checkpoint practice Year 2

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

So what is a collective noun:

A word used to represent a group of people, animals, or things

e.g. team, crowd , flock, choir, group

People:

a band of musicians

a team of players 

a crowd of people

a gang of thieves

a pack of thieves

a class of students

a board of directors

Animals:

an army of ants, 

a flock of birds, 

a flock of sheep, 

a herd of deer, 

a hive of bees, 

a litter of puppies, 

a pack of wolves, 

a murder of crows.

things:

a bouquet of flowers

a bunch of flowers

a fleet of ships

a forest of tress

a galaxy of stars

a pack of cards

a pack of lies

a pair of shoes

a range of mountains

Sometimes the collective nouns can be shared across the categories,

e.g. a pack of thieves, a pack of wolves, a pack of lies, a pack of cards, a pack of hounds

A collective noun can be singular or plural

The shoal was moving north

shoal is singuar- considered as one unit

The shoal were darting in all directions

shoal is plural considered as lots of individuals

There is always an incredible crowd that follows me ( boxer Mohamed Ali)

you can't always switch the collective nouns like:

a bouquet of wolves, a swarm of students, a litter of ships

 ?

A swarm of students 

( image of lots of students in a frenzy)

A pack of ships

( ships hunting like wolves or thieves- it brings pirates to mind)

A forest of soldiers 

( thousands of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder)

Top Tip 

you can use the wrong collective noun as a literary technique

 

A swarm of protesters ran from the police

Swarm

- angry, 

-unorganised, 

-large number, 

-in a frenzy

Select the collective noun:

1. company
2. computer
3. lion

Select the collective noun:

1. snow
2. herd
4. mining

Select the collective noun:

1. paste
2. oxygen
3. pack

Select the collective noun for birds:

1. flock
2. band
3. team

A collective noun is a word used to represent a group of people, animals, or things.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Select the collective noun for dancers:

1. committee
2. hive
3. troupe

Select the collective noun for ships:

1. herd
2. pride
3. fleet

True or false? Collective nouns are always treated as singular.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. (Anthropologist Margaret Mead)

Select the collective noun.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. (Anthropologist Margaret Mead)

 the collective noun.

Treat a collective noun as singular unless the context highlights the individuals in the group.

The choir is out of tune.

The choir were fainting due to the heat.

Select the most appropriate version.

1. The committee is wearing different sports shirts from around the world.
2. The committee are wearing different sports shirts from around the world.

Select the most appropriate version.

1. The committee is happy with its decision.
2. The committee is happy with their decision.

The Function of Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases function as either adjectives modifying nouns or adverbs modifying verbs. For example:

Do you mean that boy in the corner?

I live near the museum.

A singer

A town

He acts

Keep

without thinking

in time

near London

with passion

A singer with passion

A town near London

Keep in time.

He acts without thinking.

Select the prepositional phrase.

1. old
2. over the hill
3. ancient

Select the prepositional phrase.

1. let me be
2. leave me
3. near me

Select the one with a prepositional phrase:

1. This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force. (Dorothy Parker)
2. A musicologist is a man who can read music but can't hear it. (Sir Thomas Beecham)

Select the one with a prepositional phrase:

1. Why are our days numbered and not, say, lettered? (Woody Allen)
2. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Select the one with a prepositional phrase:

1. I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn't park anywhere near the place. (Steven Wright)
2. When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I'm beginning to believe it.

Select the one with a prepositional phrase:

1. To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
2. The best defense against the atom bomb is not to be there when it goes off.

Select the correct version.

1. The majority of the cake has gone.
2. The majority of the cake have gone.

Select the correct version.

1. A box of tools is missing.
2. A box of tools are missing.

Select the correct version.

1. Half of us knows.
2. Half of us know.