Practice
Collective nouns: singular or plural?
Sign in to saveThe team is ready describes one team as a unit. The team are putting on their coats can draw attention to the people in it. The noun stays singular, but the verb can show the meaning you want.
Choose a singular or plural verb with a collective noun by deciding whether the sentence presents the group as one unit or its members separately.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The team is ready. /ðə tiːm ɪz ˈredi/
The short answer
Use a singular verb when you see the collective noun as one unit: The committee has reached a decision. Use a plural verb when you mean the members acting separately, especially in British English: The committee are giving their opinions.
The orchestra is performing tonight.
Why it works: The sentence treats the orchestra as one performing group, so the singular verb is fits.
5 more examples
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The family is planning a vacation.
The sentence presents the family as one group making one plan.
Not this:
The family arechoosing their own activities. What changes: The plural verb and their own activities focus on different family members. This pattern is common in British English. -
The jury has reached its verdict.
A jury gives one verdict, so the singular pattern shows one decision by the group.
Not this:
The jurors havereturned to their seats. What changes: Jurors is an ordinary plural noun, so it takes have and their. -
The company is opening a new office.
Company refers to the organization, so a singular verb is natural.
Not this:
The employees aremoving to the new office. What changes: Employees names individual people, so the plural verb is required. -
The audience was silent during the speech.
The audience is described as one crowd with the same response.
Not this:
The audience weretaking their seats. What changes: The plural pattern highlights many people doing the same action individually. It is especially familiar in British English. -
The government has announced its plan.
The government acts as one institution in this sentence.
Not this:
The ministers areexplaining their positions. What changes: Ministers are separate people, so use the ordinary plural form.
Read the full guide
Before choosing the verb, ask one question: am I talking about the group as a single organization, or about the people inside it? A singular verb usually follows the first meaning. A plural verb can follow the second, particularly in British English. Keep the pronouns consistent with the choice.
Start with the group meaning
Begin with what the sentence says about the group. If the group acts, decides, or changes as one body, choose a singular verb. This is the usual starting pattern in American English and a common pattern in British English.
The committee is meeting on Thursday.
One committee has one meeting, so is treats it as one unit.
The school has changed its timetable.
School means the institution here, not each teacher or student.
Which form fits one group making one decision: The board has or The board have approved the budget?
Use The board has approved the budget when you mean the board as one body.
Use plural when members matter
British English often uses a plural verb with a collective noun when members are acting as individuals. Look for words such as their, themselves, different, or each. They often point toward the members rather than the group as one unit.
The band are tuning their instruments.
Each musician has an instrument, so the sentence focuses on separate people.
The family are traveling in different cars.
Different cars makes the individual family members important.
Why can their support a plural verb with a collective noun?
Their can show that the sentence is talking about several members rather than one group unit.
Keep verbs and pronouns together
Once you choose the meaning, make the rest of the sentence agree with it. A singular group often takes its. A plural member-focused pattern often takes their. This makes the reader's job easier.
The orchestra gave its final concert.
The orchestra is treated as one performing organization, so its matches the singular idea.
The orchestra were packing their instruments.
Were and their both point to the musicians as individuals in a British English pattern.
Which pronoun usually matches The club is choosing ___ new captain?
Use its: The club is choosing its new captain.
Notice British and American patterns
Both British and American English use singular collective nouns. British English uses plural agreement more freely when members are in view. American English usually keeps the collective noun singular and names the members when a plural sentence is needed.
The staff is reviewing the policy.
This is a standard American English way to describe one staff group.
The staff are sharing their concerns.
This British English pattern gives attention to individual staff members.
What can you write in American English if individual staff members are the focus?
Write The staff members are sharing their concerns.
Use plural nouns for clearly separate people
Sometimes a collective noun is not the best choice. If every person has a separate action, use a plural noun such as players, employees, jurors, or family members. The grammar then becomes simple and the meaning becomes precise.
The players are signing their own forms.
Players is plural, and each person signs a different form.
The committee members have sent their replies.
Committee members makes the separate people explicit.
Which is clearer when every person has a different password?
Use a plural noun: The employees have updated their passwords.
Make one choice for each sentence
Do not choose a verb only because the noun names many people. Read the whole sentence first. Then decide whether you want the organization, team, or family as one unit, or whether you need the people inside it.
The council is responsible for the decision.
Responsibility belongs to the council as an institution, so the singular form fits.
The council members are answering questions from residents.
The members speak separately, so a plural noun is the clearest choice.
What should you decide before choosing is or are with a collective noun?
Decide whether the sentence means one group unit or individual members.
Before you go
Remember this
A collective noun is singular in form, but it can refer to a group as one unit or to its members. Use a singular verb for the unit: The committee has decided. In British English, use a plural verb when members are the focus: The committee are discussing their views. Keep the verb and pronouns aligned, or name the members directly.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Collective nouns: singular or plural?"
Is a collective noun singular or plural?
A collective noun is singular in form, but its verb depends on the meaning. Use a singular verb when the group acts as one unit, as in The family is planning a vacation. In British English, a plural verb can show that the members are acting separately.
The family is planning a vacation.
Why can British English use plural verbs with collective nouns?
British English often uses plural agreement when the writer means the people inside the group. The audience were taking their seats presents many people doing an individual action. The audience was silent instead presents the crowd as one whole.
The family are choosing their own activities.
Do collective nouns usually take singular verbs in American English?
Yes. American English usually treats a collective noun as singular: The company is opening a new office. When individual people matter, American English often names them directly, as in The employees are moving to the new office.
The jury has reached its verdict.
How do I choose between its and their with a collective noun?
Match the pronoun to the meaning and verb. Use its when you present the group as one unit: The government has announced its plan. Use their with a plural member-focused pattern, or name the members directly when that wording is clearer.
The jurors have returned to their seats.
When should I use members instead of a collective noun?
Use a plural noun when separate people do separate things or when agreement could distract from the message. The committee members have sent their replies is direct and clear. It avoids asking one collective noun to represent both the organization and its individual people.
The company is opening a new office.