Is mother a collective noun?

Baloo55th

Unless I'm missing something here, no. A collective noun is something like flock, congregation, or skein (not of wool). It's a grouping of other things. Mothers tend to be individuals. And before anyone suggests it, 'charity worker' is not a collective noun. Even when they're rattling a tin at you... Feb 26 06, 6:26 AM

davejacobs

A rattle of charity workers perhaps? Cheers, DaveJ Feb 26 06, 10:10 AM

mementoflash

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Feb 27 06, 10:54 AM

Baloo55th

That's more than one mother... Feb 27 06, 2:56 PM

xfacilitatorx

A GAGGLE of geese. A POD of whales. A MURDER of crows. Collective nouns (also known as terms of venery or nouns of assemblage) in English are subject-specific words used to define a grouping of people, animals, objects or concepts. For example, in the phrase "a parliament of owls", parliament is a collective noun. http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/List_of_collective_nouns_for_people Feb 28 06, 1:19 PM

Baloo55th

Most of these collective nouns were invented by Victorian parsons and such with nothing better to do. No-one uses them outside crosswords and quizzes. Gaggle and skein, yes, pod and some others. But a murmuration of larks? Have you ever SEEN a group of larks? I haven't. Nor a group of owls. There's even one for rhinoceroses - which are extremely solitary beasts! In the UK at least, if you see a flock of crows, they're probably rooks anyway... Feb 28 06, 2:30 PM

Baloo55th

Correction - an exultation of larks. They still don't group round here. Feb 28 06, 3:00 PM

JoshCaleb12

C. S. Lewis refered to a parliament of owls in his Chronicles of Narnia, I believe... Mar 01 06, 4:49 PM

minuscule_

Mother of all wars. Mar 01 06, 5:37 PM

xfacilitatorx

That is descriptive or categoric not collective. Mar 01 06, 8:18 PM

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