Collective nouns can be a little tricky to identify and use. Are they singular, or are they plural? What type of verb do I use with a collective noun? With a little practice, collective nouns can quickly be mastered.

In this post we’ll review what collective nouns are, the singular and plural forms of collective nouns, and how to ensure proper subject-verb agreement when using collective nouns.

After reviewing the information below, test yourself with a post-assessment quiz and practice with our high quality, standards-aligned questions here.

The Basics of Collective Nouns

What is a Collective Noun? 

A collective noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity (Hint: a “collection” of people or things). Even though you can count the individual members of the group, you usually think of the individuals as a group, a whole, or as one unit. 

Because collective nouns describe a plurality of something, they are often confused with plural nouns. Additionally, collective nouns can be made into plural nouns, like most common nouns.

Consider this: A group is learning about different types of nouns.

There are three nouns in the sentence above. One is a collective noun, and the others are plural nouns.

Collective Noun: group

Plural Nouns: types, nouns

What is the relationship between collective and plural nouns?

Plural means more than one, so plural nouns are referring to more than one of that particular noun. The most common way to make a noun plural is by adding an ‘s’ to the end of the word, though there are various reals related to making singular nouns plural.

Examples:

Singular: Tree / Plural: Trees

Singular: Student / Plural: Students

Collective nouns are singular words used in place of plural nouns. Collective nouns can be singular or plural, but plural nouns are always plural.

Let’s use the example from above: A group is learning about different types of nouns.

What is a group? It is a collection of people, places, or things. In this case, we can infer that the group is a number of students.

The word “students” is a plural noun for student.

The sentence could be written without using a collective noun: Students are learning about different types of nouns.

So aren’t collective nouns plural if they are made up of more than one of the same thing? It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking collective nouns are plural; however, these words are designed to represent a single unit of more than one of the same thing.

Collective nouns can also be plural: Groups are learning about different types of nouns.

What does “groups” mean in this sentence? It means more than one group, making it a plural collective noun.

Collective Proper Nouns

Collective nouns may also be proper nouns when that proper noun represents a group.

• Music groups and businesses are often used as collective nouns.
  • Maroon 5 is playing on the radio.
    • Since Maroon 5 is a music group with multiple members, it is a collective proper noun, and It is treated as a singular noun in a sentence.
  • Target is a popular store for everyday needs.
    • Since Target is a large retail chain, it would be considered a collective proper noun in this sentence.
    • If a specific Target is being referenced, it is no longer being used as a collective proper noun, and is treated as a singular proper noun in a sentence.
      • I shop at the Target on the corner.
• Hint: If you substitute a generic collective noun like “the band” or “the company” with the proper noun, you can see that the proper noun is a collective noun, so it should be treated as a collective noun in a sentence with singular verbs.

Exceptions

Some collective proper nouns, sports teams in particular, often use the plural form of the team name and require the use of a plural verb and plural pronouns as needed:

• The Cubs have won the World Series, breaking their 107 year losing streak.

However, if the name of a city is used in place of the team name, it is treated as a singular noun:

• Chicago won the World Series, breaking its 107 year losing streak.

How do you use collective nouns?

Collective nouns can be used in any type of sentence, but the most common mistakes made when using collective nouns is subject-verb disagreement and pronoun disagreement.

Subject-Verb Agreement:

If a singular collective noun is used in a sentence, it needs to be treated like a singular noun.

Incorrect Example: The team are playing in the championship game.

Correct Example: The team is playing in the championship game.

We use the singular verb “is” with a collective noun, because a collective noun represents a singular unit. If the collective noun is made plural, than the verb will follow plural noun rules:

The teams are playing in the championship game.

Let’s look again at our sample sentences and add one more using a singular noun for students:

1. A group is learning about different types of nouns.
2. Students are learning about different types of nouns.
3. Groups are learning about different types of nouns.
4. A Student is learning about different types of nouns.

What differences do you see in the sentences?

1. A group is learning about different types of nouns.
2. Students are learning about different types of nouns.
3. Groups are learning about different types of nouns.
4. A student is learning about different types of nouns.

You’ll notice that verb usage for singular nouns are the same. Sentences 1 and 4 use the singular verb “is”.

The sentences with singular nouns also use the article “A” before the noun.

The verb usage for plural nouns are the same as well. Sentences 2 and 3 use the plural verb “are”, and there is no need for an article before the noun.

Subject-Pronoun Agreement

Pronoun agreement follows the same rules as verb agreement for collective nouns. Singular pronouns are used for singular collective nouns, and plural pronouns are used for plural collective nouns.

Incorrect Example: The bouquet of flowers is wilting, even though they were labeled as fresh.

Correct Example: The bouquet of flowers is wilting, even though it was labeled as fresh.

We use the singular pronoun “it” with a collective noun, because a collective noun represents a singular unit. If the collective noun is made plural, than the pronoun will follow plural noun rules:

The bouquets of flowers are wilting, even though they were labeled as fresh.

