A collective noun is a word which we use to define a group or collection of people, animals or things. In the phrase a herd of elephants, the word herd is a collective noun.
English has hundreds—if not thousands—of collective nouns. Don’t worry – even native speakers don’t know them all!
Here are some of the most common collective nouns:
Animals
| Collective noun | Phrase |
| a herd | a herd of elephants |
| a herd of deer | |
| a herd of cattle | |
| a pack | a pack of wolves |
| a pack of dogs | |
| a flock | a flock of birds |
| a flock of sheep | |
| a swarm | a swarm of bees |
| a swarm of flies | |
| a shoal | a shoal of fish |
People
| Collective noun | Phrase |
| a group | a group of people |
| a crowd | a crowd of people |
| a gang | a gang of thieves |
| a gang of youths (derogatory) | |
| a panel | a panel of experts |
| a panel of judges | |
| a board | a board of directors |
| a bunch | a bunch of idiots (derogatory) |
| a troupe | a troupe of acrobats |
Other
| Collective noun | Phrase |
| a bunch | a bunch of bananas |
| a bunch of grapes | |
| a bunch of flowers | |
| a bunch of keys | |
| a pack | a pack of cards |
| a pile | a pile of rubbish |
| a set | a set of rules |
| a group | a group of islands |
| a series | a series of events |
| a shower | a shower of rain |
| a fall | a fall of snow |
Don’t forget that a collective noun can also be made plural. We can say:
- two bunches of keys
- three piles of rubbish
- four packs of wolves, etc.
Practise this vocabulary: Upper-intermediate vocabulary exercise: collective nouns
