Collective Nouns

Form

A collective noun names a group as one thing: team, committee, staff, jury, audience, family, board. American English treats that one thing as singular, so it takes a singular verb and the pronoun its (The committee announces its decision tomorrow). British English often treats the same noun as plural (the staff are), which is why you see both patterns in print. Put a number or a word like several in front and the collective noun itself becomes plural (five teams are competing), and a few group words — police, people — always take a plural verb.

When to Use It

• Use a singular verb with a collective noun subject in American English, and keep the pronoun singular to match it — its, not their, as in 'The staff is reviewing its policies.'
• When the subject is a group word plus of and a plural noun, agree with the group word, not with the members, as in 'A group of hikers is waiting outside.'
• Add a plural noun such as members when you want to talk about the people acting separately, as in 'The staff members are disagreeing among themselves.'
• Make the collective noun plural to count whole groups, as in 'Several groups of tourists clustered around the statue.'
• Choose the group word that goes with the animal — a flock of sheep or birds, a herd of cattle, a pack of wolves, a school of fish, a swarm of bees, a gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, a pride of lions — as in 'A pride of lions was sleeping in the shade.'
• The same pattern names groups of people and things — a crowd of people, a choir of singers, a panel of experts, a board of directors, a bunch of bananas — as in 'A panel of experts convened to discuss the crisis.'

Common Mistakes

• Giving a collective noun a plural verb in American English: write 'The team practices on Tuesdays', not 'The team practice' — the plural version is the British pattern.
• Mixing a singular verb with a plural pronoun: write 'The company is changing its logo', not 'The company is changing their logo'.
• Agreeing with the noun after of: write 'A group of hikers is waiting', not 'A group of hikers are waiting' — the subject is a group.
• Giving police a singular verb: write 'The police are investigating the case', not 'The police is investigating the case'.
• Leaving the -s off the group word when you count groups: write 'three groups of tourists' and 'five teams are competing', not 'three group of tourists'.