Are Collective Nouns Singular or Plural?

A collective noun is a word that describes a group of people, things, animals, etc. Below are some collective nouns (shown in boldface):

• a herd of sheep
• a choir of children singing
• a family of doctors
• a bouquet of flowers
• a flock of birds

In American English collective nouns are more often singular, and so a singular verb is used with them. (In British English they are more often plural, and so a plural verb is used with them.) Below are some sentences showing collective nouns with singular verbs (shown in italics):

• A herd of sheep is grazing happily in the field.
• A choir of children sings beautifully on TV.
• A family of doctors was gathered at a reunion.
• A bouquet of flowers sits on the table.
• A flock of birds flies over our heads.

Sometimes when the members of the group are doing different things, or are not acting together as a unit or with a shared purpose, a plural verb is used. A singular verb is still correct in these examples. Below are some examples of this:

• A herd of sheep are scattering in all directions across the field.
• A choir of children are all from different schools.
• A bouquet of flowers were strewn around the room.

If you’re unsure whether to use a singular or plural verb with a collective noun, it's safe to use a singular verb.

To read about plural collective nouns (more than one group of things) click here. 

I hope this helps.

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