Return to Table of Contents

3 Tips For Recognizing and Using Collective Nouns

Tip #1: If it takes more than one person, animal, or thing to use the word, it’s probably a collective noun

• Remember: Collective nouns are words or phrases that represent a group of people or things as a singular unit.
  • Think: If I was looking at a flock flying across the sky, would I be seeing one thing, or multiple things together?
    • If I was looking at a flock, I would be looking at a group of birds flying together. So flock is a collective noun.

Tip #2: Subject-Verb Agreement: Singular collective nouns use singular verbs, plural collective nouns use plural verbs

• Remember: Collective nouns are considered singular unless it is specifically made plural. Verbs used with collective nouns need to follow proper subject-verb agreement by using singular verbs with singular collective nouns, and plural verbs only when the collective noun has been made plural.
  • The class is expected to follow classroom expectations.
  • The classes are expected to follow classroom expectations.

Tip #3: Pronoun Agreement: Singular collective nouns use singular pronouns, plural collective nouns use plural pronouns

• Remember: Just like subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement needs to be carefully checked to make sure singular pronouns are used for singular collective nouns, and plural pronouns are used for plural collective nouns.
  • The crew on the aircraft carrier is prepared to deploy if it is called on.
  • The crews on the aircraft carriers are prepared to deploy if they are called on.

Return to Table of Contents

Applying the Basics: Collective Noun Practice

Now that you understand what collective nouns are, and how to use them properly in a sentence, let’s practice identifying them and checking for proper verb and pronoun usage. Remember, collective nouns are considered singular nouns, and they should be used with singular verbs and pronouns.

The Ultimate List of Collective Nouns

Refer to the chart below for an extensive list of common collective nouns.

*Please note that this list does not include all collective nouns, and many of the words can be used for different things as well as cross categories.

Collective Nouns: Identifying Collective Nouns

Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of collective nouns.

Select the collective noun(s) in the sentences below. Remember, a collective noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity. Collective nouns can be made plural like most common nouns.

1. I went with a group of students to see the statues commemorating the army of soldiers that fought in the Korean War.

• In this sentence, group and army are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people in a single unit.

2. The audience cheered as the team took the field for the first game in the series against its biggest rival.

• In this sentence, audience, team, and series are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people or things in a single unit.

3. The committees are working on different projects to help increase community involvement in school events.

• In this sentence, committees and community are collective nouns. The word committees is also a plural collective noun. Each word represents multiple people in a single unit or units.

4. His family bought a bunch of movies from Best Buy to donate to the company’s gift drive.

• In this sentence, family, bunch, Best Buy, and company’s are collective nouns. Best Buy is a proper collective noun, and company’s has an apostrophe and an ‘s’, because it is also acting as a possessive noun. Each word or phrase represents multiple people or things in a single unit.

5. The Students wishing to start a school choir met with the school board and faculty to present a list of arguments supporting the idea.

• In this sentence, choir, board, faculty, and list are collective nouns. Each word represents multiple people or things in a single unit.

Pro tip: When evaluating whether a noun is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Does this word represent multiple people or things as one unit?”

Collective Nouns: Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement and Disagreement

Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of subject-verb agreement when using collective nouns.

Review each sentence and select the verb that ensures accurate subject-verb agreement. Remember, a collective noun is a singular noun and uses singular verbs. Collective nouns can be made plural and use plural verbs.

1. The mob of Black Friday shoppers (is, are) anxiously waiting for the store to open.

• The correct verb for this sentence is is, because the subject, mob, is a singular collective noun.

2. His Science class (take, takes) the AP® exam on Friday.

• The correct verb for this sentence is takes, because the subject, class, is a singular collective noun.

3. On Saturday, the local girl scout troops (sell, sells) cookies outside of the grocery stores.

• The correct verb for this sentence is sell, because the subject, troops, is a plural collective noun.

4. The congregation (sings, sing) the hymn along with the pastor.

• The correct verb for this sentence is sings, because the subject, congregation, is a singular collective noun.

5. The apple orchard I go to every fall (have, has) 30 varieties of apples and the best brunch around.

• The correct verb for this sentence is has, because the subject, orchard, is a singular collective noun.

Pro tip: When evaluating whether or not a sentence has proper subject-verb agreement when the subject is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Is this collective noun singular or plural?” Singular collective nouns use singular verbs, and plural collective nouns use plural verbs. If you can replace the collective noun with the word “it”, it is singular.

Collective Nouns: Identifying Subject-Pronoun Agreement and Disagreement

Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of subject-pronoun agreement when using collective nouns.

Review each sentence and select the pronoun that ensures accurate subject-pronoun agreement. Remember, a collective noun is a singular noun and uses singular pronouns. Collective nouns can be made plural and use plural pronouns.

1. The staff was commended for (its, their) hard work this year.

• The correct pronoun for this sentence is its, because the subject, staff, is a singular collective noun.

2. Most people order a batch of chocolate chip cookies, because (it’s, they’re) the most popular item.

• The correct pronoun for this sentence is it’s, the contraction ‘it is’, because the subject, batch, is a singular collective noun.

