noun. Each word or phrase represents multiple people or things in a single unit.
5. The Students wishing to start a school choir met with the school board and faculty to present a list of arguments supporting the idea.
- In this sentence, choir, board, faculty, and list are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people or things in a single unit.
Pro tip: When evaluating whether a noun is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Does this word represent multiple people or things as one unit?”
Collective Nouns: Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement and Disagreement
Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of subject-verb agreement when using collective nouns.
Review each sentence and select the verb that ensures accurate subject-verb agreement. Remember, a collective noun is a singular noun and uses singular verbs. Collective nouns can be made plural and use plural verbs.
1. The mob of Black Friday shoppers (is, are) anxiously waiting for the store to open.
- The correct verb for this sentence is is, because the subject, mob, is a singular collective noun.
2. His Science class (take, takes) the AP® exam on Friday.
- The correct verb for this sentence is takes, because the subject, class, is a singular collective noun.
3. On Saturday, the local girl scout troops (sell, sells) cookies outside of the grocery stores.
- The correct verb for this sentence is sell, because the subject, troops, is a plural collective noun.
4. The congregation (sings, sing) the hymn along with the pastor.
- The correct verb for this sentence is sings, because the subject, congregation, is a singular collective noun.
5. The apple orchard I go to every fall (have, has) 30 varieties of apples and the best brunch around.
- The correct verb for this sentence is has, because the subject, orchard, is a singular collective noun.
Pro tip: When evaluating whether or not a sentence has proper subject-verb agreement when the subject is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Is this collective noun singular or plural?” Singular collective nouns use singular verbs, and plural collective nouns use plural verbs. If you can replace the collective noun with the word “it”, it is singular.
Collective Nouns: Identifying Subject-Pronoun Agreement and Disagreement
Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of subject-pronoun agreement when using collective nouns.
Review each sentence and select the pronoun that ensures accurate subject-pronoun agreement. Remember, a collective noun is a singular noun and uses singular pronouns. Collective nouns can be made plural and use plural pronouns.
1. The staff was commended for (its, their) hard work this year.
- The correct pronoun for this sentence is its, because the subject, staff, is a singular collective noun.
2. Most people order a batch of chocolate chip cookies, because (it’s, they’re) the most popular item.
- The correct pronoun for this sentence is it’s, the contraction ‘it is’, because the subject, batch, is a singular collective noun.
3. In the fall, I like to watch the flocks of birds flying south to (its, their) winter home.
- The correct pronoun for this sentence is their, because the subject, flocks, is a plural collective noun.
4. The lovely bouquet of roses smells like (it, they) came fresh from the garden.
- The correct pronoun for this sentence is it, because the subject, bouquet, is a singular collective noun.
5. The jury struggles to agree on a verdict, so (it, they) asks for more time to deliberate.
- The correct pronoun for this sentence is it, because the subject, jury, is a singular collective noun.
Pro tip: When evaluating whether or not a sentence has proper subject-pronoun agreement when the subject is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Is this collective noun singular or plural?” Singular collective nouns use singular pronouns, and plural collective nouns use plural pronouns. If you can replace the collective noun with the word “it”, it is singular.
For additional practice, check out Collective Noun content on Albert.
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Try for Yourself: Collective Noun Quiz
Feeling confident in your understanding of collective nouns?
Take this short quiz to see what you’ve learned:
1. Is a collective noun, like the word “group”, treated as a singular or plural noun?
- Answer: Singular
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! A collective noun, like the word “group”, is treated as a singular noun, because the word “group” represents multiple people or things as a single unit.
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, unless the collective noun is made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the word group, it is treated as a singular noun.
2. Do collective nouns like the words “team” and “herd” use singular or plural verbs and pronouns?
- Answer: Singular
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! Collective nouns, like the words “team” and “herd”, are treated as singular nouns, because they represent multiple people or things as a single unit. Therefore, they use singular verbs and pronouns.
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, unless collective nouns are made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the words team and group, they are treated as singular nouns. Therefore, they use singular verbs and pronouns.
3. In this sentence, is the underlined word collective, plural, or plural collective?
By the end of the game, our team was in first place.
- Answer: Collective
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! The underlined word, team, is a collective noun. It is a singular word that represents multiple people (players).
