| |
Collective nouns are interesting because they
are
countable, but refer to groups of people or
things.
This means that the singular
form of a collective noun actually refers to more than one person
or thing.
(The plural form of a collective noun
refers to more
than
one group.)
Here are a few examples:
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
example |
|
meaning |
| |
army |
|
a group of
soldiers |
| |
audience |
|
a group of people being
entertained,
listening to
a
speech, etc. |
| |
band |
|
a group of
musicians
playing wind
and
percussion instruments |
| |
bouquet
[buw-kéi]) |
|
a group of cut flowers |
| |
cattle |
|
a group of
cows |
| |
choir |
|
a group of
singers |
| |
class |
|
a group of
students
studying the
same thing |
| |
club |
|
a group of
people with
a common
interest--
for
example, photography
or gardening
or Tae Kwon Do |
| |
committee |
|
a group of people in
a company
or other
organization working
together on
a
common
assignment, project, or
area of interest |
| |
crowd |
|
a large
number of
people (often
in a
small place) |
| |
faculty |
|
the teachers
who work
in a school,
college,
university, etc. |
| |
flotilla |
|
a group of ships
sailing
together |
| |
gang |
|
a group of
people who
do things--often
criminal
activities--together; also
a group of close friends |
| |
group |
|
general term
for a number
of people
or things; often
used
for musicians |
| |
herd |
|
a group of
certain kinds
of animals
(usually animals
with
hooves--horses, cattle,
deer,
sheep, buffalo, etc.) |
| |
jury |
|
a group of
people (12 in
the U.S. and
Great Britain)
who
decide, based on the
evidence that is presented,
whether someone
is
guilty
or not guilty |
| |
mob |
|
a
crowd--often one that
is excited
and beginning to
show
unruly behavior |
| |
navy |
|
a group of
sailors |
| |
orchestra |
|
a group of musicians
playing wind,
string, and
percussion instruments |
| |
staff |
|
a group of
workers who
provide support
for an
individual, a company,
or an organization |
| |
team |
|
a group of
athletes playing
together in
a sport; a group
of
individuals working
together on a project |
