Grammar
Nouns: Collective and compound nouns
1st Part
Proper and common nouns
2nd Part
Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns
3nd Part
Collective and compound nouns
Grammar in use
- Topic : Collective and compound nouns
- Skills : Grammar
Use
What is a collective noun?
a family
a team
They represent a group and are generally used in the singular form and followed by a verb in the singular.
Sometimes, however, they can be in the singular followed by a verb in the plural, in order to insist on the individuals in the group rather than on the group as a whole; in this case, the pronoun would be ‘they’.
Example:
All of the staff were very polite. They were also helpful.
The audience don’t seem to enjoy themselves.
My family are not coming this year.
What is a compound noun?
basketball
a steamboat
A compound noun is a noun that is made up of 2 or more words.
It can be in 1 word, 2 or more juxtaposed words, 2 or more words separated by a hyphen(-).
Examples:
a policeman
a police station
the check-out
the mother-in-law
The first element gives more information about the second element.
Examples:
a racehorse (a horse that participates in races)
a horse race (a race between horses)
For the plural, there are 3 possibilities:
| Possibility 1: | Possibility 2: | Possibility 3: |
|---|---|---|
| if only one element is a noun, this noun will be in the plural. | if both elements or neither are nouns, the second one takes the plural form. | if one of the elements is „man‟ or „woman‟, both are modified. |
| Example: passer-by → passers-by | Examples: tooth-brush → tooth-brushes grown-up → grown-ups | Examples: gentleman-farmer → gentlemen-farmers woman-doctor → women-doctors |
Answer the following questions