Often, people behave in the same way, engaging in a single activity in unison with everyone else in their group. When individuals are in a team, a choir, a committee, or part of any other collective noun, that noun is singular and is paired with singular pronouns and singular verbs. As you read the examples that follow, notice that each individual who is part of the collective noun is doing the same action at the same time as others who are part of that collective noun.
Every morning, the herd follows its leader to the watering hole for a drink.
→ Herd is a singular collective noun. Follows is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the animals in the herd arrive at the watering hole at the same time.
Today, Ms. Kennedy’s class takes its SOL test.
→ Class is a singular collective noun. Takes is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the students in Ms. Kennedy’s class are taking the same test at the same time.
The committee agrees that people are misusing their cell phones, so its verdict is that phones must not be used during working hours.
→ Committee is a singular collective noun. Agrees is a singular verb, and the word its is a singular pronoun. All the members of the committee are thinking alike.
Now imagine three teenagers in the living room. Are they all doing the same thing at once? Not likely! One is watching TV intently. Another is reading a book and listening to music. The third has one eye on the TV and the other on his computer. There is a single group of teenagers, but the members of the group are doing different things.
Members of collective nouns can act the same way, as individuals doing their own thing. When members of a collective noun act as individuals, that collective noun is plural and must be paired with plural pronouns and plural verbs. As you read the following examples, you’ll notice that members of the collective noun are not functioning in unison.
After eight hours sitting in the stuffy courtroom, the jury stretch, look at their watches, and head to their cars for the commute home.
→ Jury is a plural collective noun in this instance. Stretch, look, and head are plural verbs, and their is a plural pronoun. The members of the jury are stretching and looking at their individual watches before they head to different cars to go to their own homes.
After taking a test, the class start their papers on Shakespeare’s sonnets.
→ Class is a plural collective noun in this instance. Start is a plural verb, and their is a plural pronoun. Although the students are in the same class, they are beginning their own papers on different sonnets written by Shakespeare.