A collective noun is a name for a group of people , animals , things as single unit.
A. Fill in the blanks with the given collective nouns. (Practice source: Collins English Grammar and Composition Book)
murder, panel, bouquet, herd, flock, orchestra, army, pack, stack, gang, crockery, convoy, plaque, battery, colony, congregation, parliament, army, school, bouquet, company, band, bench, brood, clump, flight
- The herd of cattle moved slowly towards the forest.
- We were fascinated by the dedication with which the orchestra practised for the concert.
- A gang of thieves entered the deserted house late at night.
- An army of ants in the kitchen ate a couple of pastries on a plate.
- A panel of doctors called a meeting to discuss the best line of treatment for the little girl.
- I was very happy to receive a bouquet of flowers from my friends when I was sick.
- Ellie took out a dictionary from the huge stack of books kept on the shelf.
- We were rewarded with the sight of a flock of rare birds on our early morning trek.
- We were served traditional cuisine on colourful ceramic crockery in the forest bungalow.
- The magician used a pack of cards to show one magic trick after another.
- We waited in traffic for a long time for the convoy of the minister’s car to pass.
- The murder of crows sat in the branches of the mango tree, making a racket.
- The hunter was attacked on the foot by a colony of ants, and he missed his target.
- A company of actors from Bollywood had gathered at the film festival this year.
- A band of musicians was seen playing hymns by the roadside.
- Tom was very eager to let the brood of hens out from the coop.
- The Supreme Court has chosen a special bench of judges to pass the verdict.
- The investigation team discovered a battery of guns from the deserted apartment.
- The entire harvest this season was destroyed by an army of locusts.
- The haunted building was visited by a parliament of owls every night.
- He had to climb up a flight of stairs to meet the manager.
- A congregation of worshippers had assembled for the morning prayers.
- Harry was little aware that he was standing below a colony of bats.
- The train made a lot of noise as it went past a clump of ashoka trees.
- We saw a school of dolphins jumping in the sea.
Master list of collective nouns in English organized by category
1. Animals (Common) (collective Noun)
Mammals
- A herd of cattle – a general term for any number of cattle grouped together.
- A drove of cattle – a general term for a group of cattle that are actively being driven from one place to another. This term is also used to refer to a group of other animals like sheep and pigs that are moving together.
- A team of oxen – a term for a group of oxen, generally two, yoked together to pull a plow or waggon
- A fold of sheep – an enclosure or pen where sheep are kept.
- A flock of sheep – a general term for any number of sheep grouped together.
- A herd of goats – a general term associated with any number of goats grouped together
- A tribe of goats – a less common term associated with a group of goats.
- A sounder of pigs – a term associated with a group of wild pigs, typically consisting of two or more sows, female pigs and their piglets.
- A drift of pigs – a group of young pigs or piglet
- A passel of pigs – a group of adult pigs. They are also referred to as hogs.
- A farrow of pigs/litter of pigs – a group of piglets.
- A litter of puppies/kittens – a group of puppies or kittens born from the same mother.
- A pack of dogs/wolves/hounds/coyotes/mules – a group of canines.
- A clowder of cats – a general term associated with a group of adult cats.
- A glaring of cats – a general term for a group of unfamiliar cats glaring at each other.
- A kindle of kittens – a general term for group of cats
- Clutter of cats – a general term for a group of playful cats.
- Pounce of cats – a general term for a group of predatory cats.
- Colony of cats – a general term associated with groups of feral cats living in the wild.
- A pride of lions – a general term associated with groups of lions.
- A coalition of cheetahs/lions – a group of male lions or cheetahs.
- A sleuth/sloth of bears – a group of bears.
- A troop/tribe/cartload of monkeys – a group of monkeys.
- A parade of elephants – a group of elephants moving together gracefully.
- A herd of elephants – a group of elephants.
- A mob/troop/court of kangaroos – a group of kangaroos.
- A shrewdness of apes – a group of apes.
- A pod of dolphins / whales / seals – a social group of dolphins / whales / seals.
- A pod/school/gam of whales – a general term for a group of whales.
- A leap of leopards – a general term for a group of leopards.
- A streak of tigers – a group of a tigress and her cubs.
- An ambush of tigers – a group of adult tigers.
- A tower of giraffes – a group of standing giraffes.
- A journey of giraffes – a group of moving giraffes.
- A crash of rhinos – a group of charging rhinos
- A bloat/herd/pod/crash of hippos – a group of hippos.
- A colony of bats – a group of bats roosting in a cave.
- A cloud/flock of bats – a general term associated with a large group of flying bats.
Birds (Collective Noun)
- A flock of birds – a general term for a group of birds.
