The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts What is the collective noun for a group of ...

When there’s more of one thing, we refer to the term, “collective noun” to describe the group. When I was a kid, I ran around with my “gang.” We were the guys that played sandlot baseball part of the ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

In a warehouse near you, a shipment of Apple tablets arrives from China. "Get the trolleys," wails the foreman. "This rectangulation of iPad 2s won't shift itself!" The choice of collective noun might ...

The couple is going to purchase the house? Or the couple are going to purchase the house? Even after all my years of editing, I can still get tripped up trying to make verbs agree with collective ...

Naming collective nouns is a time-honored alliteration of bards dating back to medieval days. Their linguistic talents have bequeathed to the English language some intriguing terms, especially for ...

With my book about facts and knowledge coming out soon, it might be worth reviewing possible words for collective nouns for facts. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most sensitive pressure points in ...

Every once in a while I stumble on an interesting collective noun, usually for animals: a parliament of owls, a knot of toads, an exaltation of larks. I have heard an "awkward" suggested as an ...

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. I am going to acquaint my students with the joys and poetry of the collective noun. So scared am I we are losing the language battle ...