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, if a word represents multiple people as a single unit, it is a collective noun. Additionally, unless a collective noun is made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the word team, it is treated as a singular noun.
4. In this sentence, is the underlined word collective, plural, or plural collective?
There are colonies of ants all over the field.
- Answer: Plural Collective
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! The underlined word, colonies, is the plural form of the collective noun ‘colony’, which represents multiple ant living as one group. The word colonies means more than one colony.
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, if a word represents multiple things as a single unit, it is a collective noun. Additionally, a collective noun can be made plural – in this case by dropping the ‘y’ and adding ‘ies’ to the word colony.
5. Does the verb in the following sentence agree or disagree with the subject?
When the litter of puppies is ready, I get to take one home.
- Answer: Agree
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! The subject, litter, is a singular collective noun, so it uses the singular verb ‘is’ for accurate subject-verb agreement.
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, a singular collective noun uses a singular verb for accurate subject-verb agreement. Litter is a singular collective noun, so it uses the singular verb ‘is’.
6. Does the pronoun in the following sentence agree or disagree with the subject?
I listen to my favorite band while working, because they help me focus.
- Answer: Disagree
- Correct Explanation: That’s right! The subject, band, is a singular collective noun, so it would use the singular pronoun ‘it’ for accurate subject-pronoun agreement.
- Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, a singular collective noun uses a singular pronoun for accurate subject-pronoun agreement. Band is a singular collective noun, so it uses the singular pronoun ‘it’.
For additional practice with collective nouns, check out our practice on Albert.io: Collective Nouns
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Teacher’s Corner for Collective Nouns
While it’s true that collective nouns are a foundational grammar skill, the Common Core English Language Progressive Skills Chart shows that even elementary-level skills “require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.”
For specific standards addressing collective nouns, or standards on subject-verb and subject-pronoun agreement, check out the Common Core State Standards site!
Albert’s collective nouns practice can be used for much more than homework! Our assessments can be used as pre-and post-tests to measure student progress. Our pre-made quizzes can be used as bell-ringers, exit tickets, and more!
In addition to our pre-made assessments, you can also use our assignments feature to create your own quizzes and assessments.
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Summary on Collective Nouns
A Collective Noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity. They can be made plural following the normal rules for making nouns plural.
Subject-Verb and Subject-Pronoun Agreement is where most mistakes are made when using collective nouns. Collective nouns are treated as singular nouns unless they are made plural. Singular collective nouns use singular verbs and pronouns, and plural collective nouns use plural verbs and pronouns.
Collective nouns are words we see and use every day. When using collective nouns in your writing, make sure you carefully check your work to ensure you are using the appropriate verbs and pronouns!
Practice makes perfect! Use our collective nouns practice on Albert’s grammar course!
You can also access over 3,400 high-quality questions that address nearly every grammatical concept.
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Albert has hundreds of grammar practice questions with detailed explanations to help you master concepts.
Collective nouns are words used to describe a group of things or individuals. Examples of collective nouns include “flock” of birds, “herd” of cattle, and “school” of fish. In English, there are many different types of collective nouns, each with its own unique meaning and usage. Collective nouns can be used to describe groups of people, animals, objects, and even abstract concepts. In this article, we will learn the list of collective nouns with their meanings.
