Talk:List of collective nouns for fish, invertebrates, and plants
From Academic Kids
Some of these collective nouns aren't quite, really. For instance a colony of ants is a collective in the same way a city, tribe, or household of people is. Should that sort of thing really be included? -- Josh Grosse, 17 Nov 2001
- I disagree with "city" and "household" but agree with "tribe". A city is a fixed location and can also mean a "collection of buildings" - eg. a "deserted city". A household also pertains to a building (no household without a house). A tribe is much looser in terms of geography, eg. "a tribe of nomads". A colony of ants is potentially mobile or fixed - the OED validates both. Colony is also cited as a valid collective noun for a number of other animals. It doesn't have to be the dominant usage, only a permissible one - MMGB, 25 Feb 2002
[edit]
A clump of trees?
I would have thought that the correct collective noun for trees would have been a clump of trees, being less than a grove of trees.
Stephen Martin Australia
