Many collective nouns are very general in their usage (e.g., you can refer to a “group” of just about anything), but there are also much more specific collective nouns, particularly for different types of animals.
Examples: Collective nouns in UK EnglishThe board are in disagreement about appointing a successor.įoo Fighters are an overrated band, but Nirvana is great. For example, it would read strangely to treat the word “company” as singular in one sentence and plural in the next. It’s still a good idea to be consistent about how you treat each term, though.
In practice, the plural form tends to be used quite often when the emphasis is on the individual members of a group acting separately, or when the noun is plural in appearance. In UK English, usage is more varied, and both styles are generally seen as acceptable. Examples: Collective nouns in US EnglishThe board is in disagreement about appointing a successor.įoo Fighters is an overrated band. In formal and academic writing, therefore, you should be careful to treat collective nouns as singular, even when they are plural in appearance (e.g., some band names). This doesn’t mean that people never do so, but it would be against the rules of most American style guides. In US English, it’s regarded as incorrect to use a plural verb form with a collective noun.
Are collective nouns singular or plural?.
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