List of Collective Nouns
Collective Nouns for People
Here is a list of some common collective nouns for groups of people in English:
- A team of players
- A cast of actors
- A committee of members
- A congregation of people
- A council of elders
- A crew of sailors
- A crowd of people
- A family of relatives
- A group of friends
- A panel of experts
- A parliament of politicians
- A troupe of dancers
- A squad of soldiers
- A class of students
- A company of actors
- A gang of workers
- A jury of peers
- A panel of judges
- A team of researchers
- A crew of pilots
- A band of musicians
- A delegation of ambassadors
- A flock of sheeple
- A society of people
- A mob of protesters
- A panel of interviewers
- A board of directors
- A squad of police
- A team of engineers
- A crew of firefighters
- A group of tourists
- A class of graduates
- A congregation of worshippers
- A council of leaders
- A group of co-workers
- A league of sportsmen
- A staff of employees
- A team of scientists
- A corps of volunteers
- A council of representatives
- A squad of security
- A roster of employees
- A panel of experts
- A group of activists
- A committee of organizers
- A team of consultants
- A class of pupils
- A group of participants
- A squad of firefighters
- A team of professionals
Collective Nouns for Animals
Here is a list of some common collective nouns for groups of animals in English:
- A herd of cattle
- A flock of birds
- A school of fish
- A pack of wolves
- A swarm of bees
- A pride of lions
- A gaggle of geese
- A colony of ants
- A pod of whales
- A litter of puppies
- A colony of bats
- A pack of dogs
- A swarm of locusts
- A herd of deer
- A flock of sheep
- A pack of coyotes
- A swarm of hornets
- A pride of peacocks
- A flock of chickens
- A pack of foxes
- A school of sharks
- A pod of dolphins
- A herd of elephants
- A flock of turkeys
- A pack of hyenas
- A swarm of mosquitoes
- A pride of cheetahs
- A flock of ducks
- A pack of raccoons
- A school of tuna
- A herd of bison
- A flock of pigeons
- A pack of jackals
- A swarm of flies
- A pride of lions
- A flock of swans
- A pack of mules
- A school of sardines
- A herd of moose
- A flock of seagulls
- A pack of wolves
- A swarm of bees
- A pride of panthers
- A flock of geese
- A pack of hounds
- A school of herring
- A herd of muskoxen
- A flock of ravens
- A pack of coyotes
- A swarm of termites
Collective Nouns for Things
Here is a list of some common collective nouns for groups of things in English:
- A bunch of grapes
- A library of books
- A fleet of ships
- A set of golf clubs
- A suite of rooms
- A battery of tests
- A bouquet of flowers
- A cloud of dust
- A collection of art
- A group of islands
- A forest of trees
- A host of angels
- A pack of cards
- A group of islands
- A set of tools
- A fleet of cars
- A pile of leaves
- A bunch of bananas
- A stack of papers
- A collection of coins
- A fleet of airplanes
- A set of dishes
- A bundle of sticks
- A bunch of keys
- A set of instructions
- A fleet of trucks
- A group of buildings
- A cluster of stars
- A set of utensils
- A collection of stamps
- A fleet of boats
- A set of encyclopedias
- A bundle of cloth
- A bunch of flowers
- A set of regulations
- A fleet of trains
- A group of statues
- A cluster of galaxies
- A set of furniture
- A collection of shells
- A fleet of buses
- A set of headphones
- A bundle of cables
- A bunch of balloons
- A set of rules
- A fleet of bikes
- A group of sculptures
- A cluster of crystals
- A set of musical instruments
- A collection of figurines
Common Collective Nouns
- Herd – A group of herbivore animals
- Pack – A group of canine animals such as wolves or dogs; also used to describe playing cards and packages containing multiple objects
- Flock – A group of birds; also used to discuss small hooved animals such as sheep or goats
- Swarm – A group of insects
- Shoal – A group of fish
- Group – A very general term used to describe people, places, things, and animals
- Crowd – Usually used to describe a group of people
- Gang – Usually used to describe a group of criminals; also used to describe a group of workers, particularly sailors or dock workers
- Mob – Normally used to describe an angry or unruly group of people; also used to describe a group of kangaroos
- Staff – A group of people who work in the same place
- Crew – Usually used to denote a group of workers; also used to describe aircraft and ships personnel
- Choir – A large, organized group of singers
- Orchestra – A large, organized group of instrumentalists, led by a conductor
- Panel – A group of experts
- Board – A group of people, usually professionals, who take on an advisory role
- Troupe – A group of actors or acrobats; also used to describe a group of monkeys
- Bunch – Usually a group of smallish objects such as grapes, flowers, keys, or bananas
- Pile – An untidy collection of items such as rubbish
- Heap – A mounded collection of items; used interchangeably with “pile”
- Set – A tidy group of matched objects such as dishes; also used to describe rules or a social group of people
- Stack – A group of items neatly laid one on top of another; i.e., a stack of books
- Series – Used to discuss movies, books, or events that follow one after another, i.e. Star Trek or Harry Potter
- Shower – Usually used to describe rain, although it can be used to describe gifts or compliments
- …
Collective Nouns in English | Image
Collective nouns are names for a collection or a number of people or things. Words like group, herd, and array are collective noun examples. Here, we’ll take a closer look at collective nouns, and provide even more examples, placing them in context so you can gain a greater understanding of how they work.
