Collective Noun
Collective Noun
A collective noun is the name given to a group of
persons or things considered as one.
A choir is
a group of singers.
A family is
a group of people living together.
An army is a
group of soldiers.
A fleet is
a group of ships.
A class is a group
of students.
Collective
Nouns
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Persons
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Animals
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Things
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a choir
of singers
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a herd
of cattle
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a basket
of fruits
|
a class
of students
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a brood
of chickens
|
an
album of photographs
|
a dynasty
of kings
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a
haul of fish
|
a block
of flats
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a mob
of rioters
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a hive
of bees
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a
bunch of keys
|
a panel
of experts
|
a host
of sparrows
|
a cloud
of dust
|
a regiment
of soldiers
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a pack
of wolves
|
a galaxy
of stars
|
a team
of players
|
a swarm
of bees
|
a pair
of shoes
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a troop
of scouts
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a train
of camels
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a range
of mountains
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a troupe
of artistes
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a zoo
of wild animals
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A stack
of wood
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Collective nouns usually take a singular verb, because
they are singular in construction, but they sometimes take a plural verb.
👉 Some collective
nouns always take singular verb and some always take plural verb.
Collective
Nouns that always take singular verb- everyone, everybody, no one, no body
Examples:
👉 Everyone has
their own philosophy of life.
No one is making a sound.
Some
collective nouns always take plural verb, e.g.; police, people
Examples:
The
police have caught the robbers.
People like to be made to feel important.
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Generally, we can say that collective nouns can be
singular or plural. It depends on the context of the sentence.
Use a singular verb when the members of
the group are acting together as a unit.
• The family is
driving across the country this summer.
• The band of
musicians is travelling across the continent.
• The couple
eats out once a month.
• The herd
usually stays together.
• A new family
has moved to my neighbourhood.
• A litter of
kittens was born in this winter.
Use a plural verb when the members of the
group are acting as individuals.
• The family
are each doing a different chore in the house.
• The class are
working on different projects.
• The couple
are taking separate cars to work today.
• The jury were
allowed to go home to their families each day.
• A litter of
kittens have been running around the shelter making messes.
If we use a collective noun as a singular
noun, we cannot treat the noun as a plural in the same sentence and vice versa.
• My staff is
working very hard to meet its target. (not their)
• The jury were
divided in their opinion. (not its)
Exercise
Underline the collective nouns in the
passage.
Last vacation, my family and I went on a trip to the
famous National Zoological Park in Delhi. We learnt about a gaggle of geese
that were injured due to children throwing stones at them. We also saw how a
troop of monkeys danced when they heard music. The audience applauded seeing
the monkeys dance. My favourite part was watching a pride of lions basking in
the sun. They were very playful. I had fun looking and learning about animals.
Ans-
Last vacation, my family and I went on a trip
to the famous National Zoological Park in Delhi. We learnt about a gaggle
of geese that were injured due to children throwing stones at them. We also
saw how a troop of monkeys danced when they heard music. The audience
applauded seeing the monkeys dance. My favourite part was watching a pride
of lions basking in the sun. They were very playful. I had fun looking and
learning about animals.
Sam is looking for the bunch of keys.
Bunch is a collective word that can be used with keys. What do you say for the
following? Choose your answer from the list.
cluster,
string, flock, regiment, swarm, bundle, pride, gang, choir, team, herd,
flight, pack, shoal
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1) A
string of beads.
2) A
regiment of soldiers.
3) A
swarm of bees.
4) A
gang of thieves.
5) A
pride of lions.
6) A
flock of sheep.
7) A
fleet of ships.
8) A
flight of stairs.
9) A
cluster of stars.
10) A
bundle of sticks.
11) A
herd of buffaloes.
12) A
team of cricketers.
13) A
pack of cards.
14) A
coir of singers.
15) A
shoal of fish.
Replace the underlined words with
suitable collective noun.
1) A
lot of people gathered to oppose the new law.
A crowd gathered to oppose the new
law.
2) The
man took his wife and children to the National Park.
The man took his family to the
National Park.
3) The
violent group of people threw stones.
The mob threw stones.
4) The
children gave teacher a collection of flowers.
The children gave teacher a bouquet.
5) The
general led his victorious group of soldiers home.
The general led his victorious army
home.
6) I
saw a group of kittens under the tree.
I saw a litter under the tree.
7) The
fisherman saw a big group of fish.
The fisherman saw a big school of
fish.
8) The
captain led his group of players to the ground.
The captain led his team to the
ground.
9) A
number of sailors stood on the deck.
A crew of sailors stood on the deck.
10) The
dog helped the shepherd guard his group of sheep.
The dog helped the shepherd guard his
flock.
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