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Collective Noun – Definition, Examples and Exercises

When a noun stands for a group of people, things, animals etc., it is called a collective noun. Following are some examples and exercises that depict collective noun


Examples:

People Things Animals
an army of soldiers an album of stamps flock of birds
class of students heap of stones pack of hounds
a group of singers fleet of ships drove of cattle

Collective nouns are always employed with singular verbs.
Examples:
team of oxen is running in the field.
troop of leopards is attacking bears.
group of singers is singing a song on the stage.
flock of birds is flying in the air.
crowd of people was gathering in playground.
Noah gave her mother a bunch of flowers on mother’s Day.
I bought a bunch of bananas from the bazar.
Study the following lists of collective nouns.

Things People Animals
tuft of grass company of girl guides colony of bats
bundle of sticks blast of hunters drove of pigs
library of books blush of boys flight of swallows
heap / pile of stones gang / den of thieves gaggle of geese
dossier of documents flock of tourists tribe / troop of monkeys
clutch of eggs coven of witches team / herd of oxen
crate of fruit gaggle of women parliment of owls
troop of mushrooms band of men fall of lambs
fleet / fortilla of ships bench of magistrates herd of cattle
group / archipelago of islands horde of savages nest / colony / an army of ants
ring of keys party of politicians swarm / hive of bees
string of pearls staff of teachers herd of antelopes
set of china gang of workmen flock of birds
bundle of rags company of actors herd of buffaloes
wad of money troupe of dancers / performers culture of bacteria
set / kit of tools cast / company of actors leap of leopards
packet of cigarettes party of friends pride / troop of lions
bundle of sticks crowd of people plague of locusts
bunch of bananas crowd of onlookers / spectators school of whales / dolphins
bunch of grapes band of robbers flock of sheep
quiver of arrows bevy / galaxy of beauties stud of horses
clump / thicket / grove of trees host of angels litter of puppies
fleet of cars staff of servants nest of rabbits / mice
batch of bread choir of singers flock of sheep / camels
stack of hay board of directors farrow of piglets
network of computers bevy of girls / ladies cloud of mosquitoes
galaxy / constellation of stars gang of labourers quiver of cobras
brace of pistols staff of employees pack of dogs / wolves
flight of airplanes band / an orchestra of musicians drove of donkeys
flight of steps panel of experts brood of chickens
pack of cards tribe of natives shoal / school of fish
collection of stamps troop of boy scouts cote of doves
suit of clothes team of players swarm of insects
sheaf of corn school of clerks litter of kittens
cluster of diamonds crew of sailors herd of elephants
bale of cotton posse of policemen / sheriffs troop / mop of kangaroos
heap / pile of trash class of pupils pit / nest / slither of snakes
collection of pictures congregation of worshippers swarm of insects
suite of furniture squad / army / troop of soldiers hedge of bushes
bouquet / bunch of flowers an eloquence of lawyers range of mountains
range of mountains an audience of listeners suite of furniture
chest of drawers an illusion of magicians bouquet / bunch of flowers

Exercises

  1. Choose the right collective nouns to fill in the blanks.

galaxybevybandtribegagglestaffpartysuitwadpack

  1. a ____________ of stars
  2. a ____________ of money
  3. a ____________ of natives
  4. a ____________ of friends
  5. a ____________ of musicians
  6. a ____________ of wolves
  7. a ____________ of beauties
  8. a ____________ of employees
  9. a ____________ of clothes
  10. a ____________ of geese
  1. Choose the correct answers.
  2. a ( panel, board ) of directors
  3. a (bale, set) of tools
  4. a ( troop, leap ) of lions
  5. a (culture, brood ) of microbes
  6. a (eloquence, company) of actress
  7. a (flock, team) of sheep
  8. a (network, batch) of super computers
  9. a ( drove, troop ) of leopards
  10. a ( board, panel ) of administrators
  11. a (library, pack) of books
  1. Fill in the blanks with the right collective nouns.
  2. A few students are feeding a ____________ of monkeys in the park.
  3. The hen-sparrow is sitting on a ____________ of eggs.
  4. A ____________ of politicians is having a meeting in the hall.
  5. A ____________ of dancers is dancing stylishly on the stage.
  6. My cat gave birth to a ____________ of kittens yesterday.
  7. Mr. Josef gave his wife a ____________ of pearls as a wedding present.
  8. The cashier passed a ____________ of coins to the client.
  9. Mrs. John found a ____________ of rats in her attic.
  10. The agrarians are saddened because a ____________ of locusts ruined their crops.
  11. My uncle ordered a new ____________ of furniture for our dining room last Sunday.
  1. Choose the correct answers.
  2. Mr. George handed a (wad, ring) of keys to his mother.
  3. A (team, congregation) of hockey players are warming up .
  1. In a story that Cendy read, a (host, board) of angels came to the save of the earthquake preys.
  2. The wealthy commander owns a (flight, fleet) of ships.
  3. A few men are clearing a (set, pile) of waste at the roadside.
  4. H saw a (gaggle, company) of colorful sparrows at the zoo last year.
  5. While escaping from the house owner, the thief slipped and fell down a (flight, stack) of steps.
  6. Mrs. Bing bought a (bunch, suit) of flowers from the market.
  7. There is a (group, range) of mountains a few miles away from the village.
  8. Afew whales are pursuing a (class, school) of fish under the sea.

Answers

A.

  1. galaxy
  2. audience
  3. tribe
  4. party
  5. band
  6. pack
  7. bevy
  8. staff
  9. suit
  10. gaggle

B.
1.panel
2.set
3.leap
4.culture
5.company
6.flock
7.network
8.drove
9.board
10.library
C.
1.troop/tribe
2.clutch
3.party
4.troupe
5.litter
6.string
7.rouleau
8.nest
9.plague
10.suite
D.
1.ring 2.team 3.host 4.fleet 5.pile 6.company 7.flight 8.bunch 9.range 10.school

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