Collective nouns denoting a group of objects thought of as a whole

This group includes the following nouns: furniture, machinery, equipment, hardware, silverware, china, luggage, foliage (are used in the singular, without any article, are used with the definite article when the speaker is specifying).

e.g. The equipment of the studio was expensive.

This furniture doesn’t match the wallpapers.

Miscellaneous

a pile/heap of papers/clothes/dishes/toys a bunch of flowers/grapes/bananas a stack of chairs/tables/boxes/logs a set of tools/pots/pans a library of books a nest of rumours a flight of stairs a stand of trees a range of hills

Exercises

1. A. Put these words into the table based on the group of things they usually refer to.

company team swarm flock government gang crowd congregation pack staff group crew cast shoal school throng huddle litter

People	Animals	Birds	Insects

B. Complete these sentences using one of the words from the above task. In some cases, more than one answer is possible.

1. After the election, the huge ……………. danced in the street.

2. The refugees sat in a small, tight ………….. underneath some trees.

3. The school is closed because the ………….. are on strike.

4. The theatre ………….. benefited from a government grant.

5. Following an outbreak of epidemic disease, the ……………. should take measures.

6. A ………….. of football fans wandered around the street breaking shop windows.

7. Half the ………….. of the film were nominated for Oscars.

8. A small ………….. of people petitioned the Prime Minister outside his house.

9. The …………. of fish that had been caught were deemed inedible owing to pollution in the water.

10. We were all surprised when our dog gave birth to a ………….. of puppies.

11. Cabin …………. on aircraft are drilled in safety procedure.

12. As winter approaches, the ………….. of birds fly south to warmer countries.

13. Half the football …………… were sent off in disgrace.

14. The stars had difficulty making their way through the ………..of people outside the cinema.

15. The women fell on the surprised burglar like a …………. of wild dogs.

16. The harvest was destroyed by a huge …………… of insects.

2. The following words all refer to groups of people, animals, birds, insects or things. Match the words with their definitions below.

flock pack team congregation army swarm crew crowd audience government family shoal gang bundle committee

1. a number of sheep …………..

2. people who are the members of one church …………..

3. people playing football as one body .………….

4. a lot of dirty laundry …………..

5. people who work on board of the ship …………..

6. a number of spectators …………..

7. a number of soldiers …………..

8. a lot of wolves ……………

9. a lot of fish ……………

10. a lot of insects …………..

11. a lot of people in the street .…………..

12. rulers of the country ……………

13. people, chosen to direct some work ……………

14. relations between people .………….

15. a group of criminals …………..

2. Translate the expressions in the gaps into English:

1. Looking out of the window, we saw a (стадо) of cows standing peacefully near the road. 2. Soon a big (зграя) of dogs gathered near the rubbish heap. 3. We saw five lion cubs born in the (лев’ячій сім’ї). 4. The tourists who trained diving saw a bright (косяк) of fish near a big rock. 5. A (групка) of guests was moving towards the house. 6. A (група) of detectives arrived at the scene of the disaster. 7. The (трупа) are rehearsing a new production. 8. We were all surprised when our dog gave birth to a (виводок) of puppies. 9. Don’t touch the (вулик) of bees on that tree! You jeopardize your life. 10. A (лисяча сім’я) was eating ducks when we saw them.

3. Replace the underlined words with suitable collective nouns.

1. A lot of people gathered on the beach.

2. The man took his wife and children to the zoo.

3. The group of cows grazed on the hill.

4. The teacher told the story to the group of students.

5. The number of sailors stood on the deck.

6. The captain led his group of players to the ground.

7. The dog helped the shepherd guard his group of sheep.

8. The violent group of people pelted stones.

9. The children gave granny a collection of flowers.

10. The general led his victorious group of soldiers home.

4. Fill the blanks with the correct answers.

1. I was attacked by a _______ of bees.

1. deck b) swarm c) package d) flock

2. A _______ of geese was heard a mile away.

1. gaggle b) herd c) litter d) kennel

3. Last Sunday, I went with my friends to the park. We had to eat our lunch quickly because an _______ of ants attacked our food.

