What is a group noun in English?

A group noun (collective noun) names a set of people or things as one word: team, family, committee, staff, crew, audience, government, orchestra. The verb can be singular when you mean the unit (The committee has issued its report) or plural when you mean the members (The committee are still arguing). Of-phrases such as a flock of terns and a panel of judges are a related pattern.

Is it the team is or the team are?

Both, depending on variety and viewpoint. American English prefers the team is. British English uses the team is for the club as a body and the team are for the players, and sports writing there almost always uses are. Pick one variety in a piece of writing and keep the pronouns in line (it/its versus they/their).

Why is the police are correct?

Because police is grammatically plural in standard English, not a collective with a choice. The police are investigating is the only agreement. For a singular subject, switch noun: a police officer is investigating. People and cattle work the same way.

Do I say staff is or staff are?

British notices and news almost always use staff are, often with no the: Staff are reminded to lock the loft. American prose more often uses the staff is. Do not write a staff are; either drop a or say a member of staff is.

Is it a number of people is or are?

Are. A number of means several and takes a plural verb: A number of seats were still empty. The number of is a figure and takes a singular verb: The number of seats was small. Memorise the pair; it is one of the most reliable tests in this area.

English grammar · Intermediate

Noun Groups: Collective Nouns and Verb Agreement

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Group nouns (also called collective nouns) name a set of people or things as one unit: team, family, committee, staff, crew, audience, government. In American English they usually take a singular verb (the team is). In British English they often take a plural verb when the members are thought of as individuals (the team are). A second pattern, a flock of, a bunch of, a panel of, names the group with of plus a plural noun.

The committee has issued its report, but the committee are still arguing about the wording.

singular when the body acts as a unit; plural when the members are in view

What it is

A group noun packs several people or things into one word. Family, team, staff, crew, committee, jury, government, audience, orchestra, and class all work this way. The grammatical puzzle is whether that word behaves as one thing or as many. English answers the puzzle twice: American English prefers a singular verb and a singular pronoun (the team is, it has); British English often switches to a plural verb and they when the members, not the unit, are what you mean (the team are, they have). Neither variety is guessing; both are following a rule about viewpoint.

The crew is ready to sail. (the crew as a unit) The crew are wearing different colours. (the members, one by one)

How to spot it

Look for a singular-looking noun that names a set of people, then check the verb and the pronoun that follow. A singular verb treats the set as a body; a plural verb treats it as members. Of-groups (a flock of gulls) take their agreement from the noun after of when of is the head of a quantity, and from the group word when that word is the real head.

The orchestra has recorded the symphony. (singular: the body as one recording unit)
The orchestra are packing their own instruments. (plural: the players as individuals)
Staff are asked to use the side door. (staff is often plural in British English even without a switch in viewpoint)
A flock of terns was turning over the chapel. (flock as a unit in the air; was is possible, were also heard)

Police, clergy, and people are plural in standard English with no American singular option: The police are investigating, never is. They look like group nouns but they are grammatically plural.

Group Nouns Quick Reference

Common group nouns and how they agree

Noun	Typical agreement	Notes
team, committee, government, jury	singular or plural by viewpoint	American: usually singular; British: both
family, couple, pair	singular for the unit, plural for the people	My family is in Lisbon. My family are all musicians.
staff, crew, orchestra, choir	often plural in British English	Staff are on strike. The crew are ashore.
audience, class, public	singular when unified, plural when mixed	The audience was silent. The audience were putting on coats.
police, cattle, people	plural only	not true collectives with a choice
a flock / herd / pack / swarm of	verb often follows the of-noun	a flock of gulls were diving; a flock of gulls was circling also occurs
company names	singular in American English, often plural in British	Canter & Co. are moving their archive. (British)

Common Group Nouns Examples in English

Viewpoint first, then variety, then the of-pattern. Agreement follows what you are looking at:

The Unit Versus the Members

The committee has published a single recommendation.: one product of the body: singular
The committee are still arguing about the wording.: the members disagree: plural
My family lives over the bakery.: the household as a unit
My family are all out on the quay this evening.: the people, counted separately

Once you choose singular or plural, keep the pronouns in line: The committee has issued its report. The committee are still arguing about their wording. Mixing it and are in one stretch sounds careless.

British and American Habits

The government has announced a new ferry subsidy. (American, and formal British): government as an institution: singular
The government are split on the subsidy. (British): government as politicians: plural
Manchester City is in the final. (sports American, and some British headlines): the club as a brand
Manchester City are in the final. (sports British): the players as a squad

Sports reporting in British English almost always uses a plural verb with club names. American sports reporting almost always uses a singular. Both read as native in their variety.

Staff, Police, and Other Fixed Choices

Staff are reminded to lock the loft.: staff is typically plural in British notices
The staff is smaller than it was. (American): staff as a size of workforce, singular
The police have closed the causeway.: police is always plural
People were waiting on both sets of steps.: people is always plural; person is the singular

A staff meaning a stick is an ordinary countable noun (two staffs, rare). The workforce sense is the group noun. Do not write a staff are; drop a, or switch to a member of staff.

Of-Groups: Flock, Bunch, Panel

A flock of terns turned over the chapel.: flock of plus animals: a set seen as a unit
A panel of curators has chosen the scores.: panel as the deciding body: singular verb is natural
A bunch of keys was hanging on the nail.: bunch as one object
A number of seats were still empty.: a number of is plural in meaning; were is the usual verb

A number of plus plural noun takes a plural verb. The number of plus plural noun takes a singular verb: The number of seats was surprising. That pair is worth memorising.

