“A Bed of clams”

“A School of fish”

Have you ever heard these words before?

Complete the sentences using one of the following verbs. Sometimes you need the negative.

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Ann.................... English very well.The swimming pool ………………..at 9 O’clock and

………………..at 18:30.My parents ....................in a very small flat.The Sun ....................in the west.A liar is someone who ....................the truth.Vegetarians ....................meat.The Earth ....................round the sun.

Nouns refer to people, animals, places, things, or ideas. To form the plural of many nouns, add -s, for example:

One Dog – Six dogs. A ship – Ten ships.

Look at these examples:

He is a football player. / They are soldiers.

Collective nouns : are words used to refer to a group of things, people, animals, etc. Each collective noun is a single thing. That thing, however, is made up of more than one item or person.

Do you know any collective nouns in Spanish? What do you call a group of…dogs/fish/bees…?

Look at these examples:  The jury was unanimous in its decision. The jury (members) were divided in their decision.

Collective nouns can be used in both Singular as well as Plural form. If the members of the collective noun behave in the same manner, we take it as a singular noun and if the members are acting as individuals, the collective noun has to be considered as a plural collective noun.

The audience has arrived. / The audience have arrived. What is the difference between the sentences listed above?

Herd: Group of grazing ungulates: cattle (cows), antelope, and bison

Pack: Group of social carnivores that hunt together: wolves, hounds (a type of dog), coyotes

Flock: A group of birds (sheep being a notable exception): geese, seagulls, and sheep.

Pod: A group of large marine mammals in the ocean: whales, dolphins, killer whales.

Colony: A group that has established itself at a particular location: seals, bats, ants.

Troop: A group of simians: Gorillas, monkeys, baboons.

Swarm: A mass of insects: Bees, flies, locusts.

Litter: Group of newborn animals (of the same mother): puppies, kittens, pigs.

Team: A group of animals used by people for pulling: dogs, horses, oxen (cows)

School/Shoal: A group of fish. Herring, mackerel, tuna.

Bed: A group of animals (usually immobile) attached to one particular plot of land. Oysters, clams, mussels.

Exercise II. Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Every afternoon the baseball team ……………. (Follow) its coach out to the hot field for practice. 

Today, Dr. Ribley's class…………… (Take) its first exam.

The jury…………… (Agree) that the state prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so its verdict is not guilty.

After the long exam, the class…………… (Start) their research papers on famous mathematicians.

The jury…………… (Disagree) about the guilt of the accused.