Do you really say these in real life?
Do you really say the following in real life:
- an unkindness of ravens
- a convocation of eagles
- a mischief of mice
- a pandemonium of parrots
- a coalition of cheetahs
- a tower of giraffes
Or do you just say "a group of......"?
Do all native speakers know all the collective nouns for each animal or is it something even some native speakers don't get right and often misuse?
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 5
2
There is no need to learn these words. There are a few collective nouns that get used a lot — “a herd of cows,” “a flock of sheep,” “a school of fish” and some others — but the ones you listed are obscure. Almost nobody knows them, and nobody uses them.
1
I have never heard of any of these,
1
Most people do not know or use all these different names. You can always say "a group of ..."
There are some more common names though, that most people will use such as:
A pack of wolves (or dogs).
A swarm of bees.
A colony of bats.
A school of fish.
A pride of lions.
A flock of birds.
A pod of whales.
A litter of puppies/kittens.
A herd of cattle.
These are just the most common ones that I can think of off the top of my head, that people do use regularly. Many of the other names are fun to know, but most people will not know them or use them, and instead will just call them "a group of ..." or "a bunch of..."
Most people probably also know that a bunch of crows is called a "murder", so:
A murder of crows.
I think people know this one only because it's so strange, but people probably don't often have an opportunity to talk about a bunch of crows together - so you are unlikely to hear it very often.
0
These may technically correct, but I’ve never heard them used; in fact, I’m pretty sure if you used them, most native speakers would think you were confused....
I would never use these; they sound pretty funny to me.
It’s amazing how many names there are for groups of different animals. If you’re interested in checking them out, here is a link to a comprehensive list. Most of them sound ridiculous, though; I would not recommend using them. https://owlcation.com/stem/collective-names-for-groups-of-animals
I like Tracy’s answer for which to memorize; you only need a few.
0
I agree with John and Tracy, not many people will know most of these. A murder of crows is a fairly well known one because it sounds interesting. A pride of lions is another common one.
Watch out for flock though. It usually applies to birds, but for some reason it's a flock of sheep as well, and it's very well known.
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