Collective Nouns Although typically words that identify more than one person, place, or thing are made plural in

the English language, collective nouns are an exception. This unique class of nouns denotes a

group of people, animals, objects, or concepts or ideas as a single entity.

Comparing Countable, Mass and Collective Nouns Confused about the differences between these types of nouns?

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted, modified by a number or quantified with

size, amount, or value related words, and can appear in both singular and plural form.

Mass nouns, also referred to as non-count nouns, signify unbounded amounts, such as liquid,

small objects, and abstract or immeasurable concepts. For example, "water," "rice," and

"education" can all be considered mass nouns. A noun is considered a mass noun when its

use cannot be counted, modified or quantified in a relevant and logical manner linguistically.

Collective nouns are considered a subset of count nouns because they refer to a group of

countable nouns as a unit. For example, there are 12 eggs in dozen, and there are 52 cards in

a deck.

Common Collective Nouns There are many types of nouns that refer to units or groups in a collective sense. Some of the

most common include:

Army

Array

Audience

Band

Bevy

Board

Bunch

Cabinet

Cast

Choir/Chorus

Class

Cloud

Committee

Company

Congregation

Corporation

Council

Crowd

Department

Faculty

Family

Firm

Gang

Group

Jury

Majority

Minority

Navy

Party

Plethora

Public

School

Senate

Society

Staff

Team

Troupe

Common collective animal nouns include:

Brood

Colony

Clutch

Drove

Flight

Flock

Gaggle

Herd

Hive

Litter

Nest

Pack

Plague

Pride

Skein

Swarm

Team

Tribe

Troop

Yoke

Using Collective Nouns Correctly Nouns in the collective class can be used in either the singular or plural form depending on the

context of the sentence. For example, family is a collective noun because it refers to more than

one person sharing a relationship or camaraderie. However, you can also use this as a plural in

referring to groups of families.

Using collective nouns in sentences can be confusing because it's sometimes difficult to discern

whether to use plural or singular verbs and pronouns. To use verbs and pronouns correctly,

identify whether the collective noun refers to a group or unit working as individuals or in unison.

When the unit is acting in unison, it is appropriate to use the singular.

When the members of the unit are acting as individuals, it is appropriate to use plural forms

of verbs and pronouns.

For example:

The class waits [singular verb] for its [singular pronoun] teacher quietly. (The class is

referred to as a unit acting in unison. The students are all doing the same thing at the same

time.)

The class begin [plural verb] their [plural pronoun] homework assignments while they

[plural pronoun] wait [plural verb] for their [plural pronoun] teacher. (The students are a

unit, but are acting as individuals -- they each doing their own homework assignments.)

When group nouns signify units acting as individuals rather than in unison, it is also appropriate

to add or replace words to create reference to the individuals – for example, adding the word

"members" after collectives like board or committee, or inserting "players" for "team" or

"students" for "class."