Collective nouns, or nomi collettivi, describe generic groups of things, people, or animals.
In English, when we use collective nouns, our subject-verb agreement depends on whether we are referring to the entire group, or the individuals within it. It is also more common in British English than American English to use plural verbs with collective nouns.
In Italian, however, collective nouns are always used with verbs in the third person singular. The exception to this is when the noun is followed by a qualifier. For example, in Italian we might say both Il branco di cani abbaia / abbaiano (The pack of dogs barks).
Following are some expanded categories of collective nouns you will often encounter.
In English, when we use collective nouns, our subject-verb agreement depends on whether we are referring to the entire group, or the individuals within it. It is also more common in British English than American English to use plural verbs with collective nouns.
In Italian, however, collective nouns are always used with verbs in the third person singular. The exception to this is when the noun is followed by a qualifier. For example, in Italian we might say both Il branco di cani abbaia / abbaiano (The pack of dogs barks).
Following are some expanded categories of collective nouns you will often encounter.
Persone
la follaLa folla cresceva di minuto in minuto e la polizia faceva fatica a mantenerla sotto controllo.The crowd was growing by the minute and the police had a hard time keeping it under control. la genteLa gente ha seguito con attenzione i risultati elettorali.People have been closely following the election results. la famigliaLa mia famiglia è sparsa in giro per il mondo.My family is scattered all over the world. l’esercitoAll’epoca fu l’esercito più potente del mondo.Back then, it was the most powerful army in the world. la squadraLa nostra squadra ha vinto solo due partite quest’anno.Our team won only two games this year. |