Grammar basics
Collective nouns
A collective noun is one word for a group of people or things, like team or family.
What is a collective noun?
| Collective noun | A group of… |
|---|---|
| team | people who work or play together |
| family | parents, children and other relatives |
| class | students who learn together |
| audience | people who watch or listen |
| community | people who share a place or an interest |
Singular or plural verb?
A collective noun is one group, so in American English we use a singular verb.
My team is great. My family lives in Thailand.
American and British English
In British English, people sometimes say my team are great, because they think about the people in the team. Both are correct. This website uses American English, so we say my team is.
Team
A group of people who work or play together.
My team is building a new app.
Family
A group of people who are related, like parents and children.
My family lives in Thailand.
Group
A number of people or things that are together.
Our study group meets every Sunday.
Class
A group of students who learn together.
My English class starts at 7 p.m.
Audience
The people who watch or listen to a show, a talk or a video.
The audience loved his talk about AI.
Community
A group of people who live in the same place or share the same interest.
The Django community is very friendly.