You might not know it, but you encounter collective nouns in everyday speech. Collective nouns are words for single things that are made up of more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea. You can’t have a team without individual members; even so, we discuss a team as a single entity.
Collective Noun Examples
Remember that nouns are words naming people, animals, places, and things. Collective nouns are in a class all their own. Once you’ve read these examples, you’ll find it much easier to recognize collective nouns when you see them.
- Our class took a field trip to the natural history museum.
- The herd of bison ran across the prairie, leaving a massive dust cloud in its wake.
- We waited anxiously for the jury to come to a verdict.
- This year’s basketball team includes three players who are over six feet tall.
- Napoleon’s army was finally defeated at Waterloo.
- The town council has approved plans to create a new park.
- He comes from a huge family: he’s the oldest of eleven kids.
- The rock group has been on tour for months.
- Everyone in the audience applauded loudly when Elvis appeared on stage.
List of Common Collective Nouns
This list of common collective nouns contains words that describe groups of animals, people, or things. These words are sometimes interchangeable, and English writers and speakers often use them to describe different things. For example, the word swarm is usually used to discuss a group of insects such as ants, flies or bees, but many writers use it to talk about a very busy crowd of people. Once you are familiar with these words, you’ll notice that they are used in a variety of situations.
- Herd– A group of herbivore animals
- Pack– A group of canine animals such as wolves or dogs; also used to describe playing cards and packages containing multiple objects
- Flock– A group of birds; also used to discuss small hooved animals such as sheep or goats
- Swarm– A group of insects
- Shoal– A group of fish
- Group – A very general term used to describe people, places, things, and animals
- Crowd – Usually used to describe a group of people
- Gang – Usually used to describe a group of criminals; also used to describe a group of workers, particularly sailors or dock workers
- Mob – Normally used to describe an angry or unruly group of people; also used to describe a group of kangaroos
- Staff – A group of people who work in the same place
- Crew – Usually used to denote a group of workers; also used to describe aircraft and ships personnel
- Choir – A large, organized group of singers
- Orchestra – A large, organized group of instrumentalists, led by a conductor
- Panel – A group of experts
- Board – A group of people, usually professionals, who take on an advisory role
- Troupe – A group of actors or acrobats; also used to describe a group of monkeys
- Bunch – Usually a group of smallish objects such as grapes, flowers, keys, or bananas
- Pile – An untidy collection of items such as rubbish
- Heap – A mounded collection of items; used interchangeably with “pile”
- Set – A tidy group of matched objects such as dishes; also used to describe rules or a social group of people
- Stack – A group of items neatly laid one on top of another; i.e., a stack of books
- Series – Used to discuss movies, books, or events that follow one after another, i.e. Star Trek or Harry Potter
- Shower – Usually used to describe rain, although it can be used to describe gifts or compliments
- Fall – Often used to discuss weather, such as rain, snow or hail
What happens if you can’t decide whether a collective noun is singular or plural?
You can use different words to compose your sentence to be sure there is no agreement error. For example, you can insert the word “members” after a collective noun or use a different word such as “players” instead of “team” or “zebras” instead of “herd” or “students” instead of “class.” Reread what you have written to be sure it sounds natural, and give yourself some time to practice. Soon enough you’ll be able to use plural verbs without worrying whether you have made mistakes.
How to Use Collective Nouns
People who are new to writing often encounter some trouble with sentence agreement when using collective nouns. This is understandable, because a collective noun can be singular or plural, depending on a sentence’s context. How do you know if a collective noun is singular? How can you tell if it’s plural? What pronouns and verbs are best for pairing with the collective noun you’ve chosen?
Here’s a simple trick you can use to decide how to use collective nouns in sentences: Imagine a herd of zebras grazing peacefully on the savanna. Suddenly, a lion jumps out of a clump of tall grass. What do the zebras do? They run away as a single unit as they attempt to make a getaway, galloping across the savanna in the same direction.
Often, people behave in the same way, engaging in a single activity in unison with everyone else in their group. When individuals are in a team, a choir, a committee, or part of any other collective noun, that noun is singular and is paired with singular pronouns and singular verbs. As you read the examples that follow, notice that each individual who is part of the collective noun is doing the same action at the same time as others who are part of that collective noun.
