Were not sure of the origin of this collective noun though we think it could be related to the tincan they end up in. Collective nouns are names for a collection or a number of people or things. This word lets the reader know that there is a group of musicians that played the song beautifully. Click column headings with arrows to sort collective nouns for birds. Sorted by noun sorted by bird type aerie of eagles aerie of hawks ascension of larks band of jays bevy of doves bevy of quail bevy of swans bouquet of pheasants when flushed brace of ducks brood of chickens brood continue reading. If the collective noun team is acting altogether as a single unit, you use a singular verb. This post titled, list of collective nouns for fish, reptiles and amphibians, contains the different collective nouns that we use for various types of fish, reptiles and amphibians. A collective noun refers to pluralonly words such as cattle for cows and people for person. Did you know the collective noun for butlers is a sneer of butlers. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Many of the collective nouns for people are based around occupations and professions, while others are based of family, gender, nationality and other areas.
See if you like them and share your personal favourites in the comments if our designer gets the time, she might just create a new illustration for you a bike of bees. Words like group, herd, and array are collective noun examples. The table below shows a long list of collective nouns used in english. Using collective nouns in sentences can be confusing because at times its difficult to differentiate whether to use plural or. Introduction to collective nouns, collective noun examples. The noun congregation is a standard collective noun for. If you are looking to name a group of things whilst speaking or writing in the english language, you are going to need to use a collective noun. Use our list to learn about collective nouns for people. Information and translations of congregation in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. This list of collective nouns for animals also called collective terms and terms of venery can never be definitive but it is fun. For example, a group of ships is called a fleet, a group of cows is called a herd, a groupd of lions is called a pride, a group of baseball players is called a team, and a group of ants is called a colony. Congregation definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Collective nouns for animal groups english learn site.
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a collection or group of multiple people, animals, or things. So, instead of identifying a single person, animal, place, thing, or idea, a collective noun refers to a group or a collection of items. For many animals, particularly domesticated ones, there are specific names for males. The way we determine in which manner the collective noun. What is the collective noun of congregation answers. No, the collective noun for worshipers in church are a congregation of worshipers, an assembly of worshipers, a gathering of worshipers. May 29, 2019 collective nouns are names for a collection or a number of people or things. Most terms used here may be found in common dictionaries and general information web sites. Note that many of these terms are humorous and appear only in word lists.
Definition of congregation noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. Glossary of collective nouns by collective term wiktionary. But this particular collective noun goes back to the 15th century, and comes from one of the most famous books on collective nouns in print. For example, a group of ships is called a fleet, a group of cows is called a herd. Collective nouns in english and how to use them collective nouns singular or plural. A collective noun is a word for a group of specific items, animals or people. The collective noun congregation is a singular, common, concrete, noun. They usually function as singular nouns in a sentence. This page lists the collective nouns used for groups of people. 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. The collective noun for alligators is the word you would use to describe a group of alligators. This is a listing of every animal congregation i could find after. Collective nouns for fish, reptiles and amphibians akademia. Not only do we learn something about church from the definitions and a consideration of its two spiritual usages universal and local church, we are also enlightened when we consider the fact that church and ekklesia are collective nouns.
Learn collective nouns for insects and other groups of animals. Start typing in the filter table box to find specific bird terms inside the table of collective nouns for birds and poultry. The definition of a congregation is a gathering of people, or people who share the same faith and habitually attend the same church. The word congregation is unusual, in that it began as a general term and has grown more specific, whereas most collective. Wikipedia has a more complete and scholarly list of names here. Gmat prep verbal sentence correction collective nouns and generic nouns as subjects subjectverb agreement can be tricky when the subject of our sentence is a collective noun for a generic noun. Collective nouns collective nouns take a singular form but are composed of more than one individual person or item group, jury, team, class, committee, herd. Some of these terms are very old, while others are newer and have become accepted after growing in use. For example, the united states womens national soccer team is bound by the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with u. Apr 11, 2015 the collective noun congregation is a singular, common, concrete, noun. A group of plovers is also known as a congregation, but plovers are not reptiles. Jul 07, 2015 a congregation of alligators, crocodiles, or plovers crocodiles and alligators, both reptilian predators, are social animals and tend to group together. Most members of the congregation begin arriving a few minutes before services. A gathering of faithful in a temple, church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship.
Albans, dating back to 1486, was a guide to hawking and hunting, and listed many of the collective nouns for animals we still use today. If any collective nouns are missing or need editing, please leave a comment using the form at the bottom of the page. This is a type of noun that we see very often in the language and it is important that you are aware of how they. For many animals, particularly domesticated ones, there are specific names for males, females, young, and groups the bestknown 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. What is the noun for the collective noun congregation answers. List of collective nouns by collective noun armada of ships army of caterpillars, frogs, soldiers bank of circuits battery of tests bed of clams, snakes belt of asteroids bevy of beauties bouquet of flowers brood of hens caravan of camels cete of badgers chain of islands clan of hyenas class of students cloud of gnats clowder of cats. Typically, words that identify more than one person, place, or thing are made plural in the english language. Some examples of collective nouns include the words group, congregation, committee, pack, public, minority, audience, jury, and band.
