Collective Noun

1. One of the craziest oddities of the English language is that there are so many different collective nouns that all mean "group" but which are specific to what particular thing there is a group of: a herd of elephants, a crowd of people, a box of crayons, a pad of paper, etc. There is great diversity of collective nouns associated with animals, from a sleuth of bears to a murder of crows. The following is a list of the correct terms to describe groups of various types of animals.

2. In linguistics, a collective noun is a word used to define a group of objects, where "objects" can be people, animals, inanimate things, concepts, or other things. For example, in the phrase "a pride of lions," pride is a collective noun.

Most collective nouns encountered in everyday speech, such as "group," are mundane and are not specific to one kind of constituent object. For example, the terms "group of people," "group of dogs," and "group of ideas" are all correct uses. Others, especially words belonging to the large subset of collective nouns known as terms of venery (words for groups of animals), are specific to one kind of constituent object. For example, "pride" as a term of venery refers to lions— but not to dogs or llamas. (Terms of venery are further discussed below.)

Collective nouns should not be confused with mass nouns, or with the collective grammatical number.

3. A collective noun is a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit.

Usage Note: In American usage, a collective noun takes a singular verb when it refers to the collection considered as a whole, as in:

• The family was united on this question.


• The enemy is suing for peace.

It takes a plural verb when it refers to the members of the group considered as individuals, as in:

• My family are always fighting among themselves.


• The enemy were showing up in groups of three or four to turn in their weapons.


• In British usage, however, collective nouns are more often treated as plurals:


• The government have not announced a new policy.


• The team are playing in the test matches next week.

A collective noun should not be treated as both singular and plural in the same construction; thus:

• The family is determined to press its (not their) claim.

Among the common collective nouns are:

• committee


• clergy


• company


• enemy


• group


• family


• flock


• public


• team

4. A collective noun, or group noun, is a noun which designates a group of people or animals. Crew, committee, gang, government, audience, family, and herd are all collective nouns.

When such a group is considered as a single unit, its collective noun is used with a singular verb and singular pronouns: The committee has reached its decision. But when the focus is on the individual members of the group, British English tends to use a plural verb and plural pronouns with its collective nouns: The committee have been arguing all morning over what they should do. American English usually uses a singular verb and pronouns in these circumstances.

A determiner in front of a singular collective noun is always singular: this committee, never these committee (but of course when the collective noun is pluralized, it takes a plural determiner: these committees).

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