collective noun
Definition
- Noun:
- A noun that is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things: A collective noun is a word that denotes a collection or group of individuals, entities, or items considered as a single unit. It is grammatically singular.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- "Team" is a collective noun. (The word "team" refers to a group of players acting as one unit.)
- The collective noun "committee" was used in the sentence. (The word "committee" denotes a group of people formed for a specific purpose.)
- "Fleet" is a collective noun for ships. (The word "fleet" refers to a group of ships under one command.)
Advanced Usage
- Agreement with Verbs: A collective noun can take a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or as individuals.
- The jury has reached its verdict. (Singular verb, emphasizing the jury as a single decision-making body.)
- The jury are arguing among themselves. (Plural verb, emphasizing the individual members of the jury disagreeing.)
- Concept of Unit vs. Individuals: The choice of verb often depends on whether the focus is on the collective action of the group or the separate actions of its members.
Variants and Related Words
- Collective (adj): Done by people acting as a group; shared by or involving all members of a group.
- Collective responsibility.
- Noun Phrase: A group of words that functions as a noun, which may include a collective noun.
- "A large herd of elephants" is a noun phrase where "herd" is the collective noun.
Synonyms
- Group noun: A less common but descriptive synonym.
- Nomen collectivum: The Latin term for a collective noun.
Related Phrases
- Collective noun agreement: Refers to the grammatical rule governing verb and pronoun agreement with a collective noun.
- Understanding collective noun agreement is important for writing.
- Singular in form, plural in meaning: A phrase often used to describe the nature of collective nouns.
Noun
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a noun that is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things