Collective Nouns!Terms originally evolved as hunting terms which is why so many describe field and gaming animals. Sometimes a collective noun can be used as a plural noun. Examples of these collective nouns are water, money, dishwashing liquid, toilet paper, sand, soap, dirt, etc. Other collective nouns (the class, the committee, the team...) have a somewhat schizophrenic personality. Sometimes, they act as one person (singular). At other times, they act as though they have many personalities (plural). Be careful; use the correct pronoun so as not to get on a collective noun's bad side.

The following nouns (except where noted) have been verified via Webster's New Dictionary and Thesaurus, Concise edition; Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms, by Ivan G. Sparkes, published by Gale, 2nd ed. 1985; The Trivia Encyclopedia, by Fred L. Worth, published by Berkley Pub Group, 1984; The Oxford English Dictionary; and docents at the Henry Doorly Zoo and KC Zoological Park.

(Keep in mind, some nouns have more than one term to describe a group.)

An agenda of tasks A descent of woodpeckers A peep of chickens
An armada of ships A dissimulation of birds A piteousness of doves
An army of ants A division of soldiers A pitying of turtledoves
An army of caterpillars A dule of doves A plague of locusts
An army of frogs A donut of data A platoon of soldiers
An audit of bookkeepers A down of hares A plump of waterfowl
An aurora of polar bears A draught of fish A pod of seals
A balance of accountants A dray of squirrels A pod of whales
A bale of turtles A drift of swine A pod of dolphins
A band of gorillas A drove of cattle A ponder of philosophers
A band of jays A dule of doves A prickle of hedgehogs
A bank of monitors An exaltation of larks A pride of lions
A barren of mules A field of racehorses A rabble of rats
A bed of clams A fistful of dollars (-suggested by Roy Waller of BBC
Radio Norfolk, roy.waller@bbc.co.uk-)
A bed of oysters A flange of babboons A raft of ducks
A bed of snakes A fleet of ships A rafter of turkeys
A belt of asteroids A flight of cormorants A range of mountains
A bevy of quail A flight of doves A remuda of extra cowboy mounts
A bevy of swans A flight of goshawks A richness of martens
A blessing of unicorns A flight of swallows A ring of keys
A bouquet of pheasants A flink of cows (twelve or more) A rout of wolves
A brace of grouse A flock of sheep A school of fish
A brigade of soldiers A flock of tourists A sedge of cranes
A brood of hens A flotilla of ships A set of mathematicians
A bunch of things A gaggle of geese A shoal of bass
A bury of conies A galaxy of stars A shrewdness of apes
A business of ferrets A galaxy of starlets A siege of herons
A business of flies A gam of whales A singular of boars
A cast of actors A gang of elk A skein of geese
A cast of falcons A gang of hoodlums A skulk of foxes
A cast of hawks A geek of engineers A slew of homework
A cavalcade of horsemen A giggle of girls A slither of snakes
A cete of badgers A grist of bees (-suggested by David Rachlin,
Rachlin1@ix.netcom.com-)
A chain of islands A grove of trees A sloth of bears
A charm of finches A heap of trash A sneak of weasels
A chattering of choughs A herd of elephants A sord of mallards
A chorus of angels A hill of beans A sounder of swine
A class of students A hive of bees A spring of seals
A cloud of gnats A horde of gnats A spring of teal
A clowder of cats A host of angels A squad of soldiers
A cluster of grasshoppers A host of sparrows A staff of employees
A clutch of chicks A hover of trout A stand of trees
A clutch of eggs A huddle of lawyers A streak of tigers
A clutter of cats A husk of hares A string of ponies
A collective of nouns A kettle of hawks A stud of mares
A colony of ants A kindle of kittens A swarm of bees
A colony of bats A knot of toads A swarm of rats
A colony of beavers A leap of hares A team of atheletes
A colony of gulls A leap of leopards A team of ducks
A colony of penguins A leash of foxes A team of horses
A colony of rats A litter of pigs A tidings of magpies
A company of parrots A mob of kangaroos A tribe of goats
A company of soldiers A murder of crows A tribe of monkeys
A conflagration of arsonists A murmuration of starlings A tribe of natives
A congregation of plovers A muster of peacocks A trip of dotterel
A congregation of worshipers A muster of storks A trip of goats
A congress of baboons A mute of hounds A troop of kangaroos
A conspiracy of ravens A nest of mice A troup of performers
A constellation of satellites A nest of rabbits A tumult of tubas
A convocation of eagles A nest of vipers A vagary of impediments
A cover of coots A network of computers A volery of birds
A covey of grouse A number of mathematicians A walk of snipe
A covey of partridges A nye of pheasants A watch of nightingales
A covey of pheasants An ostentation of peacocks A wealth of information
A covey of quail A pack of hounds A wedge of geese (flying in a "V")
A cowardice of curs A pack of rats* A wedge of swans (flying in a "V")
A crash of rhinoceroses A pack of wolves A whistle of modems
A crowd of onlookers A paddling of ducks (-suggested by Jerry Pournelle in a BYTE article-)
A cruft of hackers A pair of horses A wing of aircraft
A cry of hounds A parliament of owls A wisdom of grandparents
A culture of bacteria A party of jays A wisp of snipe
A deceit of lapwings A patch of flowers A woop of gorillas
A yoke of oxen