Grammar
Collective Nouns
A Collective Noun is the name used for a collection of people, animals or things.
Examples:
| People | Animals | Things |
|---|---|---|
| a band of musicians | a troop of lions | a collection of stamps |
| a crew of sailors | a pack of wolves | a library of books |
| a choir of singers | a gaggle of geese | a bunch of grapes |
Collective nouns are used with singular verbs.
Examples:
An army of soldiers is marching in the field.
A troop of lions is attacking an antelope.
A choir of singers is performing a Christmas carol on the stage.
A flock of seagulls is flying over the ship.
A gang of theives was arrested by the police last night.
Walter gave her girlfriend a bouquet of flowers on Valentine’s Day.
The farmer rears a gaggle of geese on his farm.
I bought a bunch of grapes from the market.
Study the following lists of collective nouns.
| People | Animals | Things |
|---|---|---|
| a gang of workmen | a nest / colony / an army of ants | a group / archipelago of islands |
| a company of actors | a swarm / hive of bees | a ring of keys |
| a troupe of dancers / performers | a herd of antelopes | a string of pearls |
| a cast / company of actors | a flock of birds | a set of china |
| a party of friends | a herd of buffaloes | a bundle of rags |
| a school of clerks | a culture of bacteria | a wad of money |
| a gang of labourers | a quiver of cobras | a galaxy / constellation of stars |
| a staff of employees | a fall of lambs | a brace of pistols |
| a band / an orchestra of musicians | a herd of cattle | a flight of airplanes |
| a panel of experts | a pack of dogs / wolves | a set / kit of tools |
| a tribe of natives | a drove of donkeys | a packet of cigarettes |
| a troop of boy scouts | a brood of chickens | a bundle of sticks |
| a team of players | a shoal / school of fish | a flight of steps |
| a posse of policemen / sheriffs | a cote of doves | a pack of cards |
| a class of pupils | a swarm of insects | a clutch of eggs |
| a company of girl guides | a litter of kittens | a crate of fruit |
| a blast of hunters | a herd of elephants | a troop of mushrooms |
| a blush of boys | a troop / mop of kangaroos | a fleet / fortilla of ships |
| a crew of sailors | a leap of leopards | a collection of stamps |
| a staff of servants | a pride / troop of lions | a suit of clothes |
| a choir of singers | a plague of locusts | a heap / pile of trash |
| an eloquence of lawyers | a pit / nest / slither of snakes | a collection of pictures |
| an audience of listeners | a tribe / troop of monkeys | a sheaf of corn |
| an illusion of magicians | a team / herd of oxen | a cluster of diamonds |
| a crowd of onlookers / spectators | a parliment of owls | a bale of cotton |
| a band of robbers | a litter of puppies | a clump / thicket / grove of trees |
| a staff of teachers | a nest of rabbits / mice | a fleet of cars |
| a gang / den of thieves | a flock of sheep / camels | a batch of bread |
| a flock of tourists | a farrow of piglets | a stack of hay |
| a coven of witches | a cloud of mosquitoes | a network of computers |
| a gaggle of women | a colony of bats | a tuft of grass |
| a band of men | a drove of pigs | a bundle of sticks |
| a bevy / galaxy of beauties | a flight of swallows | a library of books |
| a host of angels | a gaggle of geese | a heap / pile of stones |
| a board of directors | a swarm of insects | a dossier of documents |
| a bevy of girls / ladies | a school of whales / dolphins | a bunch of bananas |
| a congregation of worshippers | a flock of sheep | a bunch of grapes |
| a bench of magistrates | a stud of horses | a quiver of arrows |
| a horde of savages | a chest of drawers | |
| a party of politicians | a hedge of bushes | |
| a crowd of people | a range of mountains | |
| a squad / army / troop of soldiers | a suite of furniture | |
| a bouquet / bunch of flowers |
Exercises
A. Choose the right collective nouns to fill in the blanks.
galaxy, bevy, band, tribe, gaggle, staff, party, suit, wad, pack
1. a ____________ of wolves
2. a ____________ of beauties
3. a ____________ of clothes
4. a ____________ of musicians
5. a ____________ of geese
6. a ____________ of stars
7. a ____________ of money
8. a ____________ of employees
9. a ____________ of natives
10. a ____________ of friends
B. Choose the correct answers.
1. a ( panel, board ) of experts
2. a ( set, bale ) of tools
3. a ( troop, leap ) of leopards
4. a ( brood, culture ) of bacteria
5. a ( company, eloquence ) of actors
6. a ( team, flock ) of sheep
7. a ( batch, network ) of computers
8. a ( drove, troop ) of donkeys
9. a ( board, panel ) of directors
10. a ( pack, library ) of books
C. Fill in the blanks with the right collective nouns.
1. A few tourists are feeding a ____________ of monkeys in the botanical garden.
2. The hen is sitting on a ____________ of eggs.
3. A ____________ of politicians is having a meeting in the conference room.
4. A ____________ of dancers is dancing gracefully on the stage.
5. My cat gave birth to a ____________ of kittens last week.
6. Mr. Anderson gave his wife a ____________ of pearls as a birthday present.
7. The teller passed a ____________ of coins to the customer.
8. Mrs. Crusoe found a ____________ of mice in her attic.
9. The farmers are upset because a ____________ of locusts destroyed their crops.
10. My dad ordered a new ____________ of furniture for our living room last Christmas.
D. Choose the correct answers.
1. A few dolphins are chasing a ( class, school ) of fish under the sea.
2. A ( team, congregation ) of basketball players are warming themselves up before a match.
3. In a story that Wendy read, a ( host, board ) of angels came to the rescue of the earthquake victims.
4. The wealthy captain owns a ( flight, fleet ) of ships.
5. A few garbage men are clearing a ( set, pile ) of trash at the roadside.
6. I saw a ( gaggle, company ) of colorful parrots at the zoo last week.
7. While escaping from the house owner, the burglar tripped and fell down a ( flight, stack ) of steps.
8. Mrs. Ding bought a ( bunch, suit) of flowers from the florist’s.
9. There is a ( group, range ) of mountains a couple of miles away from the town.
10. Mr. Richard handed a ( wad, ring ) of keys to his daughter.
Answers
A.
1.pack 2.bevy 3.suit 4.band 5.gaggle 6.galaxy 7.audience 8.staff 9.tribe 10.party
B.
1.panel 2.set 3.leap 4.culture 5.company 6.flock 7.network 8.drove 9.board 10.library
C.
1.troop/tribe 2.clutch 3.party 4.troupe 5.litter 6.string 7.rouleau 8.nest 9.plague 10.suite
D.
1.school 2.team 3.host 4.fleet 5.pile 6.company 7.flight 8.bunch 9.range 10.ring
