Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- identify collective nouns.
- determine the notion of number of a singular collective noun.
- use singular collective nouns correctly.
What is a collective noun?
A collective noun is any single word that refers to a group of people, a group of animals, or a collection of things. The words listed below are examples of collective nouns. They are collective nouns because each of them refers to a group of people or a collection of things.
family class team committee couple duet panel collection audience trio
It means collective nouns are words for single things that are made up of more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea.
Most collective nouns have both the singular and the plural forms. Observe the forms illustrated below:
Singular family class team committee
Plural families classes teams committees
How to use plural collective nouns
A plural collective noun is always interpreted as plural. It always counts as a plural noun and so it selects a plural verb. In each of the examples that follow, the plural collective noun has been underlined once and its corresponding verb underlined twice. Observe how the plural collective nouns have been used in the sentences below.
- All the classes (is / are) meeting today.
- The two families (has / hav e) always agreed on everything.
- The two teams (has / hav e) the potential to progress to the next stage.
You notice that each of the collective nouns in the sentences above appears in the plural form and requires a plural verb. Therefore, most students have no difficulty in their use of plural collective nouns. The rule is straightforward: “a plural noun requires a plural verb”. But when it comes to dealing with singular collective nouns, the rule is not simple and neat, though it is not difficult to master it.
How to use singular collective nouns
A singular collective noun may be used in two ways. It may be interpreted as a single unit or it may be interpreted as an entity made up of a number of individuals. For example, in the sentence,
The class chooses Esther as its representative.
the collective noun class is considered as a single unit (i.e. singular). The collective noun ‘class’ is interpreted as singular, and so it selects a singular verb, ‘chooses’. But in the sentence,
The class disagree that Esther should be their representative.
the collective noun ‘class’ is considered as an entity made up of a number of individuals (i.e. plural). It is interpreted as plural, and so it selects a plural verb, ‘disagree’.
So, when the singular collective noun is considered as a single unit, it selects a singular verb, but when it is regarded as a number of individuals it selects a plural verb.Look a bit more closely at the two ways that singular collective nouns may be used and provide even more examples, placing them in contexts so that you can gain a greater understanding of how singular collective nouns are used.
i. Singular collective noun as a single unit
When a collective noun is considered as a single unit, it selects a singular verb. Observe how the collective nouns in the sentences below have been used. The singular collective noun has been underlined once and its corresponding verb has been underlined twice.
- The class (has / have) elected Yomgo its chair.
- The family (is / are) holding its annual reunion today.
- Our team always (plays / play) together when it is winning.
- The jury (was / were) unanimous in its decision.
- The gov ernment (has / have) fulfilled all its promises.
But the question is how do you determine that the singular collective noun is to be interpreted as singular or as plural?
Notice that, usually, there is something contained in the sentence that helps you to know whether to interpret the singular collective noun as singular or as plural. Consider these sentences again.
- The class (has / have) elected Yomgo its chair.
- The family (is / are) holding its annual reunion today.
- Our team always (plays / play) together when it is winning.
- The jury (was / were) unanimous in its decision.
- The gov ernment (has / have) fulfilled all its promises.
In Sentence 1, the pronoun ‘its’ is singular and represents the singular collective noun ‘class’ and this tells you that ‘class’ should be interpreted as singular. Also notice that the singular pronouns ‘it’ and ‘its’ contained in Sentences 2, 3, 4, and 5, help you to know that the singular collective nouns family, team, jury, and government are to be interpreted as singular.
ii. Singular collective noun as a number of individuals
When the singular collective noun is regarded as a number of individuals, it selects a plural verb. Observe how the singular collective nouns in the sentences that follow have been used.
6. The class (has / hav e) elected Yomgo their chair.
7. That family (has / hav e) gone on holiday.
8. Their team always (argues / argue) with one another when they lose a match.
9. The jury (was / were) divided in their opinion.
10. The government (has / hav e) broken all their promises.
Do you notice that the singular collective noun ‘class’ in Sentence 6 is interpreted as plural? The plural pronoun ‘their’ tells you that ‘class’ should be interpreted as plural. Also, the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘their’ in Sentences 8, 9, and 10 signal that the corresponding singular collective nouns team, jury, and government should be interpreted as plural. So, usually, there is something contained in the message that tells you how to interpret singular collective nouns. This and other aspects of subject-verb agreement will be treated in detail in another lesson.
Special collective nouns
Apart from the general examples of collective nouns as discussed above, there are many special collective nouns that refer to certain specific groups of people, animals, or things. We refer to these collective nouns as special because they are usually associated with specific entities. So, these special collective nouns are used in relation to specific entities. In other words, the special collective nouns collocate with a specific and special class of people, animals, and things.
The following are some of the special collective nouns. They have been put into three groups: people, animals, and things. When you learn to use them, your oral and written fluency will improve.
People
- an argument of wizards a band of musicians
- a bench of bishops a bench of judges
- a bevy of ladies
- a board of governors a choir of singers
- a class of scholars
- a company of soldiers a crew of sailors
- a gang of labourers a gang of thieves
- a host of angels
- a pack of rascals
- an assembly of clergy a staff of employees
- a team of players
- a tribe of natives
- a troupe of performers
Animals
- an army of ants
- a brood of chickens a covey of grouse
- a drove of cattle
- a flock of birds a flock of sheep
- a gaggle of geese a haul of fish
- a herd of buffaloes
- a herd of cattle
- a litter of cubs a litter of pups
- a nest of rabbits
- a pack of wolves
- a plague of locusts a pride of lions
- a plaque of insects a school of whales a shoal of herring a stud of horses
- a swarm of bees
- a swarm of insects a team of horses
- a troop of monkeys
Things
- an agenda of tasks an arsenal of guns an atlas of maps
- an anthology of poems a bale of cotton, wool a batch of bread
- a bouquet of flowers
- a bunch of grapes a bundle of rags
- a chest of drawers
- a clump of trees
- a cluster of diamonds a cluster of stars
- a clutch of eggs
- a collection of pictures a crate of fruit
- a fleet of motor cars, ships
- a flight of aeroplanes, steps a forest of trees
- a hail of fire
- a hedge of bushes a library of books a pack of cards
- a rope of pearls
- a set of clubs a set of tools
- a sheaf of corn
- a stack of hay
- a string of beads
- a suite of furniture a tuft of grass
Summary
- A collective noun is any single word that refers to a collection of people, animals or things.
- Most collective nouns have both the singular form and the plural form.
- A plural collective noun is always interpreted as plural but a singular collective noun may be used in two ways. It may be interpreted as a single unit or it may be interpreted as an entity made up of a number of individuals.
- When a singular collective noun is considered as a single unit, it selects a singular verb but when it is regarded as a number of individuals, it selects a plural verb.
- Apart from the general collective nouns, there are many special ones that refer to certain specific groups of people, animals, or things. When you learn to use them correctly, your oral and written proficiency of English will improve.
CONTENT CONSULTANTS
Author
John Tetteh Agor, Ph.D.
Peer Reviewers
Modestus Fosu, Ph.D.
Prosper Kwesi Agordjor, M.Phil.
William Foli Garr, (Rev.) M.Phil.