Collective nouns, plurals and genders:

PEOPLE

an army of soldiers a gang of thieves

a bevy(A large gathering of people of a a horde(crowd) of savages
particular type) of beauties/girls a host of angels
a band of musicians a line of kings/rulers
a band of robbers a mob(A disorderly crowd of
a board of directors people) of rioters(trouble makers)
a body of men a group of dancers
a bunch of crooks a group of singers
a caravan of gypsies a pack of rascals
a choir of singers a pack of thieves
a class of pupils a party of friends
a class of students a patrol(A group that
a company of actors goes through a region at regular
a company of soldiers intervals for the purpose of
a congregation(A group of people who security) of policemen
adhere to a common faith and a posse(A temporary
habitually attend a given church )of police force) of policemen
worshippers a regiment of soldiers
a crew of sailors a staff of employees
a crowd of spectators a staff of servants
a crowd of people a staff of teachers
a dynasty of kings a team of players
a galaxy of beautiful women a tribe of natives
a galaxy of film stars a troop of scouts
a gang of crooks a troupe of artistes
a gang of labourers a troupe of dancers
a gang of prisoners a troupe of performers
a gang of robbers a party of friends
THINGS
an album of autographs a hail of bullets
an album of photographs a hand of bananas (each a finger)
an album of stamps a harvest of wheat/corn
an anthology(A collection ) of poems a heap of rubbish
an archipelago(A group of many islands a heap of ruins
in a large body of water) of islands a hedge of bushes
a bale of cotton a heap of stones
a basket of fruit a layer of soil/dirt
a batch(All the loaves of bread baked at a library of books
the same time) of bread a line of cars
a battery of guns a list of names
a block of flats a mass of ruins/hair
a book of exercises a necklace of pearls
a book of notes an outfit of clothes
a bouquet of flowers an orchard of fruit trees
a bowl of rice a pack of cards
a bunch of bananas a pack of lies
a bunch of flowers a packet of cigarettes
a bunch of grapes a packet of letters
a bunch of keys a pair of shoes
a bundle of rags/old clothes a pencil of rays
a bundle of firewood/sticks a quiver(Case for holding
a bundle of hay arrows) of arrows
a catalogue(A complete list of things; a range of hills
usually arranged systematically) of a range of mountains
prices/goods a ream of paper
a chain of mountains a reel of thread/film
a chest of drawers a roll of film/cloth
a cluster of coconuts a rope of pearls
a cluster of grapes a row of houses
a cloud of dust a series of events
a clump of bushes a set of china
a clump of trees a set of clubs
a collection of coins a set of tools
a collection of curiosities a sheaf(bundle)of arrows
a collection of pictures a sheaf(A package of several
 ANIMALS

an army of ants a litter of kittens

a bevy of quail a litter of puppies
a brood/flock of chickens a menagerie of wild animals
a catch of fish a muster of peacocks
a cloud of flies a nest of ants
a cloud of insects a nest of mice
a cloud of locusts a nest of rabbits
a colony of gulls a pack of hounds
a drove of cattle a pack of wolves
a drove of horses a plague of insects
a flight of birds a plague of locusts
a flight of doves a pride of lions
a flight of locusts a school of herrings/other small
a flight of swallows fish
a flock of birds a school of porpoises
a flock of geese a school of whales
a flock of sheep a shoal of fish
a gaggle of geese a skein of wild geese in flight
a haul of fish a string of horses
a herd of buffaloes a stud of horses
a herd of cattle a swarm of ants
a herd of deer a swarm of bees
a herd of elephants a swarm of insects
a herd of goats a swarm of locusts
a herd of swine a team of horses
a hive of bees a team of oxen
a host of sparrows a train of camels
a kindle of kittens a tribe of goats
a litter of cubs a troop of lions
a litter of piglets a troop of monkeys
a zoo of wild animals
By adding –s
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Ant Ants lock Locks
Bicycle Bicycles magazine magazines
Cow Cows nose Noses
Daughter daughters orange Oranges
Egg Eggs picture Pictures
Flower Flowers rose Roses
Grape Grapes spoonful Spoonfuls
House Houses toy Toys
Jug Jugs vase Vases
King Kings well Wells

