LoginCollective Nouns
Dive deep into collective nouns with detailed explanations. Examples include 'committee', 'pack', and 'swarm', plus a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Collective Nouns?
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group or collection of people, animals, or things considered as a single entity. They are used to describe a group of individuals or things that are acting together as a unit.
Why Do We Use Collective Nouns?
Collective nouns are used to refer to a group of people, animals, or things, either as a single entity or as individuals within the group.
things: galaxy, forest, stack, wad, etc.
animals: pack, flock, haul, flight, etc.
people: class, band, choir, army, etc.
Check out the examples:
The hive of the bees were working to make honey.
A harvest of wheat can be seen from here.
The team was strong and qualified.
How to Use Collective Nouns
Collective nouns may stand on their own or be followed by a prepositional phrase.
The class was waiting for the teacher to give the exams.
In this example, the collective noun 'class' is used alone as the subject of the sentence.
A group of students volunteered for the project.
In this example, 'group' is a collective noun that is followed by the prepositional phrase 'of students.'
Collective Nouns: Countable or Uncountable?
Even though collective nouns refer to a group as a whole, they can be counted and can be used in both singular and plural forms. Accordingly, they are countable nouns. For example:
The teams are getting ready for the final round.
These birds fly in huge flocks.
Collective Nouns: Singular or Plural?
American and British English treat collective nouns differently with regards to their number. In American English, collective nouns are always treated as singular. In British English however, they can be singular or plural. When referring to the whole set or group of people or things as a single unit, they are considered singular, and when they refer to to the members of a group as individualsthey are considered plural. However, whether a collective noun is treated as singular or plural, there is no change in its form.
The crowd were shouting because of the final score.
In this example, the collective noun 'crowd' is considered a plural noun since the speaker is referring to individuals.
The choir sings beautifully together.
In this example, the term 'choir' is considered singular.
Noun and Verb Agreement
As mentioned above, in British English collective nouns might refer to individual members or to a unit as a whole. So, based on the intention of the speaker, they can either use a singular verb or a plural verb. If the speaker wants to refer to individuals they might use a plural verb based on notional agreement, while a singular verb would be more appropriate for referring to the group as a whole based on formal agreement. Keep in mind that in American English, collective nouns take singular verbs in all contexts.
The staff were invited to the party.
Here, use of the verb 'were' shows that the individual members of the staff are intended.
His staff includes both young people and old people.
Here, the speaker is talking about the group of employees as a unit.
Let us look at more examples:
My family is sad that I'm moving out.
Here 'family' is considered as one unit, therefore we're using a singular verb.
The panel of executives disagree with the proposal.
Here, the members of the panel are performing an action as individuals. In this case, all or some members of the group are doing something independently and the group is not acting together as a unit.
The herd is grazing in the field.
Tip!
To be specific and clearly indicate that we are talking about individual members of a collective noun group, we can add words like 'members' after the collective noun. This makes it clear that a plural verb should be used.
The staff members are invited to the party.
It is clarified that we are pointing to more than one.
Pronoun Agreement
When a collective noun is used with a singular meaning, the pronoun 'it' is used to refer back to it. However, when the gender of the group members or the group is unknown or unspecified, the gender-neutral singular pronoun 'they' can also be used. Check out the examples:
I enjoyed teaching the class online; they seemed really smart.
In this example, since the lessons were taught online the teacher couldn't guess the gender.
The bouquet is in my room. It smells good.
Proper Collective Nouns
Proper collective nouns, such as names of companies, sports teams, music bands, etc. are typically paired with singular verbs, unless they are used to refer to the members of the group. Here are some examples.
Samsung is supposed to release a new headphone this year.
The Rolling Stones are still touring.
Tip!
Sometimes, proper collective nouns may seem to be 'plural,' but in fact, they are considered singular collective nouns as they refer to the entity as a single unit. Check out the example:
Dell Technologies is considered one of the most successful companies in the world.
Partitives vs. Collective Nouns
Partitive nouns and collective nouns are distinct in their meanings. Partitive nouns indicate a specific amount or portion of a particular noun, and do not necessarily refer to the entire group. Collective nouns, on the other hand, refer to a group as a whole or as individuals, without indicating a specific number or amount. Here are some examples:
I used two spoons of sugar in my coffee.
Here, 'spoons' is used to specify a specific amount of sugar → partitive
A troupe of dancers is waiting for their turn.
Here, 'troupe' refers to the whole group of dancers → collective noun
Review
Whenever talking about a group of people or things, whether the whole group or the individual members, we should use collective nouns, such as:
a panel of judges
a bouquet of flowers
a school of fish
a herd of cattle
a pack of wolves
a flock of birds
Quiz:
Match the collective noun to the correct group.
Why does this sentence use a plural verb? "The audience were clapping at different times."
The sentence is in subjunctive mood.
"Audience" is always plural.
Collective nouns are always treated as plural in British English.
It emphasizes individual actions.
Fill the blanks by choosing the correct form of the verb and pronoun from the parentheses based on rules of British English.
The committee
(have/has) reached a decision.
The class
(have/has) submitted
(its/their) essays.
The team
(is/are) celebrating
(its/their) victory.
The jury
(was/were) divided in their opinions.
Microsoft
(is/are) releasing a new product
Which of these is NOT a collective noun?
"A fleet of ships"
"A bunch of bananas"
"A cup of coffee"
"A pride of lions"
Complete the table by choosing whether the phrase uses a collective noun or a partitive.
A glass of water | |
A swarm of bees | |
A slice of bread | |
A panel of judges | |
A herd of sheep |
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