A word that stands for a group of things is called a collective noun. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a collection or group of multiple people, animals, or things. A comprehensive site for free english courses and exercises. Here is a list of collective nouns in alphabetical order. Which one you choose really depends on the type of collection and its purpose, audience and contents.
By collective nouns are refers to a collection of numbers of peoples or things aggregately. What this book does is address the much needed names for collective nouns of mythical creatures. Glossary of collective nouns by subject wiktionary. The collective nouns for books are a library of books, a compendium of books, a pile of books.
Most terms used here may be found in common dictionaries and general information web sites. A compiled list of collective nouns the new yorker. A collective noun is a word for a group of specific items, animals or people. The collective noun for emus is the word you would use to describe a group of emus. Collective noun is a noun which describes a group of things oe people. What a wonderful story, im sure will captivate readers young and old. The collective noun for ants is the word you would use to describe a group of ants. It means collective noun is a single noun that is made up of more than one thing or person or etc. Collective nouns are nouns that describe a group such as community, herd, and bunch. This sentence contains the collective noun orchestra. Click the link to learn more about english collective nouns. Some of these collective nouns are very old, dating back to medieval times, while others are fairly new. A book of collective nouns hardcover picture book, may 1, 2011.
Read below a list of collective nouns i compiled from my search. A collective noun is a word used to group people or things taken together as one whole. Whether a collective noun, which is singular in form, is used with a singular or plural verb depends on whether the word is referring to the group as a unit or to its members as individuals. For example, a group of ships is called a fleet, a group of cows is called a herd, a groupd of lions is called a pride, a group of baseball players is called a team, and a group of ants is called a colony. Most collective nouns in everyday speech are not specific to one kind of thing, such as the word group, which can be applied to people a group of people or dogs a group of dogs or other things. Not many people use a moan of lamantations anymore, but a. A group of scenes featuring ryan gosling behind the wheel of a car is called drive. Collective nouns are names for a collection or a number of people or things. Other examples come from popular culture such as a group of owls, which is called a parliament. Learn to use collective nouns special words we use to talk about groups of people, animals, or objects.
Collective noun definition, a noun, as herd, jury, or clergy, that appears singular in formal shape but denotes a group of persons or objects. A group of murders is called a game of thrones finale. A collective noun looks singular, but it can be treated as singular or plural depending on whether the word refers to the group as a single entity or to its members as individuals. Some collective nouns are specific to one kind of thing, especially terms of venery, which identify groups of. Collective nouns a collective noun is a word for a group of specific items, animals or people. Have i missed one, then submit it here and claim it as yours. A collective noun is a noun used to group people or things in a descriptive way. There are some which were current in previous centuries. What is the collective noun for a group of stories. A collection of some things is called collective noun a collective noun does not represent the individual name because it is the group of collection, for example, collections of people, places or things. Students learn that collective nouns represent groups of people, places, or things, and that these nouns may be used in either a singular or plural form.
A single sheet within a book is a leaf, and each side of a leaf is a page. This is a type of noun that we see very often in the language and it is important that you are aware of how they function within a sentence. Cbse class 6 english grammar kinds of noun cbse tuts. Explanations along with many examples of how to use nouns in english. Below is a list of commonly used collective nouns for objects, fruits, plants and other miscellaneous things. A collective noun is a word that refers to a set or group of people, animals or things collective nouns are sometimes called group nouns. It wasnt so long ago that every new car looked like a bar of soap. A collective noun is a word used to group people or. Most of those found in this book have their origins in the medieval books of courtesy, among the earliest works to be published in this country. These nouns are called mass nouns or noncount nouns, and they always take a. Adducations list of collective nouns for birds also includes the individual baby names, males and females and plural for each bird species. Did you know the first list of collective nouns was published in the book of st albans circa 1500 and it wasnt definitive it was based on folklore, humor and the whim of the publisher and its. Collective nouns collective nouns a bundle heap of clothes a crew of sailors a crowd of people a crop of apples a cloud of mosquitoes a company of players a herd of elephants a bundle of sticks a bevy of beautiful girls a flock of sheep a pack gang of thieves a bunch of. Examples of collective nouns for things a bar of soap.
