Everybody in all probability is aware of {that a} group of cows known as a herd and maybe {that a} group of lions known as a delight, however do you know {that a} group of otters is typically known as a raft? Or {that a} group of swans will be referred to as a wedge—however solely once they’re flying?

These phrases for congregated animals are examples of collective nouns: nouns that check with teams or collections. There are round 2 hundred collective nouns within the English language.

What’s a collective noun?

A collective noun is a frequent noun that names a bunch of individuals, creatures, or objects:

The viewers on the midafternoon exhibiting was particularly appreciative of the comedic components of the film.

Site visitors on the street was briefly stopped by a flock of untamed turkeys that was making its manner throughout.

Paleontologists discovered a set of fossils in Argentina from the bones of an Achillesaurus or a carefully associated species.

Are collective nouns singular or plural?

Though they check with a number of issues directly by definition, collective nouns are singular in kind. This could make choosing the proper verb to make use of with a collective noun when it’s the topic of a sentence or clause (that’s, sustaining subject-verb settlement) a bit difficult—it’s virtually like they’re plural and singular on the identical time!

In American English, collective nouns as a rule seem with singular verbs:

The movie competition’s choice committee consists of filmmakers, movie programmers, and critics.

Residents of the city mentioned a drove of pigs that had escaped from a neighborhood farm was destroying their yards and gardens.

Nonetheless, it’s additionally right—and fairly frequent—to deal with a collective noun as plural when what’s being communicated is that the members or parts of a bunch are performing individually fairly than as a unit:

My household principally have their birthdays within the fall and winter.

The choir had been all warming up in several keys.

Among the many scholar physique, the majority are Californians.

In British English, it’s way more frequent to deal with collective nouns as plural:

The band had been on tour all summer season.

It appeared just like the employees had been at all times taking their lunch break after we stopped by the store.

3 tips about methods to use collective nouns

As we’ve seen, protecting collective nouns in settlement with the verbs they seem alongside will be difficult. When you’ve mastered that, collective nouns are easy to make use of in your writing. Listed here are a couple of extra suggestions that will help you alongside.

1
Lean towards singular

An excellent rule of thumb for utilizing collective nouns in American English is to err on the facet of treating them as singular. In different phrases, until there’s a compelling argument for making them plural—as within the examples within the previous part, during which the emphasis is on the person members of the group—it’s at all times acceptable to make use of a singular verb with them.

The membership meets each Wednesday after faculty.

The pod of dolphins was approaching the ship.

Notice that there are a couple of exceptions to this rule of thumb, such because the collective noun police, which at all times takes a plural verb.

The police had been already there after we arrived on the scene.

2
Make the topic plural

If you’re battling a sentence as a result of a specific collective noun / plural verb mixture sounds awkward to your ear, one possibility is to show the collective noun right into a extra simple plural by including “members of” or related. Examine the 2 examples under. Within the first, the collective noun jury is the topic. Within the second, the plural noun members has change into the topic. Each sentences are grammatically right, however within the second, no reader will journey on or query using the plural noun had been.

The jury had been staying in lodge rooms whereas they had been sequestered.

The members of the jury had been staying in lodge rooms whereas they had been sequestered.

3
Be constant

Once you resolve whether or not to deal with a collective noun as a singular or a plural, be sure you’re constant about its quantity all through any part of writing that it seems in. For instance, should you use a pronoun to refer again to the collective noun, it also needs to agree with the collective noun and the verb in quantity.

The firm is doing very properly this quarter. It has recouped most of its losses from final winter.

The group of passengers will scatter as quickly as they disembark.

Examples of collective nouns

Many collective nouns—reminiscent of group, bunch, couple, and pair—are normal sufficient or versatile sufficient that they are often utilized to folks, animals, or objects.

A bunch of my coworkers are going to that live performance.

Sam picked up a bunch of magazines earlier than getting on their flight.

Different collective nouns are extra particular in what they check with.

Widespread collective nouns for folks

• military
• viewers
• band
• board
• forged
• choir
• class
• membership
• coalition
• committee
• group
• firm
• congregation
• company
• council
• crew
• crowd
• household
• agency
• gang
• group
• jury
• majority
• minority
• mob
• orchestra
• panel
• parliament
• celebration
• public
• faculty
• employees
• group
• troupe

Widespread collective nouns for objects

• array
• assortment
• bouquet
• caravan
• assortment
• constellation
• fleet
• forest
• galaxy
• heap
• parcel
• pile
• vary
• sequence
• set
• bathe
• stack
• stream
• wad

Widespread collective nouns for animals

• brood
• cloud
• colony
• flock
• gaggle
• herd
• horde
• litter
• pack
• delight
• faculty
• shoal
• swarm

Collective noun FAQs

What’s a collective noun?

A collective noun is a standard noun that names a bunch of individuals, creatures, or objects.

What number of collective nouns exist in English?

There are round 2 hundred collective nouns in English.

How are you aware whether or not a collective noun must be singular or plural?

Collective nouns are singular in kind however plural in which means. In American English, they’re often handled as singular and adopted by a singular verb. Nonetheless, a lot of them will be handled as plural in contexts the place the emphasis is on the person members or parts of a bunch fairly than on the group as a complete. In British English, collective nouns are rather more regularly handled as plural.

How are you aware what pronoun to make use of to check with a collective noun?

A pronoun that refers again to a collective noun ought to agree in quantity with that collective noun and, if the collective noun is performing as the topic of a sentence or clause, with the verb.