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Collective Nouns Singular or Plural Examples

A collective noun is the name of a collection of things or a group of individuals taken together as one whole.

An army - a collection of soldiers
A crowd - a collection of people
The audience - a group of spectators

Are these Collective Nouns singular or plural ?

When we consider the following as a single entity, they are singular. We use singular verbs here.

This team is the best.
There was quite a big audience.
The orchestra did a great job.
Their family is going on a trip.
Their family hold a different view about it.

Sometimes they are considered plural depending on the meaning of the sentence. We use plural verbs here.

The team are wearing their new T-shirts.
The audience were clapping their hands.
The orchestra were all very talented.
Their family holds different views about it.

But you can always edit your sentence as follows for better communication.

The team members are wearing their new T-shirts.
Their family members hold different views about it.

Examples for Collective Nouns accompanied by “of”

a board of directors.
a herd of cattle
a swarm of bees
a choir of singers.
a crew of sailors.
a gang of prisoners.
a pack of wolves

A list of most frequently used Collective Nouns and meanings

Referring to people

Crowd – a group of people

Gang – a group of criminals or prisonors; a group of workers

eg: a gang of prisoners

Mob – a group of angry people

Staff – A group of people who work in the same place
Crew – talks about a group of workers

eg: The crew of fishermen

Board – A group of professionals

Eg: the board of directors

Panel – A group of experts

Eg: a panel of judges

Choir – A large group of singers
Orchestra – A large group of instrumentalists

referring to animals / other living things / things

Herd – A group of animal that are usually herbivores such as cattle

eg: a herd of cattle

Pack – A group of animals that are members of the dog family such as wolves or dogs

eg: a pack of wolves

Flock – A group of birds /sheep or goats

eg: a flock of pigeons

Swarm – A group of insects

eg: a swarm of bees

Bunch – such as grapes, flowers, keys

Eg: a bunch of flowers

Pile – An untidy collection of items such as rubbish

Eg: a pile of garbage

Series – Used to discuss movies, books, or events

Eg: a series of books

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Collective Nouns Singular or Plural Examples

Are these Collective Nouns singular or plural ?

Examples for Collective Nouns accompanied by “of”