A collective noun is a word for a group: a flock of sheep, a swarm of bees, a team of players. Some are everyday words, and some — like a parliament of owls — are wonderfully strange.
What your child will learn
- Know what a collective noun is
- Match common animals to their collective nouns
- Find the collective noun in a sentence
Groups with names
Some collective nouns are used for lots of things — a bunch of grapes, a bunch of keys, a bunch of flowers. Others belong to just one animal, like a pride of lions. Many were invented hundreds of years ago for fun!
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. A ___ of wolves
🐺- pack
- pride
- herd
- school
Show answer
Answer: pack. A group of wolves is called a pack: a pack of wolves.
2. A ___ of fish
🐟- school
- flock
- herd
- pride
Show answer
Answer: school. A group of fish is called a school: a school of fish.
3. A ___ of bees
🐝- school
- pride
- herd
- swarm
Show answer
Answer: swarm. A group of bees is called a swarm: a swarm of bees.
Tips for grown-ups
- At the zoo or farm, name the groups you see: a herd of cows, a flock of birds.
- Invent new collective nouns: a giggle of children, a snore of grandads.