COLLECTIVE NOUNS

A collective noun is the name given to a group of persons,

animals or things.
GROUPS OF PERSONS:
o a troupe of acrobats/artistes/performers/dancers/minstrels
o a company of actors/players/girl guides
o a bench of aldermen/bishops/judges/magistrates
o a host of angels
o a team of athletes/cricketers/players (sports)
o a bevy of beauties/ladies
o a rascal of boys
o a troop of boy scouts
o a pack of brownies/rascals
o a slate of candidates (persons going up for election etc)
o a congregation of churchgoers/worshippers
o an assembly of churchmen
o a board of directors/trustees
o a staff of employees/servants/teachers
o a panel of experts
o a party of friends
o a giggle of girls
o a gang of hoodlums/prisoners/thieves/workmen
o an audience of listeners/persons at a concert

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o an illusion of magicians
o a band of men/musicians/robbers
o a tribe of natives
o a convent of nuns
o a crowd of onlookers/people/spectators
o a committee of organizers
o a posse of policemen
o a flight of refugees
o a mob of rioters/unruly people
o a crew of sailors
o a horde of savages
o a class of scholars/students/pupils
o a house of senators
o a choir of singers
o an army, troop or company of soldiers
o a flock of tourists
o a coven of witches
o a circle of wizards
o a gaggle of women
o a clutch of wrestlers

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Choose a suitable collective noun to fill in the blank.

1. a _________________________ of cricketers
2. a _________________________ of performers
3. a _________________________ of witches
4. a _________________________ of students
5. a _________________________ of singers
6. a _________________________ of directors
7. a _________________________ of thieves
8. a _________________________ of sailors
9. a _________________________ of spectators
10.a _________________________ of savages
11.a _________________________ of teachers
12.a _________________________ of ladies
13.a _________________________ of natives
14. a _________________________ of players
GROUPS OF ANIMALS:
o a troop apes/baboons/gorillas/monkeys/kangaroos
o an army termites/ants/caterpillars/frogs
o a cloud of bats
o a swarm of bees/flies/insects/wasps

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o a flight of birds (flying)/butterflies/doves/swallows

o a flock of birds (ground)/sheep
o a herd of bison/buffaloes/elephants/cattle/deer/goats
o a clutch of chickens
o a brood of chicks
o a litter of cubs/pups
o a kennel of dogs
o a pack of hounds/wild dogs/mules/wolves
o a drove of donkeys/asses/pigs
o a school or shoal of fish/shark/whales
o a skulk of foxes
o a gaggle of geese
o a shoal of herring
o a team of horses/oxen
o a kindle of kittens
o a pride of lions/peacocks
o a plague of locusts/rats
o a mischief of mice
o a scourge of mosquitoes
o a parliament of owls
o a bed of oysters/worms
o a muster of peacocks
o a company of parrots
o a prickle of porcupines
o a nest of rabbits/snakes/turtles

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o a home of squirrels
o a gang of turkey
o a crossing of zebras

Choose a suitable collective noun to fill in the blank.

1. a _________________________ of turtles
2. a _________________________ of ants
3. a _________________________ of monkeys
4. a _________________________ of geese

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5. a _________________________ of bees
6. a _________________________ of wolves
7. a _________________________ of dogs
8. a _________________________ of butterflies
9. a _________________________ of chicks
10.a _________________________ of pigs
11.a _________________________ of horses
12.a _________________________ of sheep
13.a _________________________ of zebras
14.a _________________________ of bats
GROUPS OF THINGS:
o a flight of aeroplanes
o a sheaf of arrows/corn
o a belt of asteroids
o a bunch of bananas/grapes
o a string of beads
o a peal of bells
o a wad of notes/bills/money
o a library of books
o a batch of bread/cookies
o a hedge of bushes
o a fleet of cars/ships

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o a pack or deck of cards

o a pack of lies
o a set of china/clubs
o a packet of cigarettes
o a suit of clothes
o a network of computers
o a bed of coral
o a bale of cotton
o a cluster of diamonds/knots
o a meaning of dictionaries
o a chest of drawers
o a round of drinks
o a clutch of eggs
o a hail of fire
o a bouquet of flowers
o a crate of fruits
o a suite of furniture/rooms
o a fright of ghosts
o a tuft of grass
o a lock of hair
o a stack of hay
o a wealth of information
o a chain or archipelago of islands
o a cache of jewels
o a ring of keys