By adding -es to nouns ending in –ch, -s, -sh, -ss, and –x

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Beach Beaches dish Dishes
Inch Inches thrush Thrushes
Match Matches boss Bosses
Watch Watches dress Dresses
Bus Buses glass Glasses
octopus octopuses kiss Kisses
syllabus syllabuses box Boxes
Virus Viruses fox Foxes
Brush Brushes six Sixes
Bush Bushes tax Taxes

By adding –s to nouns ending in –o

Singular Plural Singular Plural
dynamo dynamos studio Studios
Photo Photos tattoo Tattoos
Piano Pianos torso Torsos
Radio Radios trio Trios
Solo Solos zero Zeros

By adding -–es to nouns ending in –o

Singular Plural Singular Plural
buffalo buffaloes potato Potatoes
Echo Echoes tomato Tomatoes
Hero Heroes tornado tornadoes
mosquito mosquitoes veto Vetoes
Negro Negroes

By adding –s or –es to nouns ending in –o

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Banjo banjos/banjoes memento mementos/mementoe
s
archipelago archipelagos/es peccadillo peccadillos/es
Cargo cargos/cargoes lasso lassos/lassoes
mango mango/mangoes indigo Indigos/indigoes
Motto mottos/mottoes volcano volcanos/volcanoes

By changing –y into –ies if a noun ends in a consonant before

the –y
Singular Plural Singular Plural
beauty Beauties fairy Fairies
Cherry Cherries family Families
Curry Curries nappy Nappies
Diary Diaries spy Spies
Duty Duties theory Theories

By adding –s if there is a vowel before the –y

Singular Plural Singular Plural
chimney chimneys kidney Kidneys
donkey Donkeys monkey Monkeys
Guy Guys toy Toys
Jersey Jerseys trolley Trolleys
Key Keys valley Valleys

By changing –f or –fe into –ves

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Calf Calves life Lives
Elf Elves loaf Loaves
Half Halves sheaf Sheaves
Knife Knives thief Thieves
Leaf Leaves wife Wives

By adding –s to nouns ending in –f or –fe

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Chef Chefs handcuff handcuffs
Chief Chiefs reef Reefs
Cliff Cliffs roof Roofs
Giraffe Giraffes safe Safes
Gulf Gulfs sheriff Sheriffs

By adding –s or changing –f into

–ves
Singular Plural
Dwarf dwarf/dwarves
handkerchief Handkerchiefs/ve
s
Hoof hoof/hooves
Scarf scarfs/scarves
Turf turfs/turves
Wharf wharfs/wharves
By changing the vowels
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Axis Axes goose geese
Cactus Cacti louse lice
Crisis Crises mouse mice
emporium emporia/emporium oasis oases
s
fungus fungus/funguses tooth teeth

By adding –en or –ren

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Ox Oxen child children

By changing the vowels

Singular Plural Singular Plural
Axis Axes goose geese
Cactus Cacti louse lice
Crisis Crises mouse mice*
emporium emporia/emporium oasis oases
s
fungus fungi/funguses tooth teeth

* For computer mouse, the plural is mice or mouses.

The plural and singular forms of some nouns are the same
Advice Advice knowledge knowledge
aircraft Aircraft music music
baggage baggage news news
Cattle Cattle offspring offspring
Cod Cod scenery scenery
Deer Deer series series
Fish fish** sheep sheep
furniture Furniture species species
information information

** More than one fish of the same species. Fishes are the plural of more
than one species of fish.

Common Errors- plural compound forms and gender forms

MASCULINE FEMININE
Actor Actress/actor

author Authoress/author

bachelor spinster

boy girl

Boy Scout Girl Guide

brave Squaw

bridegroom bride

brother sister

conductor conductress/conductor

count countess

czar czarina

dad mum

daddy mummy

duke duchess

emperor empress

father mother

father-in-law mother-in-law

fiance fiancee

gentleman lady

giant giantess/giant

god goddess
CREATURES

MASCULINE FEMININE
billy-goat nanny-goat

boar (pig) sow

buck (deer, hare) doe

buck-rabbit doe-rabbit

bull cow

bull-elephant cow-elephant

bull-seal cow-seal

bullock heifer

bull-seal cow-seal

bull-whale cow-whale

cob (swan) pen

cock (rooster) hen

cockerel pullet

cock-pigeon hen-pigeon

cock-sparrow hen-sparrow

colt (young horse) filly

dog bitch

drake duck

drone bee

eagle eagle

fox vixen