35 Collective Nouns

Collective Nouns refer to groups formed by two or more people, animals or things are called.

Collective Nouns are composed of many units/individuals we refer to them as one entity, when it describes a team in which individuals act in different ways and they do not unite, we use a plural verb.

Below are the most common Collective Nouns:

• A gang of labourers was playing football.
• The gang of labourers were going for tapas.
• A pack of dogs was in the garden.
• The pack of dogs were fighting.
• A team of players was doing athletics.
• The team of players were good at winning.

Collective Nouns represent a group of people, animals or things. When we use this noun we refer to them as one unit.

We use Collective Nouns when we wish to talk about groups of two or more people, animals or things. We talk about these groups as one single entity. When Collective Nouns describe a team or group doing the same activity, singular verbs are used, however when they describe a team or group acting in different ways, plural verbs are used.

For example:
— “The gang of thieves was caught.” = “The gang” is treated as a single entity, that is why we need to use single verb.
— “The gang of thieves were in argument.” = “The members of the gang” is emphasized, therefore we need to use plural verb.

Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section that shows its use within a context.