Unit 3.1
Collective Nouns
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Introduction
Collective nouns refer to a noun describing groups of two or more people, animals or things.
Form
Collective nouns usually appear before nouns of groups. Collective nouns can work only with a specific noun.
The most commonly used collective nouns are:
- we use army of with ants, caterpillars, soldiers…
- we use gang of with labourers, slaves, thieves…
- we use herd of with cows, deer, elephants…
- we use litter of with kittens, pigs, puppies…
- we use pack of with dogs, hyenas, wolves…
- we use team of with athletes, horses, players…
NOTE: With singular determiners (a/an, each, every…), collective nouns must be used with singular verbs.
Example
- An army of ants appeared out of the grass.
- A gang of labourers was playing football.
- There was a herd of cows grazing in the field.
- The dog looked proudly at her litter of puppies.
- A pack of dogs was running towards me.
- A team of players was doing athletics.
Use
We use collective nouns when we combine specific nouns with singular words that refer to a group of people, thing or animal.
We use:
- with a singular verb when collective nouns refer to one entity;
- with a plural verb when collective nouns refer to a team.
Summary
Collective nouns refer to a noun describing groups of two or more people, animals or things.
The most commonly used collective nouns are: army of, gang of, herd of, litter of, pack of, team of…
We use them:
- with a singular verb when collective nouns refer to one entity;
- with a plural verb when collective nouns refer to a team.
For example:
— “The gang of thieves was caught.” = The gang is treated as a single entity, that is why we need to use a singular verb.
— “The gang of thieves were having an argument.” = The members of the gang is emphasised, therefore we need to use a plural verb.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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