Difference between revisions of "Collective noun"
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As always, good writers think about their readers. In the case of students, this means obsrving the tastes of, and rulings made by, their teachers. If your teacher is concerned about the [[Agreement in grammar|agreement]] of [[number]], then be careful, and follow the guidance in the third paragraph on this page. Always try to think logically, and use '''collective nouns''' with care. | As always, good writers think about their readers. In the case of students, this means obsrving the tastes of, and rulings made by, their teachers. If your teacher is concerned about the [[Agreement in grammar|agreement]] of [[number]], then be careful, and follow the guidance in the third paragraph on this page. Always try to think logically, and use '''collective nouns''' with care. | ||
| − | :It may console you to know that many famous writers have used collective nouns loosely - 'wrongly', in the pedantic sense. These include Thomas Gray, whose | + | :It may console you to know that many famous writers have used collective nouns loosely - 'wrongly', in the pedantic sense. These include Thomas Gray, whose much anthologised ''Elegy written in a Country Churchyard'' contains the line "The lowing '''herd wind''' slowly o'er the lea". Here the collective noun 'herd' [= 'a collection of cows'] is used with a [[plural]] [[verb]] 'wind', where a pedant would insist on <nowiki>'</nowiki>'''wind<big>s</big>'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> - or a different noun: "The lowing '''cows wind''' slowly o'er the lea." But that might not sound so good. |
Revision as of 16:45, 22 September 2008
Collective nouns are the names of collections of things, or, more usually, people. In the strict grammar of academic writing, a collective noun is singular, although it denotes a (plural) number of things.
There is a grammatical issue here. Pedants sometimes complain about errors connected with number, and often about such problems in connection with collective nouns.
A committee contains several people, but is thought of as a unit. The Cabinet is made up of some 20 Ministers, but is a single body. Ideally you should use a singular verb with a collective noun –- "the Government thinks that" -- but many writers do not follow this rule. They have some justification when they are talking about the behaviour of individuals – e.g. "The Committee have expressed many opinions" (rather than has).
As always, good writers think about their readers. In the case of students, this means obsrving the tastes of, and rulings made by, their teachers. If your teacher is concerned about the agreement of number, then be careful, and follow the guidance in the third paragraph on this page. Always try to think logically, and use collective nouns with care.
- It may console you to know that many famous writers have used collective nouns loosely - 'wrongly', in the pedantic sense. These include Thomas Gray, whose much anthologised Elegy written in a Country Churchyard contains the line "The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea". Here the collective noun 'herd' [= 'a collection of cows'] is used with a plural verb 'wind', where a pedant would insist on 'winds' - or a different noun: "The lowing cows wind slowly o'er the lea." But that might not sound so good.
