Collective noun animals3/9/2024 This might explain why some collective nouns for some animals seem a bit strange, surprising or just plain funny. They say that the collective names for groups of animals date back to medieval times. If you want to know more about nouns, pronouns, verbs, and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.When you go on holidays with kids, you’ll often get a question like “What’s a group of cows called?” Sometimes you also find the kids know the collective nouns for animals way better than the adults do. The table below shows a selection of collective nouns used to label animals, people, things, and organizations. For example, referring to a group of people as a “herd” would characterize them as mindless and anonymous. NoteThe more common collective nouns for animals are often applied figuratively to humans, typically with a negative connotation. Wild or trained animals that hunt as a group (e.g., wolves, dogs) Social and cooperative animals (e.g., ants, beavers, penguins)Īnimals guided by a leader (e.g., sheep following a shepherd) or assembled in a formation (e.g., birds)Īnimals (e.g., cows) kept by farmers in a large group, or wild animals that congregate in groups Collective nounīaby animals such as chicks or insect larvae Some examples are shown in the table below. The more surprising ones tend not to be used very often in practice, except to comment on their strangeness. These nouns range from the conventional to the poetic and unusual. These terms are used on their own or with the animal specified (e.g., “pack of dogs”). Many collective nouns are very general in their usage (e.g., you can refer to a “group” of just about anything), but there are also much more specific collective nouns, particularly for different types of animals. Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text.įix mistakes for free Collective nouns for animals Examples: Collective nouns in UK EnglishThe board are in disagreement about appointing a successor.įoo Fighters are an overrated band, but Nirvana is great. For example, it would read strangely to treat the word “company” as singular in one sentence and plural in the next. It’s still a good idea to be consistent about how you treat each term, though. In practice, the plural form tends to be used quite often when the emphasis is on the individual members of a group acting separately, or when the noun is plural in appearance. In UK English, usage is more varied, and both styles are generally seen as acceptable. Examples: Collective nouns in US EnglishThe board is in disagreement about appointing a successor.įoo Fighters is an overrated band. In formal and academic writing, therefore, you should be careful to treat collective nouns as singular, even when they are plural in appearance (e.g., some band names). This doesn’t mean that people never do so, but it would be against the rules of most American style guides. In US English, it’s regarded as incorrect to use a plural verb form with a collective noun. In UK English, either way is acceptable, and usage tends to vary depending on the context.In US English, it’s standard to always treat collective nouns as singular.Frequently asked questions about collective nounsĬollective nouns are most commonly treated as singular (i.e., used with singular verb forms like “is”), but usage varies between US and UK English:.Are collective nouns singular or plural?.
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