How Group Nouns Take a Verb

Viewpoint, then variety, then a few nouns with no choice.

Agree With What You Are Looking At

If the group acts as one body (issues a report, wins a match, publishes a timetable), a singular verb is available in both varieties. If the members act separately (argue, wear, pack their own cases), a plural verb is the honest British choice and is increasingly heard in informal American English too. The noun itself does not change; the verb and the pronoun do.

The jury has reached a verdict. The jury are putting on their coats.

one legal act versus several people getting ready

Unit: singular. Members: plural.

Stay Consistent Once You Choose

A singular verb wants it and its. A plural verb wants they and their. The committee has issued their report mixes the two. Repeat the noun if you need to change viewpoint: The committee has issued its report. The committee are still arguing.

The choir has recorded its concert. The choir are collecting their coats.

its with has; their with are

Verb and pronoun from the same viewpoint.

Some Nouns Have No Singular Option

Police, people, cattle, clergy (in many styles), and staff in British notices are plural. You cannot write the police is without sounding non-native. Where you need a singular, switch noun: a police officer, a person, a cow, a member of staff.

The police are on the causeway. A police officer is on the causeway.

group word plural; individual noun singular

Police and people: plural only.

Of-Phrases: Decide Which Word Is the Head

In a flock of terns, flock can be the head (the flock was circling) or the of-noun can control a looser agreement (the flock of terns were diving). Quantity phrases are clearer: a number of is plural, the number of is singular, a pair of scissors is singular because scissors is the object, not the people.

A number of crates were missing. The number of crates was small.

a number of = several; the number of = a figure

A number of: plural. The number of: singular.

Common Mistakes with Group Nouns

Incorrect: The police is closing the causeway.

Correct: The police are closing the causeway.

Police is a plural noun in every standard variety. There is no singular agreement option. Use a police officer if you need a singular subject.

Incorrect: The committee has issued their report and it are still arguing.

Correct: The committee has issued its report. The committee are still arguing.

Singular verbs take its and it; plural verbs take their and they. Mixing the two in one stretch, and then using are with it, leaves the viewpoint incoherent.

Incorrect: A number of seats was still empty.

Correct: A number of seats were still empty.

A number of means several and takes a plural verb. The number of seats was still empty would treat number as a figure, which is the other pattern and the wrong meaning here.

Incorrect: A staff are waiting in the loft.

Correct: Staff are waiting in the loft. / A member of staff is waiting in the loft.

Staff in the workforce sense does not take a as a singular countable. Either drop a and keep a plural verb, or name one person with a member of staff.

A Flock of and Other Of-Groups

English names many groups with a collective plus of plus a plural noun.

Animals and things

A flock of birds, a herd of cattle, a pack of wolves, a swarm of bees, a school of fish, a bunch of keys, a bundle of scores, a set of parts.

A herd of cattle was blocking the causeway.: herd as a unit on the road
A pack of wolves has been seen above the ridge.: pack as one reported group
A bunch of keys was hanging on the nail.: bunch as a single object

These phrases are countable: two flocks, three bunches. The noun after of stays plural.

People in roles

A panel of judges, a board of trustees, a crew of four, a team of conservators, a class of twelve.

A panel of judges has shortlisted the scores.: panel as the deciding unit
A team of conservators are working on different crates.: members in view: plural verb is natural in British English
A crew of four was enough for the crossing.: crew sized as a number, singular

If you need to count individuals, a member of the panel / a member of staff is clearer than trying to make panel or staff singular with a.

Quick Check: Group Nouns

Choose a verb or pronoun that matches the viewpoint (and the variety if one is given).

1. The committee ___ (has / have) published a single recommendation.

Answer: has

the body as a unit, one product

2. The committee ___ (is / are) still arguing about the wording. (British, members in view)

Answer: are

plural because the people disagree

3. The police ___ (is / are) on the causeway.

Answer: are

police is always plural

4. A number of crates ___ (was / were) missing.

Answer: were

a number of = several

5. The choir has recorded ___ (its / their) concert. (singular viewpoint)

Answer: its

pronoun must follow the singular verb

Group Nouns FAQs

What is a group noun in English?: A group noun (collective noun) names a set of people or things as one word: team, family, committee, staff, crew, audience, government, orchestra. The verb can be singular when you mean the unit (The committee has issued its report) or plural when you mean the members (The committee are still arguing). Of-phrases such as a flock of terns and a panel of judges are a related pattern.
Is it the team is or the team are?: Both, depending on variety and viewpoint. American English prefers the team is. British English uses the team is for the club as a body and the team are for the players, and sports writing there almost always uses are. Pick one variety in a piece of writing and keep the pronouns in line (it/its versus they/their).
Why is the police are correct?: Because police is grammatically plural in standard English, not a collective with a choice. The police are investigating is the only agreement. For a singular subject, switch noun: a police officer is investigating. People and cattle work the same way.
Do I say staff is or staff are?: British notices and news almost always use staff are, often with no the: Staff are reminded to lock the loft. American prose more often uses the staff is. Do not write a staff are; either drop a or say a member of staff is.
Is it a number of people is or are?: Are. A number of means several and takes a plural verb: A number of seats were still empty. The number of is a figure and takes a singular verb: The number of seats was small. Memorise the pair; it is one of the most reliable tests in this area.