Collective Nouns

A collective noun is used to refer to an entire group of people, animals, or things. Therefore it includes more than one member.

My family is very big

Collective nouns can refer to:

• people -- family, class, committee, staff etc.

• animals -- a pack of dogs, a swarm of flies, a herd of horses, a litter of puppies etc.

• things -- pack, set, bunch, stack etc.

When the members within one group behave in the same manner, they are part of a collective noun, thus this noun becomes singular and requires a singular verb.

Every day the football team follows its coach out to the field for practice.

When the members are acting as individuals, the collective noun is plural and requires a plural verb. In many cases, it may sound more natural to make the subject plural in form by adding words like members, mates etc.

After the practice, the team(mates) shower, change into their casual clothes, and head to their homes.

Guided Practice#

• The jury is about to decide whether the man is guilty.

• A pack of wolves hunts at night.

• I can't believe he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day.

• The orchestra often (to play) .................... at the gala.

• Right now the cast (to practise) .................... their lines before shooting.

Short Story using Collective Nouns#

-I had the most amazing time backpacking with my classmates!

-Did you like Canada and its nature?

-I sure did! A range of mountains was magical. And the animals I've seen! A flutter of tiny butterflies, a herd of deer, and a family of beavers!

-Yeah, it's not something you can see here.

-True. I wanted to create some long-lasting memories of this experience. So I tried taking a sequence of photos: not disturbing the wildlife and just observing it from the safe distance.

Independent Practice#

Form collective nouns.