Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are nouns which represent a group of people or things. They include words such as audience, family, government, group, and team. Most collective nouns are treated as a singular entity, using the singular verb form. Because collective nouns include multiple "members" inside of them you may think you would use the "they" form of the verb, but you don't. For example, you don't say the group are happy, you say the group is happy.

Examples
  • The U.S. government is made up of 3 branches.
  • This hockey team includes three players from Canada.
  • Our class takes a field trip to the natural history museum every year.
  • My family is important to me.
  • The city council is rejecting the proposal.
CAUTION! This lesson is extremely hard. Some questions include collective nouns, some don't. Don't worry if you are not successful the first two or three times with the exercise. Practice Makes Perfect.

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