What is a collective noun?
A collective noun is one word for a whole group of people, animals or things.
| Animals | People and things | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| a flock of | sheep, birds | a team of | players |
| a herd of | cows, elephants | a crowd of | people |
| a pack of | wolves, dogs | a class of | pupils |
| a swarm of | bees | a choir of | singers |
| a shoal (or school) of | fish | an audience of | listeners |
| a pride of | lions | a bunch of | flowers, grapes, keys |
| a litter of | puppies, kittens | a fleet of | ships |
| a gaggle of | geese (on the ground) | a stack of | books |
| a colony of | ants | a bouquet of | flowers |
One group, one word
The group is usually treated as one thing: The flock is in the field. A swarm of bees was buzzing.
Watch out! Some animals have more than one collective noun: fish swim in a shoal or a school.
Top tip: picture the group. A pride of lions sounds proud and royal. A swarm of bees sounds busy and buzzy!
🗂️ Which group?1 of 6
Which collective noun goes with these animals?
🐄
cows
🎮 Name the groupQuestion 1 of 5