- Every morning, the herd follows its leader to the watering hole for a drink.
- Today, Ms. Kennedy’s class takes its SOL test.
- The committee agrees that people are misusing their cell phones, so its verdict is that phones must not be used during working hours.
→ Herd is a singular collective noun. Follows is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the animals in the herd arrive at the watering hole at the same time.
→ Class is a singular collective noun. Takes is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the students in Ms. Kennedy’s class are taking the same test at the same time.
→ Committee is a singular collective noun. Agrees is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the members of the committee are thinking alike.
Now imagine three teenagers in the living room. Are they all doing the same thing at once? Not likely! One is watching TV intently. Another is reading a book and listening to music. The third has one eye on the TV and the other on his computer. There is a single group of teenagers, but the members of the group are doing different things.
Members of collective nouns can act the same way, as individuals doing their own thing. When members of a collective noun act as individuals, that collective noun is plural and must be paired with plural pronouns and plural verbs. As you read the following examples, you’ll notice that members of the collective noun are not functioning in unison.
- After eight hours sitting in the stuffy courtroom, the jury stretch, look at their watches, and head to their cars for the commute home.
→ Jury is a plural collective noun in this instance. Stretch, look, and head are plural verbs, and their is a plural pronoun. The members of the jury are stretching and looking at their individual watches before they head to different cars to go to their own homes.
- After taking a test, the class start their papers on Shakespeare’s sonnets.
→ Class is a plural collective noun in this instance. Start is a plural verb, and their is a plural pronoun. Although the students are in the same class, they are beginning their own papers on different sonnets written by Shakespeare.
Collective Noun Exercises
Each of these sentences contains a collective noun. Select the correct answer from the options that follow the sentence:
- Keys, marbles, and rubber bands were just a few of the things in the pile of objects in his drawer.
A – marbles, B – things, C – pile - The boys decided to join the navy after graduation.
A – boys, B – navy, C – graduation - After the performance, all the actors joined hands and bowed toward the audience.
A – performance, B – actors, C – audience - The team celebrated heartily after scoring a winning goal.
A – team, B – winning, C – goal - Most of the students on the council are also on the honor roll.
A – students, B – council, C, – honor roll - The boat’s crew worked all night to stop the leak.
A – boat’s, B – crew, C – leak - The talent show featured several individual performers, along with three bands.
A – show, B – performers, C – bands - Our extended family includes great-grandparents and second cousins.
A – family, B – great-grandparents, C – cousins - All of the students are attending a school assembly on Friday.
A – students, B – school, C – assembly - The senate will be voting on three education funding bills tomorrow.
A – senate, B – bills, C – tomorrow - The teachers and administrators held a meeting in the faculty office.
A – teachers, B – administrators, C – faculty - The sheep clustered in a tight flock to ward off the cold weather.
A – sheep, B – flock, C – weather
Answer key: 1 – C, 2 – B, 3 – C, 4 – A, 5 – B, 6 – B, 7 – C, 8 – A, 9 – C, 10 – A, 11 – C, 12 –B
Assortment would be a good word to fill the blank.
NOUN
A miscellaneous collection of things or people:
«My assortment of programs.»
Since 1791, the etymology seems to suggest the very unsorted sort you mention:
assortment
1610s, «action of assorting,»
from assort + -ment.
Sense of «group of things of the same sort» is attested from 1759;
that of «group of things whether the same sort or not» from 1791.
assort
late 15c., «to distribute into groups,»
from Middle French assortir (15c.),
from Old French assorter «to assort, match,»
from a- «to» (see ad-) + sorte «kind» (see sort).
sort
late 14c., «group of people, animals, etc.; kind or variety of person
or animal,»from Old French sorte «class, kind,»
from Latin sortem (nominative sors) «lot; fate, destiny; share,
portion; rank, category; sex, class, oracular response, prophecy,»from PIE root *ser- (3) «to line up»
(cognates: Latin serere «to arrange, attach, join;» see series).
The sense evolution in Vulgar Latin is from «what is allotted to one
by fate,» to «fortune, condition,» to «rank, class, order.» Later
(mid-15c.) «group, class, or category of items; kind or variety of
thing; pattern, design.»