Collective nouns are words that stand for groups of things, and they should be a part of your Miller Analogies Test strategy. Collective nouns are among the most creative words in the English language. Ever heard of a MURDER of crows, for instance? “Murder” is the collective noun for a group of crows.

Collective nouns are often words with multiple meanings. For example, BED can mean a bed of flowers or a bed you sleep in. Keep an open mind as to what a word means if you see one that has multiple definitions.

The following list covers some common collective nouns. The word in CAPITALS is the collective noun for the group of the word that follows it. For example, in the entry “BED of flowers,” BED is the collective noun for flower.

  • ALBUM of photographs

  • ATLAS of maps

  • BAND of men

  • BATTERY of guns

  • BED of flowers

  • BELT of asteroids

  • BEVY of beauties

  • BOARD of directors

  • BUNCH of bananas

  • CACHE of jewels

  • CAST of actors

  • CLUTCH of eggs

  • COLONY of fungi

  • CONGREGATION of churchgoers

  • COVEN of witches

  • CROWD of people

  • CULTURE of bacteria

  • DECK of cards

  • DEN of thieves

  • FLEET of cars

  • FLIGHT of stairs

  • FLOCK of sheep

  • FOREST of trees

  • GAGGLE of girls

  • HERD of cattle

  • HOST of angels

  • LIBRARY of books

  • LITTER of kittens

  • LOCK of hair

  • ORCHESTRA of musicians

  • PAIR of shoes

  • PANEL of experts

  • PEAL of bells

  • POSSE of sheriffs

  • QUIVER of arrows

  • RANGE of mountains

  • REAM of paper

  • SHOAL of fish

  • SLATE of candidates

  • STRING of pearls

  • TEAM of athletes

  • TRIBE of natives

  • TROUPE of dancers

  • WEALTH of information

  • WING of aircraft

  • YOKE of oxen

About This Article

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Vince Kotchian is a full-time standardized test tutor specializing in the MAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. He teaches a GRE prep course at the University of California, San Diego, and has an extensive understanding of analogies and the MAT.

Edwin Kotchian is a MAT tutor and freelance writer who has contributed to a variety of test-prep material.

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