Collective nouns

1.

Collective nouns
By Druzhina N.I.

2.

3.

Collective nouns
People
Words associated
with certain
animals
Things in
general
People involved in
the same
job/activity

4.

A gang of thieves
A group of people
A crowd of people

5.

Fill in each blank with an appropriate collective noun
1.There are …. of mosquitoes in the forests in summer.
swarms
2.As we looked over the side of the boat, we saw a …of
brightly colored fish swimming just below the surface.
school
3. There was a …of youths standing on the corner; they
didn‘t look too friendly.
gang
4. A … of biologists is studying marine life in this area.
team
team
gang school swarms

6.

a
a
a
a
flock of sheep or birds
herd of cattle, deer
swarm of insects
pack of dogs, wolves

7.

Match collective words with appropriate nouns
1. a clump of
2. a herd of
3. a gang of
4. a swarm of
5. a pile of
thugs
linen
bushes
elephants
bees

8.

The public
A team of doctors, scientists, experts
The cast of actors
The crew of workers on a ship
The staff of teachers

9.

Odd one out. In each case, one of the example is wrong. Which one?
1. Company is often used for:
actors
opera singer
swimmer
2. Cast is often used for:
a play
a movie
a book
3. Crew is often used for:
a yacht
a plane
a hospital
4. Pack is often used for:
wolves
dogs
ears

10.

A pile/heap of papers (or clothes, dishes)
A set of tools (or pots and pans)
A bunch of flowers (or bananas, grapes)
A stark of chairs (or tables, boxes
A clump of trees (or bushes, grass)

11.

Rewrite these sentences using collective words. Don’t forget to change the
verb to singular or plural where necessary.
1. There are some tables on top of one another in the next room.
2. There is a stark of tables in the next room.
3. There is a large number of people waiting outside.
4. There is a crowd of people waiting outside.
5. The people who work there are well paid.
6. The staff is well paid.
7. He gave me six identical sherry glasses.
8. He gave me a set of sherry glasses.
9. She gave me five or six beautiful roses.
10.She gave me a bunch of roses.

12.

Some collective nouns are associated with words about using language.
Underline any you can see in this news text.
The JOURNALISTS raised a whole host of questions about the
actions of the police during the demonstration. There had been a
barrage of complaints about police violence. The Chief of Police
replied that he would not listen to a string of wild allegations
without any evidence. Eventually he gave reporters a series of short
answers that left everyone dissatisfied.