Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/Collective-nouns"
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<div style="font-size:300%"> Collective nouns in French</div> | <div style="font-size:300%">Collective nouns in French</div> | ||
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A collective noun (nom collectif) is a singular noun that represents a group of things or people. | |||
Some French examples include une série (a series), une poignée (a handful or fistful), un tas (a pile), une foule (a crowd), and, of course, un groupe (a group). | |||
Although collective nouns can stand alone in a sentence, they are often followed by a complement (a group of something). The tricky part about using collective nouns is determining whether the verb should agree with the collective noun (and be singular) or with its complement (and be plural). | |||
See lesson: https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/French/Grammar/Subject-verb-agreement-%E2%80%94-Verb-agreement-with-collective-noun-subjects | |||
Revision as of 21:05, 23 November 2021
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A collective noun (nom collectif) is a singular noun that represents a group of things or people.
Some French examples include une série (a series), une poignée (a handful or fistful), un tas (a pile), une foule (a crowd), and, of course, un groupe (a group).
Although collective nouns can stand alone in a sentence, they are often followed by a complement (a group of something). The tricky part about using collective nouns is determining whether the verb should agree with the collective noun (and be singular) or with its complement (and be plural).
Typical collective nouns
| French | English |
|---|---|
| assistance (f) | audience |
| comité (m) | committee |
| équipe (f) | team |
| foule (f) | crowd |
| gouvernement (m) | government |
| linge (m) de maison | household linen |
| main-d'oeuvre (f) | workforce |
| peuple (m) | people |
| vaisselle (f) | dishes, crockery |
When a collective noun is the subject of a clause, the verb is usually singular.
This contrasts with English, where the verb can be either singular or plural:
- Le gouvernement a (NOT *ont) décidé d'interdire la publicité pour les cigarettes
The government has/have decided to ban cigarette advertizing
- L'équipe s'entraîne (NOT *s'entraînent) le jeudi soir
The team trains/train on Thursday evenings