3. In the fall, I like to watch the flocks of birds flying south to (its, their) winter home.

• The correct pronoun for this sentence is their, because the subject, flocks, is a plural collective noun.

4. The lovely bouquet of roses smells like (it, they) came fresh from the garden.

• The correct pronoun for this sentence is it, because the subject, bouquet, is a singular collective noun.

5. The jury struggles to agree on a verdict, so (it, they) asks for more time to deliberate.

• The correct pronoun for this sentence is it, because the subject, jury, is a singular collective noun.

Pro tip: When evaluating whether or not a sentence has proper subject-pronoun agreement when the subject is a collective noun, ask yourself, “Is this collective noun singular or plural?” Singular collective nouns use singular pronouns, and plural collective nouns use plural pronouns. If you can replace the collective noun with the word “it”, it is singular.

For additional practice, check out Collective Noun content on Albert.

Return to Table of Contents

Try for Yourself: Collective Noun Quiz

Feeling confident in your understanding of collective nouns?

Take this short quiz to see what you’ve learned:

1. Is a collective noun, like the word “group”, treated as a singular or plural noun?

• Answer: Singular
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! A collective noun, like the word “group”, is treated as a singular noun, because the word “group” represents multiple people or things as a single unit.
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, unless the collective noun is made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the word group, it is treated as a singular noun.

2. Do collective nouns like the words “team” and “herd” use singular or plural verbs and pronouns?

• Answer: Singular
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! Collective nouns, like the words “team” and “herd”, are treated as singular nouns, because they represent multiple people or things as a single unit. Therefore, they use singular verbs and pronouns.
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, unless collective nouns are made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the words team and group, they are treated as singular nouns. Therefore, they use singular verbs and pronouns.

3. In this sentence, is the underlined word collective, plural, or plural collective?

By the end of the game, our team was in first place.

• Answer: Collective
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! The underlined word, team, is a collective noun. It is a singular word that represents multiple people (players).
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, if a word represents multiple people as a single unit, it is a collective noun. Additionally, unless a collective noun is made plural, in this case by adding an ‘s’ to the word team, it is treated as a singular noun.

4. In this sentence, is the underlined word collective, plural, or plural collective?

There are colonies of ants all over the field.

• Answer: Plural Collective
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! The underlined word, colonies, is the plural form of the collective noun ‘colony’, which represents multiple ant living as one group. The word colonies means more than one colony.
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, if a word represents multiple things as a single unit, it is a collective noun. Additionally, a collective noun can be made plural – in this case by dropping the ‘y’ and adding ‘ies’ to the word colony.

5. Does the verb in the following sentence agree or disagree with the subject?

When the litter of puppies is ready, I get to take one home.

• Answer: Agree
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! The subject, litter, is a singular collective noun, so it uses the  singular verb ‘is’ for accurate subject-verb agreement.
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, a singular collective noun uses a singular verb for accurate subject-verb agreement. Litter is a singular collective noun, so it uses the singular verb ‘is’.

6. Does the pronoun in the following sentence agree or disagree with the subject?

I listen to my favorite band while working, because they help me focus.

• Answer: Disagree

• Correct Explanation: That’s right! The subject, band, is a singular collective noun, so it would use the  singular pronoun ‘it’ for accurate subject-pronoun agreement.
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right. Remember, a singular collective noun uses a singular pronoun for accurate subject-pronoun agreement. Band is a singular collective noun, so it uses the singular pronoun ‘it’.
•  

For additional practice with collective nouns, check out our practice on Albert.io: Collective Nouns

Return to Table of Contents

Teacher’s Corner for Collective Nouns

While it’s true that collective nouns are a foundational grammar skill, the Common Core English Language Progressive Skills Chart shows that even elementary-level skills “require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.” 

For specific standards addressing collective nouns, or standards on subject-verb and subject-pronoun agreement, check out the Common Core State Standards site! 

Albert’s collective nouns practice can be used for much more than homework! Our assessments can be used as pre-and post-tests to measure student progress. Our pre-made quizzes can be used as bell-ringers, exit tickets, and more! 

In addition to our pre-made assessments, you can also use our assignments feature to create your own quizzes and assessments.

Return to Table of Contents

Summary on Collective Nouns

A Collective Noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things but is treated as a singular entity. They can be made plural following the normal rules for making nouns plural.

Subject-Verb and Subject-Pronoun Agreement is where most mistakes are made when using collective nouns. Collective nouns are treated as singular nouns unless they are made plural. Singular collective nouns use singular verbs and pronouns, and plural collective nouns use plural verbs and pronouns.

Collective nouns are words we see and use every day. When using collective nouns in your writing, make sure you carefully check your work to ensure you are using the appropriate verbs and pronouns!

Practice makes perfect! Use our collective nouns practice on Albert’s grammar course!

You can also access over 3,400 high-quality questions that address nearly every grammatical concept.

Need help preparing for your Grammar exam?

Albert has hundreds of grammar practice questions with detailed explanations to help you master concepts.