Collective Nouns

Collective nouns indicate that the group has multiple members. These nouns are singular in form but refer to multiple individuals or items.

For instance, the word "team" is a collective noun that can refer to a group of athletes, coworkers, or students. There are also collective nouns that are specific to certain types of animals, like "pride" for a group of lions or "flock" for a group of birds.

Here are some examples of collective nouns:

Animal Collective Nouns:

• A herd of cattle
• A flock of birds
• A school of fish
• A pack of wolves
• A pride of lions

People Collective Nouns:

• A team of athletes
• A crew of sailors
• A group of friends
• A class of students
• A jury of peers

Insect and Reptile Collective Nouns:

• A swarm of bees
• A colony of ants
• A den of snakes
• A cluster of spiders

Plant and Tree Collective Nouns:

• A grove of trees
• A bouquet of flowers
• A forest of bamboo
• A field of wheat

Other Collective Nouns:

• A fleet of ships
• A library of books
• A stack of papers
• A horde of zombies

Singular or Plural?

Although collective nouns refer to many members of a group, they are singular in form and follow  a singular verb. Here are some examples of collective nouns used in sentences:

• The team is practicing hard for the upcoming championship game.
• The family enjoys spending quality time together during the holidays.
• A herd of elephants crossed the river in search of water.
• The large flock of birds migrated south for the winter.
• The committee has been working diligently on the new project proposal.
• The audience applauded enthusiastically after the performance.
• The entire class participated in the science experiment.
• The jury deliberated for hours before reaching a verdict in the trial.
• The crowd at the music festival danced to the rhythm of the music.
• A pack of wolves roamed through the forest in search of prey.
• Our team has won the interschool football tournament. (team= a group of eleven players)
• Our school library has one thousand books. (library= a collection of books)

Nouns of Multitude

When a collective noun takes plural verb, it is called noun of multitude. This happens when the members of the group are divided in their opinion or work.

Examples:

• The class is sitting in the class. (Collective noun)
• The class are playing in the field and reading in the library. (Noun of multitude)