You may have heard words like group, herd, jury, team, flock, etc. These are Collective Nouns. These are the words that represent the group of individuals or things together. Having a unique charm in the English Language, these create a touch of fancifulness. Let’s explore collective nouns, collective noun examples, and lists to add colors in the English language.
What are Collective Nouns?
Words that represent groups of nouns together.
Collective Nouns Definition:
Here is a definition of collective nouns. These represent a group of people or things together. It represents things, individuals, or animals in groups. It creates coherence in the language and represents all the entities together, giving a poetic touch.
Collective Nouns Examples:
Let’s explore the charm of Collective Nouns and examples of collective nouns.
- A Parliament of Owls
- A Galaxy of Stars
- A Pride of Lions
- A Murder of Crows
- A School of Fish
Origin of Collective Noun:
Collective nouns root back to centuries. These evolved from the Old language and were enhanced by different cultures over history. Most of these, trace back to medieval times. In old times, these were used to represent groups of animals while hunting or falconry.
Usage and Function:
Collective nouns play the role of descriptors and identifiers. They paint vivid pictures and add richness and specificity to language. For example, consider saying, “a team of athletes,” instead of describing the players.
Rules to use Collective Noun:
Here are some rules to follow while using collective nouns.
- Consider Context
- Be Specific
- Consider Tone
Examples of Collective Noun:
- A Flock of Birds
- A Fleet of Ships:
- A Band of Musicians
- A Team of Athletes:
- A Herd of Cattle:
- A Choir of Singers:
- A School of Fish:
- A Pack of Wolves:
- A Bunch of Grapes:
- A Parade of Elephants:
- A Pod of Dolphins:
- A Colony of Ants:
- A Cluster of Stars:
- A Hive of Bees:
- A Troop of Monkeys:
- A Quiver of Arrows:
- A Committee of Experts:
- A Library of Books
- A Forest of Trees
- A Galaxy of Stars
- A Pack of Wolves
The Collective Nouns List:
Here is a list of collective Nouns, from different categories.
- Committee
- Jury
- Senate
- Company
- Audience
- Police
- Army
Collective Nouns for Birds:
- A Flock of Birds
- A Murder of Crows
- A Gaggle of Geese
- A Skein of Swans
- A Covey of Quail
- A Conspiracy of Ravens
- An Exaltation of Larks
- A Raft of Ducks
- A Fleet of Ships
- A Parliament of Owls
- A Stack of Books
- A Clowder of Cats
- An Array of Cars
- A Pile of Clothes
- A Cluster of Grapes
- A Set of Tools
- A Collection of Artwork
- A Bundle of Sticks
- An Assortment of Flowers
- A Row of Houses
A Spectrum of Emotions
- A Symphony of Ideas
- A Pool of Knowledge
- A Galaxy of Thoughts
- A Tapestry of Dreams
- An Ocean of Wisdom
- A Cascade of Memories
- A Network of Relationships
- A Garden of Serenity
- A Spectrum of Possibilities
Collective Nouns for Individuals:
- A Team of Colleagues
- A Crowd of Spectators
- A Choir of Singers
- A Group of Friends
- An Audience of Listeners
- A Committee of Experts
- A Class of Students
- A Crew of Workers
- Choir of singers
- Team of players
- Assembly of delegates
- Ensemble of musicians
- Crew of sailors
- Panel of experts
- Fleet of ships
- Regiment of soldiers
- Troupe of actors
- Gang of criminals
- Staff of employees
- Squad of soldiers
- Battalion of troops
- Band of musicians
- Posse of cowboys
- Cast of actors
- Group of friends
- Flock of sheep
- Tribe of natives
- Pack of wolves
- Party of guests
- Committee of members
- Board of directors
- Board of trustees
- Choir of choristers
- Clan of relatives
- League of athletes
- Orchestra of musicians
- Ensemble of dancers
- Team of athletes
- Panel of judges
- Crew of workers
- Staff of workers
- Gang of friends
- Band of thieves
- Troupe of performers
- Group of students
- Team of researchers
- Group of tourists
- Team of engineers
- Council of elders
- Assembly of citizens
- Band of rebels
- Squadron of pilots
- Posse of police
- Choir of angels
- Crew of astronauts
- Group of volunteers
- Staff of doctors
The Collective Nouns List for Animals:
- Herd of elephants
- Pack of wolves
- Pride of lions
- Swarm of bees
- Pod of dolphins
- Colony of ants
- Troop of monkeys
- School of fish
- Gang of elk
- Colony of bats
- Team of horses
- Drove of cattle
- Colony of penguins
- Flight of swallows
- Shoal of herring
- Pack of dogs
- Pod of whales
- Swarm of mosquitoes
- Flock of sheep
- Herd of buffalo
- Cluster of spiders
- Troop of kangaroos
- Pack of coyotes
- Gaggle of geese
- Parliament of owls
- Pod of seals
- Brood of chickens
- Army of ants
- School of dolphins
- Swarm of locusts
- Troop of baboons
- Cluster of flies
- Team of oxen
- Flock of seagulls
- Colony of termites
- Herd of deer
- Pack of hyenas
- Flock of pigeons
- Team of sled dogs
- Swarm of wasps
- Pod of orcas
- Colony of bees
- Flock of starlings
- Pack of foxes
- Troop of gorillas
- Herd of cattle
- Gaggle of swans
- Flock of flamingos
- Pod of hippos
List of Collective Nouns for Things:
- Collection of stamps
- Pile of books
- Bundle of letters
- Stack of papers
- Cluster of grapes
- Batch of cookies
- Bunch of keys
- Box of chocolates
- Set of tools
- Bundle of sticks
- Rack of clothes
- Heap of garbage
- Pack of cards
- Jar of pickles
- Carton of eggs
- Bucket of water
- Roll of tape
- Bag of coins
- Can of soda
- Barrel of oil
- Case of wine
- Bottle of perfume
- Bundle of hay
- Packet of seeds
- Carton of milk
- Box of matches
- Pouch of tobacco
- Folder of documents
- Stack of pancakes
- Package of noodles
- Basket of fruits
- Cluster of stars
- Tray of cupcakes
- Array of colors
- Train of cars
- Fleet of ships
- Group of buildings
- Fleet of planes
- Line of cars
- Collection of art
- Range of mountains
- Series of events
- Patch of flowers
- Box of tools
- Set of dishes
- Batch of dough
Collective Nouns list, Definition, and examples
