Collective Nouns

Collective noun is the name we give to a group of nouns to refer to them as one entity.
The most common method of doing this is by using words like group or bunch that can
be applicable to most of the nouns in the language today. But there are some specific
names given for certain groups of nouns to make things more interesting and funny.

Now, these collective nouns are not based in scientific thought or fact. Most of them
come from the poetry and imagination of early to late Medieval English times e.g. - an
eloquence of lawyers – Eloquence itself is defined as fine persuasion in speaking or
writing, so this particular collective noun is a comment on the profession of lawyers
while being their collective noun as well.

The same goes for the collective nouns we find for animals; the names arose from
15thcentury French and English hunting traditions, where hunting was common and
names and terms were given to all aspects of the sport. These names were called Terms
of Venery and it had become a tradition of the court to keep extending the list and by
the 1500s the list was up-to 165 items long.

Here we have listed some of the more commonly used collective nouns for humans,
animals and objects.

These collective nouns are commonly used under the category of people.
1. A class of students.
2. An army of soldiers.
3. A choir of singers.
4. A crew of sailors.
5. A band of musicians.
6. A bunch of crooks.
7. A crowd of people/spectators.
8. A gang of thieves.
9. A group of dancers.
10. A team of players.
11. A troupe of artists/dancers.
12. A pack of thieves.
13. A staff of employees.
14. A regiment of soldiers.
15. A tribe of natives.
16. An audience of listeners.
17. A panel of experts.
18. A gang of labourers.
19. A flock of tourists.
20. A board of directors.

The following collective nouns are used for animals.

1. A catch of fish.
2. An army of ants.
3. A flight of birds.
4. A flock of birds.
5. A haul of fish.
 6. A flock of sheep.
7. A herd of deer/cattle/elephants/goats/buffaloes.
8. A hive of bees.
9. A litter of cubs.
10. A host of sparrows.
11. A team of horses.
12. A troop of lions.
13. A zoo of wild animals.
14. A pack of wolves.
15. A litter of puppies/kittens.
16. A swarm of bees/ants/rats/flies.
17. A team of horses/ducks/oxen.
18. A murder of crows.
19. A kennel of dogs.
20. A pack of hounds.

The following collective nouns are used for things.

1. A group of islands.
2. A galaxy of stars.
3. A wad of notes.
4. A forest of trees.
5. A stack of wood.
6. A fleet of ships.
7. A string of pearls.
8. An album of stamps/autographs/photographs.
9. A hedge of bushes.
10. A library of books.
11. A basket of fruit.
12. A bowl of rice.
13. A pack of cards.
14. A pair of shoes.
15. A bouquet of flowers.
16. A bunch of keys.
17. A chest of drawers.
18. A pack of lies.
19. A range of mountains.
20. A cloud of dust.

Collective nouns are endless and these are just a list of those used more often. As you
continue to work on improving your English, you will stumble across many more. Be
sure to add them to your list and use them as frequently as you can.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS EXERCISE 2

CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION:

1. A hedge of ______

bushes trees
2. A chest of _______

drawers cupboards
3. A fleet of _____.

ships aeroplanes
4. A swarm of ______

rats bats
5. A host of ______

crows sparrows
COLLECTIVE NOUNS EXERCISE 1

CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION:

1. A _______ of playing cards.

flock pack
2. A shoal of ______

fish birds
3. A _____ of keys.

bunch group
4. A ______ of events.

group series
5. A choir of ______.

singers painters
6. An army of _____

ants birds
7. A pack of ______

cats dogs
8. A swarm of ______.

bears bees
9. A herd of ______

elephants lions
10. A bunch of _____

apples bananas
Unit 4 - Concrete and Abstract Nouns, pages 67-69
EXERCISE 4
Identifying Concrete and Abstract Nouns in Literature
Identify the underlined nouns in the following passage and indicate whether each is
concrete or abstract.

A look of being most earnestly hand-made, as a child’s drawing, a thing created out
of need,love, patience, and strained skill in the innocence of a race. Nowhere
one ounce or inch spent with ornament, not one trace of relief or of disguise: a
matchless monotony, and in it a matchless variety and this again throughout
unrestrained, held rigid: and of all this, nothing which is not intrinsic between
the materials of structure, the earth, and the open heaven.

from “The Gudger House”

in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
James Agee and Walker Evans

EXERCISE 5
Identifying Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Identify the underlined word in each sentence as either a concrete noun (C) or an
abstract noun (A).
1. Despite the bad news, Mother still had hope that the house would be built.
2. Father had a new idea about how to raise money for the project.
3. He usually scratched his head when thinking about something important.
4. He thought the townspeople might be interested in a raffle.
5. If enough people wanted the prize, the raffle would create great excitement.
6. Father decided to put up his horse for the raffle prize.
7. Many people in the town believed that luck was on their side.
8. They bought scores of tickets, at ten dollars apiece.
9. When Mother saw the final sale totals, she felt great joy.
10. We had enough money to build the house, which became a source of pride for us.
EXERCISE 6
Understanding Concrete and Abstract Nouns
For each concrete noun in items 1–10, write an abstract noun that names an idea,
quality, or characteristic with which the concrete noun can be associated. For each
abstract noun in items 11–20, write a concrete noun that has the quality of the abstract
noun. Look at the example exercises.

EXAMPLES
muscle (concrete)—strength (abstract) delight (abstract)—children (concrete)
1. thorn
2. lion
3. monument
4. lightning
5. smile
6. books
7. rock
8. crying
9. tank
10. mirror
11. dexterity
12. vigor
13. stamina
14. greed
15. exuberance
16. wonder
17. annoyance
18. justice
19. glory
20. memory

EXERCISE 7
Using Concrete and Abstract Nouns in Your Writing
Write a paragraph about an interesting member of your family. In the paragraph,
explain what makes this person unique. You may choose to focus on any aspect of this
person, including his or her occupation, approach to life, hobbies, or way of relating to
others. Use five different concrete nouns and five different abstract nouns in the
paragraph.
ABSTRACT NOUNS

Love
Anger
Hate
Peace
Loyalty
Integrity
Pride
Courage
Deceit
Honesty
Trust
Compassion
Bravery
Misery
Childhood
Knowledge
Patriotism
Friendship
Brilliance
Truth
Charity
Justice
Faith
Kindness
Pleasure
Liberty
Freedom
Delight
Despair
Hope
Awe
Calm
Joy
Reality
Wisdom