- A flight of birds – a general term for flying birds
- A brood of chicks – a group of young chicks hatched at the same time.
- A clutch of eggs – a group of eggs laid by a single mother.
- A murder of crows – a group of crows.
- A parliament of owls – a general term associated with a group of owls due to their reputation for wisdom.
- A kettle of hawks – a group of hawks circling and soaring in the air.
- A cast of falcons – a pair of hunting falcon
- A cauldron/kettle of falcons – a large group of falcons soaring and circling in the air.
- A gaggle of geese – a group of geese when on land
- A skein of geese (in flight) – a group of geese when they are in flight
- A rookery/colony of penguins – a group of penguins when they are nesting.
- A raft of penguins – a group of penguins when they are swimming together
- A waddle of penguins – a group of penguins when they are walking, named so for their distinctive gait.
- A crèche of penguins – a group of penguin chicks huddle together for warmth and protection when their parents go away to forage
- A pandemonium of parrots – a large, noisy group of parrots.
- A company of parrots – a large group of parrots.
- A descent of woodpeckers – a group of woodpeckers, named so after their habit of moving down trees to search for food.
- A gatling of woodpeckers – a group of woodpeckers, named so after the machine gun-like sound of their drilling.
- A covey/bevy of quails – a small group of quails, during
- A bevy of swans – a group of swans on the ground
- A wedge of swans – a group of swans in flight in V formation.
- A flotilla/armada of swans – a group of swans in water.
- A charm of finches – a group of finches.
- A trembling of finches – a group of finches.
- A chirm of finches – a group of finches, named so after their twittering.
- A conspiracy of ravens – a group of ravens.
- An exaltation of larks – a group of larks, named so after their joyous and soaring flight.
Fish & Aquatic Life ( collective noun)
- A school of fish – refers to a large group of fish swimming together in a coordinated manner.
A shoal of fish – refers to a large group of fish that are swimming loosely together.
A glint of fish – refers to a shiny flash of a group of fish swimming.
A swarm of eels – a large number of eels moving together.
A bed of eels – a group of eels resting together on the seabed.
A bed or reef of oysters – a group of oysters growing together on a seabed.
A colony of seals – a large group of seals living together on land.
A harem of seals – a group of seals consisting of one male and multiple females.
A pod of seals – a group of seals swimming together.
A bob of seals – a group of seals floating with their heads up out of the water
Insects (Collective Noun)
- A swarm of bees – a large group of bees flying together.
- A colony/hive of bees – a large group of bees living together in a hive.
- A flutter of butterflies – a variety of butterflies in motion.
- A kaleidoscope of butterflies – a variety of colourful butterflies flying together
- An army of ants – a group of ants moving together in an organised manner.
- A cloud of locusts – a thick mass of locusts flying together
- A plague of locusts – a destructive swarm of locusts.
- A cluster of spiders – a group of spiders arranged together around eggs or webs.
2. People (Professions, Groups, Social Units) ( Collective Noun)
- A crowd of people – a large number of people gathered together.
A mob of people – a disorderly, angry group of people.
An audience of spectators – a large group of people gathered to watch a performance or event.
A class of students – a group of students taught together.
A staff of employees – all employees working together for an organisation.
A team of players – a competitive group performing a sport.
A crew of sailors – a group of people operating a ship.
A platoon of soldiers – a small division of soldiers, led by a lieutenant.
A regiment of soldiers – a large, organised unit of the army
A battalion of soldiers – a military unit consisting of several companies.
A band of musicians – a group of musicians performing/playing together.
An orchestra of musicians – a large group of musicians playing classical instruments.
A choir of singers – a group of singers performing together.
A cast of actors – a group of actors performing in a movie or a play.
A troupe of actors – a group of travelling performers.
A troupe of dancers – a company or a group of dancers.
A panel of experts – a selected group of specialists.
A board of directors – a group responsible for governing an organisation.
A committee of members – a group formed to make decisions or manage tasks.
A party of friends – a group of friends who are travelling or enjoying themselves together.
A gang of thieves – a group of criminals working together.
A troupe of performers – a group of entertainers.
A congregation of worshippers – a gathering of people for religious worship.
A dynasty of rulers – a succession of rulers from the same family. - A panel of doctors – a group of medical experts.
- A staff of doctors – refers to all the doctors working at a hospital.
A team of doctors – a group of doctors working together on treatment and surgery.
A panel of judges – a group of judges for evaluations, competitions or courts
A bench of judges – a common term for a group of judges
A force of police – refers to the entire police department.
A squad of police – a smaller, specialised group
A patrol of police officers – when officers patrol an area.
