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Table of Contents
What are Collective Nouns?
Collective Nouns are the type of nouns which refers to a group (collection) of people, animals, things, places, etc.
For example team, audience, society, family, crowd, crew, police, army, committee, etc. These are not individuals but they are the collection/set of individuals.
Also Read: Noun Definition and Examples | Best English Guide 2021
More Examples of Collective Nouns
| Group/Collection | Meaning |
| Team | A group of players |
| Army | A group of Soldiers |
| Library | A large collection of books |
| Crowd | A group of people |
| Pack | A set of cards |
| Staff | A group of employees |
| Class | A group of students |
| Band | A group of musicians |
| Bundle | A small set of books |
| Zoo | A Collection of animals |
| Basket | A collection of fruits |
| Patrol | A group of policemen |
| Bunch | A set of keys |
| Group | A group/collection of Islands |
Common Collective Nouns for People
The below table gives the names of the groups of people with different categories.
| Group/Collection | Meaning | Example |
| board | A group of official people | A board of directors |
| gang | A group of people | A gang of thieves |
| crew | A group of sailors | A crew of sailors |
| choir | A group of singers | A choir of singers |
| army | A group of soldiers | The army of soldiers |
| firm | A group of lawers | A firm of lawyers |
| family | A group of relatives | A family of relatives |
Common Collective Nouns for Animals
Let us consider the most commonly used Collective Nouns for animals.
| Group Name | Meaning |
| School (or) Shoal | A group of fish |
| Bike | A group of bees |
| Herd (or) Flock | A group of sheeps |
| Herd | A group of elephants |
| Pride | A group of lions |
| Streak | A group of tigers |
| Sloth | A group of bears |
Common Collective Nouns for things
Now let us see how the things are named to their groups.
| Group Name | Meaning |
| bundle | A set of files, books, etc |
| pair | A set of socks, shoes, etc |
| line | A group of cars |
| ring | A set of keys |
| network | A collection of computers |
Rules of Collective Noun (on how to use it?)
Let us consider the word “Library” which is usually a large collection of books (as shown above). Now this word can be used in two types, ie. Singular Collective Noun and Plural Collective Noun.
Example Statements:
- Singular Collective Noun: Yesterday, I went to the nearest library to read one of my favourite series of Harry Potter.
- Plural Collective Noun: Usually few libraries in my area remains closed on every Saturdays.
When Singular Collective Noun is used in the sentence or paragraph, then you need to use the words which only shows the reference to the individuals (like people, thing, etc).
For example: Yesterday, I went to the nearest library to read one of my favourite series. So, I read a book from the series of Harry Potter.
Here, you can observe that “a book” is used and it is referring to the library (a collection of books).
Quiz Time! (Test your knowledge here)
#1. Can you give me a pack of cards? Identify the Collective Noun.
Answer: Here, “pack” is the Collective Noun.
#2. The company is usually controlled by the ______ of directors.
Answer: The company is usually controlled by the board of directors.
#3. Is society a Collective Noun?
Answer: Yes
#4. I need to sign a _______ of papers.
Answer: I need to sign a bunch of papers.
#5. I want to buy a ____ of socks. Choose an appropriate word.
Answer: I want to buy a pair of socks.
#6. The Police has chased down the thief.
Answer: Police
#7. The whole family celebrated the festival together. Identify the Collective Noun.
Answer: family
#8. The team has won by 10 points. Identify the Collective Noun.
Answer: Here “team” is the Collective Noun.
#9. Collective Nouns refer to a _______ of people, animal, etc.
Answer: Collective Nouns refer to a group of people, animal, etc.
#10. A _______ of books has been recycled. Identify the correct option.
Answer: A bundle of books have been recycled.
Results
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Summary: (What are Collective Nouns?)
- Collective nouns usually refer to a group of people, things, animals, etc. The names are given to the groups so that it can identify the common group(set or collection) of the individual.
- For example team, audience, society, family, crowd, crew, police, etc.
- These Nouns can be used as Singular Collective Noun and Plural Collective Noun.
Also Read: Noun Definition and Examples | Best English Guide 2021
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