Collective Noun | What is a Collective Noun - The Learning Art

Collective Noun | What is a Collective Noun

Definition

A collective noun is a noun that represents a collection of individuals usually living creatures or things.

For Example

a cricket team (of eleven players), a cast (of actors), a brood (of chicks), a pair (of shoes)

Explanation

A collective noun is a noun that names a group or entire collection as one entity. For example, an army is an example of collective noun, because there are many soldiers in an army that is why it is a perfect example to understand the collective nouns.

Moreover, a beehive is another perfect example to understand collective nouns, There are hundreds or arguably thousands of bees in a beehive.

Any group or collection of living creatures (humans and animals) or things as one entity is called collective noun.

Examples of Collective Nouns

Collective Noun Examples as Human Groups or Persons

1. a class (of students)
2. a jail (showing a group of prisoners)
3. a crowd (of people)
4. a tribe (of locals)
5. a staff (of employees)
6. a band (of musicians)
7. a board (of directors)
8. a group (of dancers)
9. a troop (of scouts)
10. a crew (of sailors)

Collective Noun Examples as Animal Groups

1. a zoo (of animals)
2. a pack (of wolves)
3. a murder (of crows)
4. a drove (of horses)
5. a herd (of cattle)
6. a swarm (of bees)
7. a colony (of gulls)
8. a host (of sparrows)
9. a tribe (of goats)
10. a troop (of lions)

Collective Noun Examples as Things

1. a pack (of cards)
2. a bouquet (of flowers)
3. a library (of books)
4. a boutique (of clothes)
5. a range (of mountains)
6. a forest (of trees)
7. a galaxy (of stars)
8. a hedge (of bushes)
9. a stack (of woods)
10. a ream (of paper)

Use of Collective Noun as Singular Noun or Plural

It is always not necessary that a collective noun will behave like a plural noun in a sentence. A collective noun may behave as a singular noun as well in a sentence. It depends on the context of the sentence or which English you are using i.e. British English or American.

Examples

My family has come from England. (American English)

My family have come from England. (British English)

The above both sentences are grammatically correct because one sentence follow American English while other British.

Collective Nouns always Plural

The police have caught the criminal. 

The people have performed well in this challenging situation.

Types of Noun

    1) Common Nouns

    2) Proper Nouns

    3) Concrete Nouns

    4) Abstract Nouns

    5) Compound Nouns

    6) Collective Nouns

    7) Material Nouns

    8) Possessive Nouns

    9) Countable Nouns

    10) Uncountable Nouns