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o an atlas of maps
o a range of mountains
o a collection of objects/stamps/pictures
o a ream of paper
o a string or rope of pearls
o a pod of peas
o an anthology of poems
o a splash of puddles
o a bundle of rags/sticks
o a pile of rubbish
o a pinch of salt
o a pile or heap of stones
o a pair of shoes
o a galaxy of stars
o a flight of stairs/steps
o an agenda of tasks
o a battery of tests
o a skein of thread
o a forest of trees

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Complete each blank with a suitable collective noun.

1. a ________________________ of flowers
2. a ________________________ of stars
3. a ________________________ of stairs
4. a ________________________ of mountains
5. a ________________________ of drawers
6. a ________________________ of rubbish
7. a ________________________ of cards
8. a ________________________ of coral
9. a ________________________ of bread
10. a ________________________ of money
11. a ________________________ of hair
12. a ________________________ of china
13. a ________________________ of beads
14. a ________________________ of trees
Complete the following sentences using a suitable collective noun
from the list in the box below.

clutch
choir
range herd
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battery
pinch
host
band

1. Father went for a ____________________ of tests in the hospital.

2. A ____________________ of mountains could be seen in the
distance.
3. The man dreamt a ____________________ of angels in heaven.
4. She bought a _____________________ of eggs to cook.
5. The ____________________ sang many songs at the concert.
6. The ___________________ of cattle could be seen in grazing in
the pasture.
7. The ___________________ of musicians accompanied the
singers.
8. The bartender used a ______________________ of salt in the
drink.

Complete each sentence below with a collective noun.

1. The ____________________ of fruits was taken to the market.
2. The __________________ of thieves was arrested by the police.
3. I bought a ______________________ of bananas to make chips.

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4. The teachers were each given a ______________________ of

flowers for Mothers Day.
5. The _____________________ of natives live in the Amazon
Forest.
6. Farmer Joe kept a watchful eye on the ____________________ of
chicks.
7. A _____________________ of sailors boarded the ship docked in
the harbour.
8. Aunt Jemina bought me a new____________________ of clothes.
9. A _______________________ of dollar bills was found in the bag.
10.She received a _____________________ of pearls for her
wedding anniversary.
11.An _____________________ of soldiers fought in the war.
12.The _____________________ of geese made a loud commotion
outside.
13.The meeting with the _____________________ of directors was
cancelled.
14.Beautiful ___________________ of coral could be seen in the
reef.
15.Did you see the ___________________ of mice in the barn?

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16.The police used a ___________________ of hair to do a DNA

test.
17.The farmers crops were destroyed by a ____________________
of locusts.
18.Several _____________________ of rags were thrown away
while cleaning.
19.A ____________________ of wolves howled in the forest.
20.There was a ___________________ of tourists at the airport.
21.A _____________________ of bees flew over the tree top.
22.The ________________________ of actors performed at our
school.
23.A _______________________ of sheep was grazing in the
meadow.
24.A __________________________ of worshippers gathered in
church.
25.Myra has a ___________________________ of stamps.
26.Mother waited for a fresh _______________________ of bread
from the bakery.
27.A noisy ______________________ of people came rushing out of
the mall.

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28.Dont believe her, the entire story is a _____________________

of lies.

Practice Test Questions

Complete the following sentences by inserting the correct
collective noun in each of the following sentences.
Example: The

(plague)

of insects had been seen over the

trees.
1. A _____________________ of artistes performed in the theatre.
2. The ______________________ of steps was easy to ascend.
3. An _____________________ of ants was seen on the mound.
4. A _____________________ of stars could be seen on dark nights.
5. A ___________________ of performers was present at the show.
6. The ___________________of dogs chased after the burglar.
7. Through the hotel window, there is a spectacular view of the
____________________ of mountains.
8. Riaz takes care of the _____________________ of horses.
9. There is a _______________________ of termites living in this
tree.

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10.The zoo invited the public to see the

________________________ of peacocks.

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