This includes groups of people, animals and inanimate objects. A battery of tests we want to put the earth through a battery of tests, he said. Collective noun definition and meaning collins english. It was like a bolt of lightning hit the group at the same time.
The bestknown source of many english words used for collective groupings of animals is the book of saint albans, an essay on hunting published in 1486 and attributed to juliana berners. Collective noun with examples, definition and more details. The book of saint albans became very popular during the 16th century and was reprinted frequently. There are quite a number of nouns that describe a collection of a group of stories. A group of millennials who look the same is called a brunch. In linguistics, a collective noun is a collection of things taken as a whole. If you are looking to name a group of things whilst speaking or writing in the english language, you are going to need to use a collective noun. One of my favorite books that i read to my daughter im stealing it the first chance i get is a dignity of dragons by by jacqueline ogburn and nicoletta ceccoli.
I know a stack of librarians who will love an ambush of tigers. In fact, the word group itself is a collective noun. The table below shows a long list of collective nouns used in english. This is a collection of collec we have very limited classroom space so it had to be mounted on the back wall. The noun books is a common noun, the plural form for the singular noun book, a word for a thing or things. A group of millennials who look different is called a marketing campaign. In american english it must be used with a singular verb. Every student needs to know regarding it how to use it in a sentence.
Writing or images can be printed or drawn on a book s pages. They have developed throughout the history of the english language, with new collective nouns still being created, although time will tell if these latest additions will survive think a hood of bros, a array of geeks. In american english, a collective noun naming an organization regarded as a unit is usually treated as singular. There are a few socalled collective nouns in current use. All naming words such as boy, girl, delhi, cow, tiger, scale etc. There are about 200 collective nouns in english to describe groups of animals, people, and things.
Collective nouns, subjectverb agreement, common used collective nouns, etc please follow the list for detailed expressions, lists and examples. Here are lists of collective nouns for ships, collective nouns for trees, collective nouns for bees and many more. Here, well take a closer look at collective nouns, and provide even more examples, placing them in context so you can gain a greater understanding of how they work. Theres something about the tidy organizing that must appeal to. They usually function as singular nouns in a sentence. A group of men named james is called latenight hosts. Collective nouns are used to describe a group or collection of individuals. A book is a set of sheets of paper, parchment, or similar materials that are fastened together to hinge at one side.
Weve read a few collective noun books before and lynn and i are fans of them all. Words like group, herd, and array are collective noun examples. Useful collective nouns for things with examples 7 e s l. In the previous lesson you learnt that noun is the name of a person, place, animal or things. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. It has been requested that this appendix be merged with appendix.
This list of collective nouns for animals also called collective terms and terms of venery can never be definitive but it is fun. Note that many of these terms are humorous and appear only in word lists. We have identified the following words that you could call a group of ants. For example, a group of ships is called a fleet, a group of cows is called a. What is the collective noun for a group of scorpions. This word lets the reader know that there is a group of musicians that played the song beautifully. But this particular collective noun goes back to the 15th century, and comes from one of the most famous books on collective nouns in print. A wild gathering of collective nouns 2015, by betsy r. Collective nouns in english vocabulary and names for. Fans of collective nouns are familiar with an exaltation of larks, which was the title of a book by james lipton on collective nouns. Glossary of collective nouns by collective term wiktionary. A pile of books the collection of books is called a pile of books explanation.
List of collective nouns by collective noun armada of ships army of caterpillars, frogs, soldiers bank of circuits battery of tests bed of clams, snakes belt of asteroids bevy of beauties bouquet of flowers brood of hens caravan of camels cete of badgers chain of islands clan of hyenas class of students cloud of gnats clowder of cats. Collective nouns matching game things a collective noun is a noun that refers to a group of persons, animals, places or things. I find in my reading of books, collectively speaking that im starting to lean toward mysteries, which i used to dismiss as inferior literature. For many animals, particularly domesticated ones, there are specific names for males, females, young, and groups the bestknown source of many english words used for collective groupings of animals is the book of saint albans, an essay on hunting published in 1486 and attributed to juliana berners. See collective noun in the oxford advanced american dictionary.