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EnglishEspañolFrançaisItalianoDeutsch日本語中文한국어Portuguêsहिन्दीNorskSvenskaDanskSuomiРусскийBahasa IndonesiaTiếng ViệtTürkçePolskiالعربيةবাংলাاردوNederlandsУкраїнськаΕλληνικάעבריתČeštinaMagyarRomânăไทย

Collective Nouns

English · Nouns

Introduction

A collective noun names a group as one unit: a team of players, a flock of birds. Animals in particular have their own group words.

groupcollective noun
people / professionalsteam, staff, audience, committee, jury, crew, class, government, board
birdsa flock of birds, a murder of crows, a parliament of owls
land animalsa herd of cattle, a pack of wolves, a pride of lions
fish / sea lifea school of fish, a pod of whales, a shoal of herring
thingsa bunch of flowers, a pile of books, a set of keys, a fleet of ships
Terms like a pack of wolves or a flock of birds are common knowledge, but whimsical ones such as a murder of crows or a parliament of owls are trivia most native speakers don't actually use in everyday speech - fine to know, but you won't be misunderstood using a group of crows instead.
Bunch, pile, and set are general quantity expressions that work with many different nouns (a pile of books, a pile of clothes), unlike true collective nouns such as herd or flock, which name a specific kind of group. Fleet is closer to a true collective noun, since it specifically means a group of ships or vehicles.

Singular or Plural Verb?

In British English, collective nouns often take a plural verb when the focus is on the individuals within the group. In American English, collective nouns almost always take a singular verb.

British EnglishAmerican English
The team are playing well.The team is playing well.
The government have announced...The government has announced...
The jury were divided.The jury was divided.
The staff have voted.The staff has voted.
The key question is whether you are thinking of the group as a single whole (singular verb) or as individual members acting separately (plural verb, more British). Either way, be consistent within a piece of writing.
A few words that look like collective nouns are always plural in verb agreement, even in American English: the police are, the people are. These aren't really variable collective nouns - they are treated as plural nouns in both varieties.

Agreement with Pronouns

Once you have chosen singular or plural for the verb, keep that agreement for any pronouns that refer back to the collective noun.

  • The committee has reached its decision.
  • The committee have reached their decision.
  • The audience rose to their feet.

Practice

  1. A group of wolves is called a ___.

  2. Which sentence follows American English usage?

  3. Which collective noun refers to a group of fish?

  4. The committee has reached ___ decision, and it will be announced tomorrow.

  5. A group of crows is called a ___.

  6. A group of lions is called a ___.

  7. Which sentence follows British English usage (individual members)?

  8. A group of whales is called a ___.

  9. Which collective noun refers to people/professionals?

  10. In British English you'll often hear: 'The jury ___ divided - some wanted to convict, others didn't.'

  11. When the band came on stage, the audience rose to ___ feet.

  12. A group of grapes is called a ___.

  13. A group of ships is called a ___.

  14. The police ___ investigating the case.

  15. In American English: 'The government ___ announced new policies.'

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Words that follow this rule

teamgroupfamilycommitteeflockherdcrowdclassstaffaudiencegovernmentjuryarmybandcrewswarm

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