Collective nouns are special words we use to talk about a group of people, animals, or things as one unit.
A collective noun names a group. We say a pride of lions, not a group of lions, when we want the special word. The pattern is always the same: a pride of lions, a flock of sheep, a class of students.
Some animals have more than one group word. Fish can be a school or a shoal. Use the one that sounds right in the sentence. These words are useful in composition when children write about animals or people together.
Animals (1–50)
| 1 | a pride of lions | 26 | a drove of cattle |
| 2 | a herd of elephants | 27 | a string of horses |
| 3 | a herd of cows | 28 | a team of oxen |
| 4 | a flock of birds | 29 | a cloud of bats |
| 5 | a flock of sheep | 30 | a flight of birds |
| 6 | a pack of wolves | 31 | a bask of crocodiles |
| 7 | a school of fish | 32 | a sloth of bears |
| 8 | a swarm of bees | 33 | a sounder of wild pigs |
| 9 | a colony of ants | 34 | a romp of otters |
| 10 | a troop of monkeys | 35 | a coalition of cheetahs |
| 11 | a gaggle of geese | 36 | a business of ferrets |
| 12 | a pod of dolphins | 37 | a bloat of hippopotamuses |
| 13 | a litter of puppies | 38 | a congregation of alligators |
| 14 | a brood of chicks | 39 | a shoal of fish |
| 15 | a murder of crows | 40 | a host of sparrows |
| 16 | a parliament of owls | 41 | a nest of mice |
| 17 | a crash of rhinoceroses | 42 | a skulk of foxes |
| 18 | a dazzle of zebras | 43 | a warren of rabbits |
People (51–75)
| 51 | a team of players |
| 52 | a class of students |
| 53 | a choir of singers |
| 54 | a band of musicians |
| 55 | a crew of sailors |
| 56 | a crowd of people |
| 57 | an army of soldiers |
| 58 | a staff of teachers |
| 59 | a committee of members |
| 60 | an audience of spectators |
| 61 | a cast of actors |
| 62 | a troupe of dancers |
| 63 | a panel of judges |
| 64 | a squad of athletes |
| 65 | a crew of workers |
| 66 | a family of four |
| 67 | a group of friends |
| 68 | a party of friends |
| 69 | a congregation of worshippers |
| 70 | a company of actors |
| 71 | a platoon of soldiers |
| 72 | a squad of superheroes |
| 73 | a posse of cowboys |
| 74 | a board of directors |
| 75 | a galaxy of film stars |
Things, Food & Nature (76–100)
| 76 | a bunch of bananas |
| 77 | a bouquet of flowers |
| 78 | a stack of books |
| 79 | a pile of clothes |
| 80 | a set of tools |
| 81 | a fleet of ships |
| 82 | a library of books |
| 83 | a pack of cards |
| 84 | a deck of cards |
| 85 | a forest of trees |
| 86 | a range of mountains |
| 87 | a cluster of stars |
| 88 | a galaxy of stars |
| 89 | a bundle of sticks |
| 90 | a heap of clothes |
| 91 | a row of chairs |
| 92 | a collection of stamps |
| 93 | a batch of cookies |
| 94 | a carton of eggs |
| 95 | a loaf of bread |
| 96 | a string of beads |
| 97 | a flight of stairs |
| 98 | a bed of flowers |
| 99 | a rainbow of colours |
| 100 | a mountain of toys |
Practice Time!
