Collective Nouns: A Thorough Study with Examples

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Collective Nouns: Thorough Study with Examples

Today, let us have a brief idea about what collective noun is. Well, before that, let us remember that a noun, no matter what kind of a noun it is, is actually a nomenclature of a person or an object or of something else. In other words, we can say that a noun is a name. That is to say, for example, as and when we utter the word "dog", the picture of the mentioned domestic animal comes into our visualisation. Again, if we utter the word "sky", the endless blue canopy above our heads flashes upon our vision. So, it goes like this.

There are five kinds of noun in English grammar. They are the following:
1. Common Nouns
2. Proper Nouns
3. Collective Nouns
4. Material Nouns
5. Abstract Nouns

Again, in the respect of countability, there are two types of nouns. They are mentioned below:
1. Countable Nouns
2. Uncountable Nouns

Well, now we shall plunge into our mentioned topic and try to explore more and even more.
Keeping that in mind, let us get an idea of what Collective Nouns are. As we see, the word "collective" implies a collection or a group of something or that of somebody. This kind of noun speaks of plurality. However, we must keep this in mind that though a collective noun tells us about a group or of a collection, such a noun takes a singular form of verb. We shall understand it better by proceeding more and by practising even more in this regard.
Broadly speaking, as and when we read between the lines of the following sentences, we come to know the matter even better:

A herd of cows was grazing in the field.
A host of Angels has made the prophecy.
A bouquet of flowers was given to each of the guests.
A flotilla of ships was observed from the drone.
A constellation of stars has great power and beauty.

So, what do we notice here? Yes, it is discernible that the words written in bold font are examples of Collective Nouns. Again, it is also discernible that the underlined words agree with the subjects of the sentences. Broadly speaking, the words written in bold font are the subjects of the sentences. It is to be noted that the collective nouns in these sentences, each having an article to mark them singular in number, take singular forms of verb.
Now, to cut the long story short, let us all take a look at all the following few examples of Collective Nouns. However, please note that there is a plethora of such examples. After all, the more we read, the more we learn.

A few examples of Collective Nouns are given below:
A host of Angels
A colony of ants
A herd of cattle
A navy of ships
An army of soldiers
A shoal/ A school of fish
A panel of judges
A volley of questions/arrows
A pride of lions
A pack of wolves/ dogs
A litter of kittens/ puppies
A bouquet of flowers
A congregation of priests
A bunch of keys/grapes
A band of musicians
A galaxy/ A constellation of stars
A choir of singers
A troupe of actors or dancers
A deck of cards
A team of players
A class of students
A swarm/ A hive of bees
A forest of trees
A flock of sheep/ birds
A basket of fruits
A flight of stairs/ doves/ swallows
A range of mountains
A fleet/ A flotilla of warships

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