Complete these sentences with a suitable noun
1. They gave her a big …………… of flowers for her birthday.
2. I cut about six ………….. of ham and put them on a plate.
3. They own a large …………. of land on the coast.
4. I did a ……….. of homework last night, then went out.
5. She told usto take a blank ………… of paper, then write our names at the top.
6. I asked him for a ………….. of advice.
7. Have you seen that old ………….. of boots I use for gardening?
8. I’ve got a ………… of time, so I can help you now if you like.
9. We have a ………… of rainy weather these days with ………… of thunder and ……….. of lightning, ………… of wind and ………… of rain.
10. You blew a ……….. of cigarette smoke straight into my face.
11. I had an amazing …………. of luck last week. I had learnt a very interesting ………. of news and ………… of information.
12. What ………… of transport do you prefer?
13. Take a ……….. of sugar, the tea is bitter.
14. I’ve bought some luxurious ………….. of furniture.
15. On your way home drop in a shop and buy a …………. of bread, a ………… of chocolate, a …………. of milk and a …………… of toothpaste.
16. I was presented with a ……….. of flowers and a …………. of cosmetics yesterday.
17. Could I have one …………. of bread, please?
18. What this soup needs is a decent ……….. of salt.
19. I’m afraid we’ll have to open another …………. of beer.
20. Did you see that ………… of lightning just now?
21. I’m dying for a ………….. of fresh air.
22. Go and fetch a ………….. of water, quickly!
23. Let me give you a …………. of advice.
3. Fill the blanks with the correct answers.
1. Please go to the store and pick up a ___ of milk.
a) bag b) carton c) dozen d) pound
2. This recipe calls for a ___ of butter.
a) dozen b) tube c) stick d) can
3. My cat eats a ___ of tuna every day.
a) can b) loaf c) bottle d) bag
4. I like to drink a ___ of mineral water after I exercise.
a) pound b) stick c) teaspoon d) bottle
5. I need three ___ of yogurt from the dairy section.
a) tubes b) pounds c) containers d) dozens
6. Pick up ___ of whole wheat bread at the bakery.
a) half a pound b) a box c) a bag d) a loaf
7. The ___ of toothpaste are located in the health and beauty section of the supermarket.
a) quarts b) tubes c) pints d) sticks
8. This recipe needs a ___ of salt.
a) teaspoon b) loaf c) six-pack d) stick
9. Go get a ___ of bananas in the produce section at the front of the store.
a) head b) dozen c) bunch d) pint
10. We need a ___ of orange juice for tomorrow morning.
a) pound b) quart c) bag d) stick
| flowers furniture tools sugar milk papers ham toothpaste rice thunder lightning fish smoke tangerine soap grass wind |
Match both parts together.
| blade heap carton puff tube bunch grain article set lump hunk flash school clap gust bar segment |
|
|
Add one of the following nouns to complete these sentences.
bread paper grass lunch flu sunlight
1. He could eat only a morsel of ………….. .
2. I think I’ve got a touch of …………… .
3. A shaft of …………. came through the window.
4. I think I’ll have a spot of ………… .
5. How many sheets of ……….. do you need?
6. Tufts of ………. grew along the bank.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
Collective nouns are special nouns that stand for a group of people, animals, birds, inanimate things or insects. For example, in the phrase "a pride of lions", pride is a collective noun. Collective nouns can take singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group acts as a unity (singular) or as separate individuals (plural).
e.g. The family were on friendly terms. Our little group iscomplete again.
Our family isquitesmall. The group wishto join in a conversation.
Note: majority/minority can be used as singular or plural. If it is not followed by a plural noun, the verb after it is usually singular. In case it is, the verb is plural.
e.g. The majority believesthat we are in no danger.
The majority of the students believehim to be innocent.
Collective nouns standing for people
| army audience band blast board choir congress crew gang chorus congregation government clan committee family orchestra class company gaggle group patrol brigade troupe tribe company troop cast faculty banner bench squad house colony cortege |
Collective nouns standing for animals
| a cloud/colony of bats a sloth of bears a caravan of camels a clutter of cats a herd of cattle/sheep/goats a pack/kennel of dogs/wolves a bury of rabbits a parade of elephants a band of gorillas a string of horses a yoke of oxen a bevy of roe deer/ pheasants a pride of lions a skulk of foxes a litter of kittens a down of hares a kindle of kittens a troop of monkeysa dray of squirrels a shoal/school of fish/whales a zeal of zebras a drove of pigs a colony of rats |
Collective nouns standing for birds
| a flock of birds/chickens a brood of chickens/hens a hover of crows an aerie of eagles a gaggle of geese a covey of grouse a flight of swallows a game of swans a squabble of seagulls a bevy of quails a run of poultry |
Collective nouns standing for insects
| a hive of bees a swarm of ants/bees/flies a colony of ants/wasps/lice a flight of butterflies a swarm of flies a flight of insects a clutter of spiders |
***Some nouns are always associated with the idea of plurality; they denote a group of separate individuals: police, clergy, gentry, cattle, poultry, vermin, people.
e.g. The cattle aregrazing.
The police here are efficient.
Are there any people in the hall?
Collective nouns indicating time, money and distance
Collective nouns refer to an entire group. When a collective noun indicates a period of time, a sum of money, or a measurement, it takes a singular verb.
e.g. Twenty-five dollars is too much to pay for that shirt.
Fifty minutes isn’tenough time to finish this test.
Two miles is too much to run in one day.
Two weeks is enough time to finish the contract.
Ten dollars isall I have.
Seven pounds isan average weight for a newborn.
Collective nouns denoting a group of objects thought of as a whole
This group includes the following nouns: furniture, machinery, equipment, hardware, silverware, china, luggage, foliage (are usedin the singular, without any article, are used with the definite article when the speaker is specifying).
e.g. The equipment of the studio was expensive.
This furniture doesn’t match the wallpapers.
Miscellaneous
| a pile/heap of papers/clothes/dishes/toys a bunch of flowers/grapes/bananas a stack of chairs/tables/boxes/logs a set of tools/pots/pans a library of books a nest of rumours a flight of stairs a stand of trees a range of hills |
EXERCISES