1. crowd b) swarm c) flight d) army

4. On my African trip, I saw a ________ of lions.

a) pride b) bundle c) pack d) gang

5. The boy saw a _______ of sheep grazing in the fields.

a) swarm b) bevy c) flock d) flight

6. I had so much fun in Hawaii swimming with a _________ of fish.

a) army b) shoal c) bevy d) team

7. I like to play card games. So when I go camping, I usually take a _______ of cards with me.

1. herd b) school c) pack d) range

8. There was a _______ of bird eggs on the tree.

a) nest b) swarm c) crowd d) school

9. There was a _______ of visitors in the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday.

a) crowd b) school c) nest d) gang

10. I love hiking in the spring because the mountains are covered with a ________ of wild flowers.

a) nest b) mass c) deck d) set

11. A ______ of cows was transported to a farm in Texas for slaughter.

a) pod b) pack c) herd d) stack

12. The man never cleaned his office. He left a ________ of files and papers on his desk.

a) deck b) army c) pile d) bundle

13. On a stormy night you could hear the howling of a _______ of wolves.

a) swarm b) pack c) gang d) bevy

14. My friend's cat had a __________ of kittens on the weekend.

a) gaggle b) swarm c) litter d) colony

15. On the ferry ride from Victoria, I saw a ________ of whales in the ocean.

a) bevy b) crowd c) shoal d) gang

5. Pick out the collective nouns in the following sentences and make up sentences of your own.

1. The general led the army to the war-front.

2. The crowd was thrilled to see their favourite player.

3. The carpenter had his set of tools with him.

4. The innocent man was acquitted by the jury.

5. We saw the fleet of ships sailing on the sea.

6. Uncle took his family to the circus.

7. The police managed to control the mob.

8. The committee voted against the resolution.

9. The whole nation celebrated Indian victory.

10. A troupe of monkeys hid among the clump of trees.

• Two or more subjects connected by and require a plural verb.

My mother and sister live in Boston.

My brother, sister, and cousin live in Boston.

Note: Every and each are always followed immediately by singular verb. In this case, even when there are two (or more) nouns connected by and, the verb is singular.

Every man, woman, and child needs love.

Each book and magazine is listed in the card catalogue.

• Sometimes a phrase or clause separates a subject from its verb. These interrupting structures do not affect basic agreement.

That book on political parties is interesting.

singular singular

The ideas in that book are interesting.

plural plural

• A gerund used as the subject of the sentence requires a singular verb.

Growing flowers is her hobby.

gerund singular

• In most expressions of quantity, the verb is determined by the noun (or pronoun) that follows of.

Some of + singular noun = singular verb Some of + plural noun = plural verb verb

Some of the book is good.

singular singular

Some of the books are good.

plural plural

Two-thirds of the money is mine.

singular singular

Two-thirds of the pennies are mine.

plural plural

Note: One of, each of, and every one of take singular verb.

One of my friends is here.

Each of my friends is here.

Every one of my friends is here.

1. Choose the correct answer in parentheses.

1. The results of Dr. Noll’s experiment (was, were) published in a scientific journal.

2. The weather in the southern states (get, gets) very hot during the summer.

3. A woman and her child (is, are) waiting to see Dr. Chang.

4. Every man, woman, and child (is, are) protected under the law.

5. Washing the dishes (is, are) the children’s job.

6. A lot of the students (is, are) already here.

7. Some of the furniture in our apartment (is, are) secondhand.

8. Some of the desks in the classroom (is, are) broken.

9. At least three-quarters of that book on famous Americans (is, are) about people who lived in the nineteenth century.

10. One of the countries I would like to visit (is, are) Italy.

11. Some of the cities I would like to visit (is, are) Rome and Venice.

12. Each student in the class (has, have) to have a book.

13. Each of the students (has, have) a notebook.

14. The famous singer and composer (has, have) arrived.

15. Gold, as well as platinum, (has, have) recently risen in price.

16. Bread and butter (is, are) our daily food.

17. The boss, as well as his colleagues, (has, have) been robbed.

18. One of the books (has, have) been missing.

19. You should decide which one of the three choices A, B, or C best (answers, answer) the question.

20. One of the most intelligent students who (score, scores) full marks (is, are) John.

21. The only one of these most intelligent students who (is, are) under 18 (is, are) Peter.

22. One of these most intelligent students whose example (is being, are being) followed (is, are) John.

23. Neither (likes, like) the friends of the other.

24. Either the man or his wife (knows, know) the truth of the matter.

25. The family (has, have) met their various obligations.