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Collective Nouns
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Collective & Partitive Nouns
Remember that a noun is a person, place, thing, idea, feeling, or concept. It gives a name to things that will be doing the action provided by the verb. Nouns can be people, places, things, animals, seasons, planets, days, time, and more!
Now, let’s take a look at some specific kinds of nouns: collectives and partitives.
Now, let’s take a look at some specific kinds of nouns: collectives and partitives.
Collectives & Partitives - Opposites!
Collective Nouns represent a group or collection of things, like a jar or a bar or a loaf.
Partitive Nouns represent a piece of a larger object, like a slice, a pound, or a piece.
As you can see, they are the opposite of one another!

Both often have qualifiers after them giving them more information.
Here are some examples of each:| Collective Nouns | Partitive Noun |
|---|---|
| a flock of seagulls | a bar of chocolate |
| a pride of lions | a loaf of bread |
| a school of fish | a cup of coffee |
| a swarm of bees | a packet of ketchup |
| an orchard of trees | a slice of pie |
| a bunch of grapes | a sheet of paper |
| a set of golf clubs | a clove of garlic |
| a class of students | a pat of butter |
| a bundle of sticks | a puff of smoke |
| a quiver of arrows | a glimmer of hope |
Just remember that a collective noun represents a collection or group of something, while a partitive noun represents a part of the whole!
