Notes On Collective Nouns

1 |Collective Nouns

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

PEOPLE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

acrobats - a troupe of acrobats actors - a company of actors angels - a host of angels angels - a host of angels athletes - a field/team of athletes barbers - a babble of barbers beauties - a bevy of beauties Boy Scouts - a troop of Boy Scouts butchers - a goring of butchers candidates - a slate of candidates dancers - a troupe/group of dancers directors - a board of directors doctors - a team of doctors employees - a staff of employees experts - a panel of experts friends - a host/party of angels gangsters - a mob of gangsters Girl Guides - a company of Girl Guides girls - a bevy of girls judges - a bench/panel of judges jugglers - a troupe of jugglers kings - a dynasty of kings

2 |Collective Nouns

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labourers - a gang of labourers ladies - a bevy of ladies lawyers - a huddle of lawyers magistrates - a bench of magistrates men - a body of men mourners - a cortege of mourners musicians - a band of musicians natives - a tribe of natives people - a crowd/congregation/mob/an audience of people performers - a troupe of performers players - a team of players policemen - a posse/patrol of policemen politicians - a party of politicians prisoners - a gang of prisoners pupils - a class/school of pupils runners - a relay/field of runners sailors - a crew of sailors savages - a horde of savages scholars - a class of scholars scientists - a team of scientists senators - a house of senators servants - a staff of servants singers - a choir/group of singers smokers - a billow of smokers soldiers - a regiment/an army of soldiers spectators - a crowd of spectators students - a class of students teachers - a staff of teachers thieves - a gang of thieves tourists - a flock of tourists worshippers - a congregation of worshippers

3 |Collective Nouns

ANIMALS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ants - an army/army/colony of ants bats - a colony of bats bees - a hive/swarm of bees birds - a flight of swallows buffaloes - a herd of buffaloes butterflies - a flutter of butterflies camels - a train of camels cats - a clutter of cats cattle - a drove/herd of cattle chickens - a brood/flock of chickens chicks - a clutch of chicks clams - a bed of clams crocodiles - a nest of crocodiles cubs - a litter of cubs deer - a herd of deer ducks - a flock of ducks elephants - a herd of elephants fish - a haul/shoal/school/catch of fish geese - a gaggle/flock of geese giraffes - a herd/tower of giraffes goats - a flock/herd of goats horses - a gaggle/drove/stud of horses hounds - a pack of hounds insects - a cloud/swarm/plague of insects

4 |Collective Nouns

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kangaroos - a mob of kangaroos kittens - a litter of kittens lions - a pride of lions mice - a nest of mice monkeys - a troop of monkeys owls - a parliament of owls oxen - a team of oxen puppies - a litter of puppies rabbits - a nest of rabbits seals - a colony of seals sheep - a flock of sheep snakes - a nest of snakes sparrows - a host of sparrows squirrels - a dray of squirrels swallows - a flight of swallows whales - a pod/school of whales wolves - a pack of wolves

THINGS • • • • • • • • • • •

aeroplanes - a flight of aeroplanes apartments - a block of apartments arrows - a quiver of arrows asteroids - a belt of asteroids bananas - a bunch/comb of bananas beads - a string of beads bells - a peal of bells books - a library/pile of books bread - a batch/ loaf of bread bread - a loaf of bread bullets - a hail/valley of bullets

5 |Collective Nouns

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bushes - a hedge of bushes cards - a pack of cards cars - a fleet/line of cars china - a set of china chopsticks - a pair of chopsticks cigarettes - a packet of cigarettes cloth - a bale of cloth clothes - a suit of clothes clubs - a set of clubs coconuts - a cluster of coconuts coins - a collection of coins cookies - a tray of cookies corn - a harvest/sheaf of corn cotton - a bale of cotton crockery - a set of crockery corn - a sheaf of corn diamonds - a cluster of diamonds drawers - a chest of drawers dust - a cloud of dust eggs - a clutch of eggs film - a reel of film fire - a ring/hail of fire firewood - a bundle of firewood flags - a bundle of flags flats - a block of flats flowers - a bouquet/bed/garland/wreath of flowers fruits - a basket/crate of fruits furniture - a suite of furniture garbage - a heap of garbage goods - a stock of goods grapes - a bunch of grapes grass - a tuft of grass

6 |Collective Nouns

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grass - a tuft of grass guns - a battery of guns hay - a stack of hay hay - a stack of hay hills - a range of hills houses - a row of houses information - a piece/wealth of information islands - a group/chain of islands keys - a ring/set/bunch of keys lies - a pack of lies motorcars - a fleet of motorcars mountains - a chain / range of mountains names - a list of names notes - a wad of notes pearls - a string/rope of pearls photograph - an album of photograph pictures - a collection of pictures poems - an anthology of poems rags - a bundle of rags rambutans - a bunch of rambutans raspberries - a punnet of raspberries rice - a plate/bowl of rice rooms - a suite of rooms rubbish - a heap of rubbish scissors - a pair of scissors ships - a fleet of ships shoes - a pair of shoes shoes - a pair of shoes smoke - a column of smoke socks - a pair of socks soup - a bowl of soup spectacles - a pair of spectacles

7 |Collective Nouns

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stairs - a flight of stairs stamps - a collection of stamps stars - a galaxy/cluster of stars steps - a flight of stairs sticks - a bundle of sticks stones - a heap/ pile of stones strawberries - a punnet of strawberries thread - a reel of thread timber - a stack of timber timber - a stack of timber tools - a set/ kit of tools trees - a clump/forest/grove of trees trousers - a pair of trousers trucks - a convoy of trucks vessels - a fleet of vessels wheat - a harvest of wheat wool - a bale of wool words - a sentence of words