terça-feira, 12 de julho de 2011

Collective Nouns

Hi, Students!
Just as in Portuguese, English nouns also have a collective form. But, what are collective nouns? Well, these are nouns that represent a group of more than one thing. The collective noun in this sentence is highlighted in bold font:

My uncle owns a flock of sheep.

One of the most common uses of collective nouns is to describe groups of various types of animals. Some of the names used to describe groups of animals are very weird. Here are some of them:

Group name Animals used with
Herd Buffalo, cattle, deer, donkeys, elephants, horses, kangaroos, pigs
Destruction Feral cats
Pod Whales, dolphins, seals
Nest Vipers, snakes
Ambush Tigers
Muster Storks, peacocks
Host Sparrows
Murder Crows
Crash Rhinoceros
Litter Pups, pigs, cubs, dogs, kittens
Shoal Most types of fish
Flock Most types of birds, sheep
Pride Lions
Brood Hens, chickens
Colony Ants, beavers, penguins, frogs, rabbits
Swarm Bees, flies, rats
Convocation Eagles
Kine Cows
Sloth Bears
Culture Bacteria
Shrewdness Apes                                                                                    

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