Definition of Collective Noun With Examples is a part of noun in English grammar. You must know the definition of noun and then kinds of noun for better understanding. It is the detailed study of the definition of collective noun with examples. You will find explanations also along with examples.
Let us start the subject without wasting time.
Definition of Collective Noun With Examples
Let us see the definition of collective noun.
A collective noun refers groups of people, animals or things.
Here are some examples of collective nouns for groups of people.
- a team
- a family
- a community
- a band
- an orchestra
- an audience
- a club
- a crew
- a committee
- a gang
- a company
- the army
- the government
You can use collective nouns with a singular verb or with a plural verb. It depends on the meaning and work of the collective words.
If the group is acting as a single unit, you can use a singular verb. On the contrary, if a group acts as individuals, you can use a plural verb.
See the example –
The crowd was orderly
The crowd were clapping and cheering.
Always use a plural verb with the collective noun – people and police.
Let us see the definition of collective noun with examples in detail.
Group of People
Groups of people are the first rule of the definition of collective noun with examples. See the example of collective nouns below. You can use them for groups of people.
- a class of school children
- a company of actors
- a crowd of shoppers
- a panel of judges
- a gang of thieves
- a platoon of soldiers
Groups of animals
The group of the animal comes on the second of the definition of collective noun with examples. Different animals have their particular collective nouns. Here are some nouns below.
- a drove of sheep
- a gaggle of geese
- a herd of cattle
- a flock of birds
- a pod of dolphins
- a pride of lions
- a pack of wolves
- a school of fish
- a swarm of bees
- a brood of chickens
- a troop of monkeys
- a litter of puppies
Groups of things
Groups of things come third in the list of the definition of collective noun with examples. There are some group of things that have their particular group of collective nouns. See the examples below.
- a flight of steps
- a bunch of bananas
- a fleet of vehicles
- a set of tools
- a bouquet of flowers
- a bunch of flowers
- a deck of cards
- a grove of trees
- a suite of furniture
- a fleet of ships
- a suite of rooms
- a cluster of grapes
- a string of beads
- a range of mountains
Nouns telling about forms or amount
Some nouns tell us about the form or amount of things. See the examples.
- a ball of string
- a loaf of bread
- a bar of soap
- a bar of chocolate
The nouns that mean single
It comes last for the definition of collective noun with examples. Some nouns tell a single serving or part of something. You should use them carefully. See the list below-
- a piece/square of chocolate
- a slice/piece of bread
- a piece of information
- a sheet/piece of paper
- a slice of/piece of cheese
- a piece of chalk
- a slice/piece of cake
Let’s see some examples of the collective noun
Coplete the phrase with a collective noun in the following sentences.
- a …………… of paper
- a …………. ice-cream
- a …………. stars
- a ………….. tools
- a ………….. mountains
Check your answers
- a piece of paper
- a bar of ice-cream
- a galaxy of stars
- a set of tools
- a range of mountain
If you understood the definition of collective noun with examples, you can move onto the proper noun exercises with answers for your practice and more clarification.