# Collective Nouns: Rules and Examples | SwaVid

Collective nouns: rules, worked examples and a quick check for Class 6 to 12 English grammar, CBSE and ICSE. Free practice on SwaVid.

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# Collective nouns: rules and examples

## The rule, step by step

## Check yourself

## Frequently asked questions

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### Key ideas

### What is the rule for collective nouns?

### What is the main idea to remember in collective nouns?

### How do I get collective nouns right?

### Grammar checker for students

### Free English grammar test

### More in Agreement (Concord)

Short answer. Some nouns are tricky for agreement. A collective noun acting as one group is singular. Pair nouns and some plural-only nouns are plural. Some nouns end in s but are singular.

1 . Choose the right verb. The pliers ___ in the red toolbox.

Some nouns are tricky for agreement. A collective noun acting as one group is singular. Pair nouns and some plural-only nouns are plural. Some nouns end in s but are singular.

Look at the meaning, not just the s, to choose the verb.

Always plural. Pair nouns (scissors, trousers, pliers) are plural. So are goods, clothes, stairs, belongings, savings, earnings, wages, outskirts, premises, remains, ruins, and people, police, cattle and poultry.

Finds the mistake and names the rule.

Your child's level and 3 topics to fix first.

All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.

- Collective nouns . A collective noun names a group: team, class, family, committee, orchestra. When the group acts as one unit, use a singular verb. When the members act separately, a plural verb can be used.
- Always plural . Pair nouns (scissors, trousers, pliers) are plural. So are goods, clothes, stairs, belongings, savings, earnings, wages, outskirts, premises, remains, ruins, and people, police, cattle and poultry.
- Ends in s but singular . Subjects like mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, gymnastics and athletics, the word news, and illnesses like measles, mumps, diabetes and rabies end in s, but each names one thing. They take a singular verb.
- Look at the meaning, not just the s, to choose the verb.

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