Collective Nouns

What is Collective Noun?

A collective noun is a special word used to describe a group of people, animals, or things. Instead of saying “a lot of birds,” we can say “a flock of birds.” Isn’t that cool?

 

Examples of Collective Nouns

• For People:

• A class of students

• A team of players

• A band of musicians
  
  

• For Animals:

• A flock of birds

• A herd of cows

• A pride of lions
  
  

• For Things:

• A bunch of flowers

• A bundle of sticks

• A fleet of ships

List of Common Collective Nouns

Here are some examples of collective nouns for people, animals, & things:

Collective Nouns For People

1. A team of players

2. A class of students

3. A crowd of spectators

4. A family of relatives

5. A committee of members

6. A jury of judges

7. A band of musicians

8. A gang of thieves

9. A staff of employees

10. A choir of singers

Collective Nouns For Animals

1. A flock of birds

2. A herd of cows

3. A pack of wolves

4. A pride of lions

5. A swarm of bees

6. A school of fish

7. A gaggle of geese

8. A colony of ants

9. A troop of monkeys

10. A litter of puppies

Collective Nouns For Things

1. A bunch of grapes

2. A bouquet of flowers

3. A pile of clothes

4. A stack of books

5. A set of tools

6. A deck of cards

7. A fleet of ships

8. A bundle of sticks

9. A pair of shoes

10. A pack of cards

These collective nouns make your language clearer & more expressive!

Fun Facts About Collective Nouns

1. Did you know? A group of crows is called a murder of crows.

2. A group of jellyfish is called a smack of jellyfish.

3. Collective nouns often sound poetic & make language interesting!

 

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How to Use Collective Nouns?

How to Spot a Collective Noun?

Look for words that describe a group or collection.

• If it's a group of animals, it could be: a herd of cows, a flock of birds.

• If it's a group of people, it could be: a class of students, a crowd of fans.

How to Use Collective Nouns in Sentences?

A collective noun is usually treated as one single thing. So, use it like this:

• The family is eating dinner.

• The army marches together.

• The basket of fruits is on the table.

Examples for Fun Practice:
Match the group with the correct collective noun:

• A group of fish: a school.

• A group of lions: a pride.

• A group of ships: a fleet.

Why Are They Important?

Thus collective nouns make any speech & writings of much better interest as well. One is not going to write "such many cows eat from this piece of land anymore." Instead of it, A herd of cows are eating this grass.

 

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Activities

1. Match the Collective Noun to Its Group

2. Create and Label

Example: Draw a herd of elephants, a pride of lions, or any other animal group.

When labelling your drawing, use the proper collective nouns.

3. Recognize Collective Nouns in a Story

Read the following short story & underline the collective nouns :

 

The class of students walked to the zoo. They saw a flock of birds & a herd of elephants. Later, they noticed a swarm of bees near the flowers.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A ________ of keys was lying on the table.

2. We saw a ________ of ants marching on the ground.

3. The ________ of students went on a school trip.

4. A ________ of stars lit up the night sky.

 

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Key Takeaways

• Collective nouns are special words for groups of people, animals, or things.

• They make sentences more descriptive & fun!

• Remember to practice using collective nouns to make your writing colorful.

 

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