Collective noun

(This page is a detail about nouns, a word class. The course in Word Classes forms part of the Grammar course in AWE. You may choose to follow it in a structured way by following the links. Each item can also be accessed separately.)

Collective nouns are the names of collections of things, or, more usually, people. 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). Category:Noun attribute]]