Discover a collective noun for a group of alligators. One of the collective nouns for a group of alligators is a congregation. List 3 collective nouns list 1 singular and plural nouns. Collective nouns should not be confused with mass nouns. Nouns like jury, committee, or group are collective nouns. Apr 22, 2017 collective nouns for animal groups congregation, nest, army, pace, troop, cete, sloth, herd, gulp and etc follow the list for collective noun list and example sentences. In this case i see the first as being intended, so the congregation kneels down. Collective nouns persons a band of musicians a bevy of ladies a board of directors a body of men a bunch of crocks a caravan of gypsies a choir of singers a class of students a company of actors a congregation of worshippers a crew of.
A collective noun is used to denote a group of persons, animals, places, things, or ideas. Here is most important collective nouns related to persons, animals and things. Did you know the first list of collective nouns was published in the book of st albans circa 1500 and it wasnt definitive it was based on folklore, humor and the whim of the publisher and its. A pride of lions, a murder of crows, a crash of rhinos, and every other collective noun for animals. Congregation dictionary definition congregation defined. Check out these examples using congregation as a collective noun. Adducations list of collective nouns for birds also includes the individual baby names, males and females and plural for each bird species. We have identified the following words that you could call a group of alligators. Collective nouns for people collective group names for people. For some animals, there is more than one collective noun, reflecting how close people have been to them througout history. Aug 25, 2008 congregation can be a collective noun, in which case it takes the singular, or be seen as representing a group of individuals, in which case it takes the plural. Collective noun for sardines is a family of sardines we love this one because it calls to mind images of a nuclear family of small fish. While these are technically singular nouns, they are commonly used as if they were plurals, specially in british english.
Using collective nouns in sentences can be confusing because at times its difficult to differentiate whether to use plural or singular verbs and pronouns. This sentence contains the collective noun orchestra. The tricky thing is that, when trying to figure out how to use collective nouns, the question of whether to use a singular or plural verb form depends on whether you are writing in american or british english. Set your browser to full screen and zoom out to show as many columns as possible. Most collective nouns in everyday speech are not specific to one kind of thing, such as the word group, which can be applied to people a group of people or dogs a group of dogs or other things. This is a type of noun that we see very often in the language and it is important that you are aware of how they function within a sentence.
What is the noun for the collective noun congregation. Some collective nouns are specific to one kind of thing, especially terms of venery, which identify groups of. This is a listing of every animal congregation i could find after scouring the web. The of the british royal navy was very strong in the nineteenth. Collective noun is a name used for a group of people, animals or objects that we. Why the collective noun cowardice is used to describe a group or gathering of them is puzzling to me. The large fish swam as fast as possible from the congregation of alligators. Less common nouns are pod, congregation, dissimulation, or volery. Often, they are followed by a prepositional phrase specifying what they are composed of. As you can see, you simply substitute the word group with one of the collective nouns on our list above when describing a group of alligators. Sep 01, 2017 we continue our series with yet another type of noun. Collective nouns for people collective group names for.
The word congregation is an example of an proper, compound, abstract, or collective noun. Well, the most common collective nouns for any group of birds are flock or flight. Standard terms for particular groups are listed first in each group and shown in bold. Some you are familiar with while others sound unfamiliar. Collective nouns denote groups of people, animals, objects, concepts, or ideas as a single entity. Congregation definition and meaning collins english. As you can see, you simply substitute the word group with one of the collective nouns on our list above when describing a group of starlings.
Collective noun is a noun which describes a group of things oe people. Collective nouns are used to refer to a group and, as with other nouns, may include people, places, ideas, or things. Collective nouns are words that, although treated as singular, describe a group of people, places, things or ideas. Words like group, regiment, and furniture are collective noun examples. Congregation definition of congregation by merriamwebster. Dec 14, 2015 the noun congregation is a standard collective noun for. Not only do we learn something about church from the definitions and a consideration of its two spiritual usages universal and local church, we are also enlightened when we consider the fact. Here, well take a closer look at collective nouns, and provide even more examples, placing them in context so you can gain a greater understanding of how they work. Here is most important 100 examples of collective nouns. Youll probably with common terms such as crowd or team but what group could wheeze possible refer to. Here is a list of collective nouns in alphabetical order. Fans of collective nouns are familiar with an exaltation of larks, which was the title of a book by james lipton on collective nouns. Collective nouns, or group nouns, are nouns such as family, government, class or committee, which refer to groups of people or things.
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