A NOUN referring to a group of people, animals, or things, and occurring in the singular with a singular or plural verb: army, couple, family, government, group.The plural use (The majority are in favour) is commoner and more acceptable in BrE than AmE, where the singular form (The majority is in favour) is preferred. Hardcover. Generally speaking, in Britain it is more usual for collective nouns to be followed by a plural verb, while in the US the opposite is true. Abstract noun. Note that many of these terms are humorous and appear only in word lists. Can't find what you're looking for? When you group people or things together, you are using collective nouns. Dictionary of collective nouns and group terms by Ivan George Sparkes (1983-08-02) Ivan George Sparkes. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Find free printable worksheets here and prepare for success! 2. "Dictionaries avoid including these sorts of collective nouns because they are mostly fanciful," says researcher of language Michael Quinion at World Wide Words. Borgmann's solution, which spans four pages, shows the term to be a ghost word ; it was the result of a centuries-long chain of typographical errors (from BUSYNESS to BESYNESS to FESYNES to FESNYNG to FEAMYNG) propagated through various dictionaries. Learn about what verb tense to pair them with and other useful guidelines. List of Collective Nouns for Birds. Most terms used here may be found in common dictionaries and general information web sites. Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms Hardcover – 1 Sept. 1975 by Ivan G. Sparkes (Editor) 4.7 out of 5 stars 2 ratings. collective noun: Dictionary/thesaurus [home, info] Art (1 matching dictionary) collective noun: Linguistic Glossary [home, info] Medicine (1 matching dictionary) collective noun: Medical dictionary [home, info] (Note: See collective_nouns for more definitions.) The best-known source of many English words used for collective groupings of animals is The Book of Saint Albans, an essay on hunting published in 1486 and attributed to Juliana Berners. Remember that nouns are words naming people, animals, places, and things. What does collective-noun mean? Hardcover. adj. Dictionary Thesaurus Examples Sentences Quotes Reference Spanish Word Finder 4 Pics 1 Word Answers; Anagram Solver; Scrabble Dictionary; Unscramble; Word Cookies Cheat; Scrabble Checker; Words with Friends Cheat; More … collective synonyms, collective pronunciation, collective translation, English dictionary definition of collective. Definition of collective_2 noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Reference Menu. Make collective nouns a simple concept and ease your confusion with these collective noun examples. An abstract noun is a noun which refers to ideas, qualities, and conditions - things that cannot be seen or touched and things which have no physical reality, e.g. Assembled into or viewed as a whole. If the collective noun (team) is acting altogether as a single unit, you use a singular verb. They have developed throughout the history of the English language, with new collective nouns still being created, although time will tell if these latest additions will survive (think “a hood of bro’s”, “a array of geeks”). Collective nouns are used to describe a group or collection of individuals. Examples are rodnia (“kinsfolk”), molodezh’ (“young people”), studenchestvo (“students”), dich’ (“game animals”), and bel’e (“laundry”). Please send an email to suggest a collective noun. collective noun meaning: 1. a noun that describes a group of things or people as a unit: 2. a noun that describes a group…. Collective Nouns List 957. 4.7 out of 5 stars 2. Here is a list of collective nouns in alphabetical order. A good example of such a metonymic shift in the plural-to-singular direction is the following sentence: "Mathematics is my favorite academic subject." Amazon Price New from Used from Hardcover "Please retry" £111.99 . 4.7 out of 5 stars 84. For example, Problem 94 challenges the reader to trace the origin of the word FEAMYNG, a purported collective noun for ferrets. COLLECTIVE NOUN, also collective. A collective noun names an aggregate of individuals or things with a singular form. Try typing Zebras. 2 offers from £94.38. Collective nouns are words for single things that are made up of more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea. What’s great about these armies of caterpillars is that they’re incredibly well organised. The fast search works for all the columns so you can type birds or crows or troupe or whatever you want. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords … A collective noun looks singular, but it can be treated as singular or plural depending on whether the word refers to the group as a single entity or to its members as individuals. 1. Detailed grammar definitions are beyond the scope of this collective nouns for animals ADDucation list! "If your task is … truth, danger, happiness, time, friendship, humour. All Free. £111.99: £60.18: Hardcover, 1 Sept. 1975 — — £73.50: Hardcover from £73.50 6 Used from £73.50 Previous page. 4.8 out of 5 stars 79. Thanks! nouns that refer to a group of persons, objects, or phenomena as an indivisible whole. In American English, most collective nouns are treated as singular, with a singular verb: √ The whole family was at the table. They include words such as audience, committee, police, crew, family, government, group, and team. There are about 200 collective nouns in English to describe groups of animals, people, and things. (grammar) A noun which, though singular, refers to a group of things or animals. (grammar) A noun which, though singular, refers to a group of things or animals. Pin. This includes groups of people, animals and inanimate objects. Enjoy! A collective noun can be used with either a singular verb (my family was always hard-working) or a plural verb (his family were disappointed in him). They are also called group nouns. Below is a 3 column fast-sorting table of 100's of collective nouns with a related noun and link to the main category. A Murmuration of Starlings: The Collective Nouns of Animals and Birds. For example, The United States women’s national soccer team is bound by the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer, a federal judge ruled Friday.The New York Times Collective nouns are in a class all their own. Examples are rodnia (“kinsfolk”), molodezh’ (“young people”), studenchestvo (“students”), dich’ (“game animals”), and bel’e (“laundry”). For example, ensemble, group, ... Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Collective nouns that have a singular form but take a plural verb form are called collective plurals. nouns that refer to a group of persons, objects, or phenomena as an indivisible whole. Collective - definition of collective by The Free Dictionary.