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What do collective nouns refer to?

Collective nouns refer to groups of people, animals, or things. They are singular in form, but they represent a collection of multiple individuals.

Examples of collective nouns:

* People:

* Team (a group of players)

* Audience (a group of spectators)

* Family (a group of related people)

* Crew (a group of people working together)

* Animals:

* Flock (a group of birds)

* Herd (a group of cattle)

* Pack (a group of wolves)

* School (a group of fish)

* Things:

* Fleet (a group of ships)

* Bunch (a group of grapes)

* Set (a group of items that belong together)

* Library (a collection of books)

Key points about collective nouns:

* Verb agreement: Collective nouns can take singular or plural verbs depending on whether you are focusing on the group as a single unit or the individuals within the group.

* Singular: "The team is winning." (referring to the team as a whole)

* Plural: "The team are arguing about strategy." (referring to individual members of the team)

* Pronoun agreement: Pronouns used to refer to collective nouns should also agree in number.

* Singular: "The family has a new car."

* Plural: "The family are all going on vacation."

Understanding collective nouns helps you use language more accurately and precisely.

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