Collective Nouns: What it is, Examples And Rules

Collective nouns are linguistic gems that encapsulate a group of individuals– be they people, animals, or objects– into a single entity. Collective nouns allow us to refer to a collection as if it were one thing, streamlining our language and adding a layer of descriptive richness.

For instance, instead of saying “a group of cows,” we say “a herd of cows,” which is both efficient and evocative. This concept is central to the English language, with hundreds of such nouns identified, making them a vital part of our vocabulary.

What Are Collective Nouns?

Collective nouns are words that name a group of people, animals, or things as a single entity, making language more efficient and colorful. For example, instead of saying “a group of lions,” we say “a pride of lions.” They’re like linguistic shortcuts, and the evidence leans toward them being a key part of English for centuries.

Some irregular collective terms like “a murder of crows,” which might stem from folklore linking crows to death, or “a parliament of owls,” suggesting their wise appearance. These names often reflect the group’s behavior or cultural perception.

Categorization and Examples

To provide a comprehensive overview, collective nouns can be categorized into three main groups: people, animals, and things. Each category offers a range of common and unusual examples, often reflecting cultural or historical contexts.

Collective Nouns for People

This category includes terms for groups involved in social, professional, or organizational settings, using terms like “cohort” and “ensemble”:

Team: A group working towards a common goal, such as athletes or project members.
Family: A group bound by familial ties, often used in both formal and informal contexts.
Class: Students in the same grade or course, highlighting educational groups.
Jury: A panel of people sworn to give a verdict in a legal case, rooted in judicial systems.
Company: Can refer to a group of soldiers or actors, with historical ties to military and theatrical contexts.
Staff: Employees of an organization, common in workplace settings.
Committee: A group formed to handle specific tasks, often in governance or community roles.
Party: A group of people celebrating or socializing, with social connotations.
Patrol: A group of police or military personnel on duty, emphasizing security roles.
Crew: Sailors or flight attendants working together, typical in transportation sectors.
Concert crowd: A group of people attending a concert, capturing cultural gatherings.
Senate: A legislative body, reflecting political assemblies.

Collective Nouns for Animals

Animal collective nouns are particularly rich and often poetic, with many tracing back to medieval hunting terms, using terms like “flock,” “pack,” and “swarm”:

Herd: Typically used for grazing animals like cows or sheep, suggesting a cohesive group.
Flock: Birds or other animals that move in groups, such as sheep or pigeons.
Pack: Wolves, dogs, or other predatory animals, implying a hunting or social unit.
Murder: Crows, a term with dark connotations, possibly due to their association with death.
Colony: Ants, bats, or penguins, often used for social insects or nesting birds.
Swarm: Bees or other insects, evoking a sense of mass movement.
Gang: Buffalos or other large mammals, suggesting a loose association.
Brood: Chickens or other poultry, typically for young or family groups.
Parade: Elephants or other majestic animals, reflecting their grandeur.
Gaggle: Geese or sometimes a group of women, with a playful tone.
Flamboyance: Flamingos, known for their colorful and showy appearance, a vivid descriptor.
Army: Frogs or other amphibians, suggesting a large, organized group.

There a good number of unusual animal collective nouns, such as:

A parliament of owls: Suggesting a wise and solemn assembly.
A wisdom of wombats: Highlighting their intelligence.
A crash of rhinos: Possibly due to their size and potential for collision.
A murmuration of starlings: For their coordinated sky dances.

Collective Nouns for Things

This category includes inanimate objects, often grouped by function or form, using terms like “set,” “bundle,” and “array”:

Collection: A group of items gathered together, such as art or stamps.
Bunch: Flowers, grapes, or other small items, suggesting a cluster.
Fleet: Ships or vehicles, used in transportation contexts.
Galaxy: Stars and other celestial bodies, with astronomical implications.
Range: Mountains or a series of things, like a range of products.
Chain: Events or a series of connected things, such as a chain of events.
Schedule: Activities or events planned over time, common in planning contexts.
Packet: Cookies or other small items, for packaged goods.
Jar: Peanut butter or other spreads, for contained items.
Array: Magazines or a collection of items, suggesting an arrangement.
Value: Money or worth, in financial contexts.
Pack: Cards or other items, for grouped objects.
Pair: Gloves or shoes, for two related items.
Bouquet: Flowers, for decorative arrangements.

Grammatical Usage: Singular or Plural

The usage of collective nouns as singular or plural varies by dialect and context, a key aspect for language learners and writers, with clarifying usage as an “unit” or “multitude”:

In American English, collective nouns are generally treated as singular, taking singular verbs:
- Example: “The team is winning” (unit, for cohesive action).
In British English, they can be treated as plural, especially when emphasizing the individuals within the group:
- Example: “The team are winning” (multitude, for individual actions).

Collective nouns can be pluralized to focus on individual actions, such as “The jury all reached different conclusions” (multitude, for diverse actions).

Comparison with Common and Proper Nouns

Collective nouns are a subset of common nouns, which refer to general categories, while proper nouns are specific names. Comparison of collective noun with common and proper nouns:

Aspect	Collective Nouns	Common Nouns
Treatment	Usually treated as singular.	Can be singular or plural.
Nature	Group of things treated like one entity.	Used as individual units.
Reference	Groups made up of many things, people, or objects.	Refer to things, people, or objects in general.

Additionally, collective nouns can be proper nouns, such as company names (e.g., “Microsoft,” “Apple”), where they refer to organizations as single entities.

Significance and Historical Context

Collective nouns are not just functional; they enrich language by adding color and personality. Here is how:

Collective nouns make language more efficient by allowing us to refer to groups with a single word.
Collective nouns add color and personality to our speech.
Have historical roots, often tracing back to medieval hunting terms, as noted in The Guardian: Ten of the Best Collective Nouns, with many codified in the 1486 Book of St. Albans.
Are fun to learn and use, especially the more unusual ones.

Unusual and Interesting Collective Nouns

Along with collective terms based on habitat and behaviors, there are some unusual and interesting collective nouns:

A misbelief of painters: Refers to portrait artists who flatter their subjects.
A superfluity of nuns: An excess, reflecting historical convent overcrowding.
A murmuration of starlings: For their sky dances. Murmuration for synchronized movement).
Others like “a parliament of owls” and “a wisdom of wombats“.

FAQs

To wrap things up, let’s answer some common questions about collective nouns:

What is a collective noun?
- A collective noun is a word that refers to a group of people, animals, or things as a single entity.
How do you use collective nouns in a sentence?
- They can be used as the subject of a sentence, followed by a verb that agrees with them in number (singular or plural, depending on the context).
What’s a noun of multitude?
- A noun of multitude is another term for a collective noun, especially when it can be seen as either singular or plural.
Can collective nouns be proper nouns?
- Yes, if they are the name of a specific group, like “The Rolling Stones” or “The United Nations”.
Are there any rules for creating new collective nouns?
- While there are traditional collective nouns, new ones can be created, especially in creative writing or for specific contexts. However, they should make sense and be understood by the audience.

Further Reading: