Funny animal collective nouns3/10/2024 They were used, they were correct, and they are useful, correct-and available-today.” You can pick up a copy of Lipton's book here. Here are a few from Lipton’s book that you should add to your repertoire.Īccording to Lipton, the terms above “are authentic and authoritative. Answer: Colony A herd of antelope An army of ants A shrewdness of apes. In the human realm, you’ve likely come across some really common collective noun examples, like a class of students, a team of baseball players, or a party of politicians. Start by choosing a square to begin the game, e.g. Students begin by matching words to one of six collective nouns. What is a collective noun These words describe a group of humans, animals, or concepts as one single entity. In this set of fun collective noun activities, students complete a worksheet to practice collective nouns and then use the nouns in a game of bingo. The question in this quiz is the animal and the multiple choice answers are the collective. It’s an appreciation for a fun and quirky collective noun. However, a handful of obscure phrases have made a comeback, thanks to James Lipton’s wonderful compendium of collective nouns, An Exaltation of Larks. Words to describe groups of animals are referred to as collective nouns. Some have achieved widespread currency and acceptance, like a “flight of stairs,” “a board of trustees,” and a “school of fish.” Others, like a “murder of crows,” barely cling on. Similar courtesy handbooks caught on, and by the end of the 16th century, a slew of collective nouns had entered the lexicon. Albans was, after all, a vocabulary-booster, a primer designed to help gentlemen-in-training avoid the embarrassment of “some blunder at the table.” Over the next century, the book’s popularity bloomed. Appended to the hunting chapter sits a list of 164 collective nouns, titled “The Compaynys of Beestys and Fowlys.” (Contrary to the title, many terms actually describe people-a biting example of ye olde satire.)Īs silly as some sound today, the phrases were formal and proper descriptions. Mammals A group of bears is called a sloth or sleuth Apes: A shrewdness of apes. When a group of the animals is on the move, however, theyre called a journey of giraffes. Albans was a handbook for medieval gentlemen, and it contained essays on hawking, hunting, and heraldry. Africas tallest animal, when standing in a group, is a tower of giraffes. Many were codified in books of courtesy, like the 1486 classic Book of St. Most collective nouns, or “terms of venery,” were coined during the 15th century. Collective nouns may seem like quirky ways to describe groups, but 500 years ago, they were your ticket to the in-crowd.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |