The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #73712   Message #2763650
Posted By: Young Buchan
10-Nov-09 - 03:22 PM
Thread Name: Collective nouns for folk music
Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
Oh dear. I'm afraid I have been sent by the British Union of Pedants to disqualify all the above examples. They are all Nouns of Assembly. A collective noun does not include a description of the elements which constitute the single element - put simply NO 'OF'. Hence Parliament is a collective noun, since we do not say 'a Parliament of MPs'; but a parliament of owls is a noun of assembly. Other examples of genuine collective nouns would be The Navy, humanity or womankind.