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Transcript:

Last week, we looked at a lot of collective nouns—but there are still more to learn, and some of them might really surprise you. These fun words make English more interesting and easier to speak. In the last episode, we talked about groups of animals, trees, and even ships. But what about buildings and people? Let’s find out today.

Hi! I’m Georgiana, and I’m back with a new episode. I’m here to help you speak English fluently. And how do you get fluent? By listening—again and again! 🙂

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Before we start, get the transcript at: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Ok, let’s start!

When we talk about houses together, we say town if it’s small and city if it’s bigger. But if those houses are organized in a somewhat chaotic way, you might hear about a slum or a shantytown.

If we focus on buildings in general, a group of them can form a residential complex. And if there are many homes in one place, we talk about a neighborhood or even a housing development.

By the way, when a place is full of people, English has some useful words. For example, if a subway is very crowded at 8 in the morning, we can call it a crowd. If the people are loud or acting wild, we can even say it’s a mob.

Now, let’s move on to the world of sports.

In the previous episode, I mentioned team as a group of people at work, but in sports, it’s a group competing together. This applies to soccer, basketball, and practically any sport with teammates.

But if it’s a big group of teams that compete against each other, we call it a league—like the NBA, which is the basketball league in the U.S. And when a group of cyclists bunches together during a race, we often call that the main pack.

The art world also has interesting collective nouns.

For instance, if you have a lot of musicians together, it’s an orchestra. If they’re singers, it’s a choir.

In movies and TV, a group of actors working on a film or show is called a cast. And in the world of books, a set of works by the same author or with a shared theme is often called a saga.

Now, some group words are very rare or not used much, but they’re still good to know.

• • A set of letters or documents is an archive.
  • A group of laws is called a code or legislation.
  • A collection of weapons is an arsenal.

And let’s not forget that a group of valuable or interesting objects kept together is called a collection—like a stamp collection or a coin collection.

Let’s not forget about these very common collective nouns:

• • The set of spoons, forks, knives, etc. that we use for eating is called cutlery (or silverware).
  • The set of plates, glasses, cups, etc. is known as crockery, tableware, or dinnerware.
  • When it’s just the glass items, we say glassware.

And here are two last examples: ‘fauna‘ means all animals, and ‘flora‘ means all plants.

Okay, I think that’s enough group words for now. There are so many! Don’t worry if you don’t remember them all. Just hearing them and getting used to them is already really good.

Great! Let’s continue with a point-of-view lesson.

POV-Story (Learn grammar in context)

I will tell you the same story twice. So make sure to focus on the changes.

You can find these techniques fully implemented in my premium courses.

SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses

Okay! Let’s start!

Tristan was excited about his first day working at the zoo. His job seemed easy: to put up informational signs in the animal enclosures. He trusted his memory and didn’t check his notes on collective nouns before starting.

First, he labeled the wolves as a herd, sure it was the right word. Then, when he saw the horses, he used the word swarm without noticing the mistake.

He put a sign for the lions that said bank or school, which are words usually used for groups of fish. He also labeled the penguins as a pack. With each sign, he felt more confident, and by the end, he had called the elephants a flock and the fish a herd in the aquarium area.

When the zoo opened, visitors reacted right away. A young boy pointed at the penguins and asked where their fangs were, while his mother tried to explain why pack of penguins didn’t make sense. A group of tourists saw the herd of horses sign and laughed non-stop.

The zoo director got so many complaints that he rushed to see what was going on. Tristan ended up in the office, receiving a long lesson on collective nouns.

The next day, a long line formed outside the zoo. Many people came just to see the funny signs. In the end, Tristan’s mistakes made the zoo more popular than ever.

   Let’s listen to the story in the future tense:

Tristan will be excited about his first day working at the zoo. His job will seem simple: to put up informational signs in the animal enclosures. He will trust his memory and won’t check his notes on collective nouns before starting.

First, he will label the wolves as a herd, thinking it’s correct. Then, when he sees the horses, he will write swarm, without realizing the mistake.

He will give the lions a sign that says bank or school, which are normally used for fish. He’ll also label the penguins as a pack. With each sign, his confidence will grow, and by the end, he’ll call the elephants a flock and the fish a herd in the aquarium area.

When the zoo opens, visitors will react right away. A child will point at the penguins and ask where their fangs are, while his mother will try to explain why pack of penguins doesn’t make sense. A group of tourists will see the herd of horses sign and laugh non-stop.

The zoo director will get so many complaints that he’ll rush to check what happened. Tristan will end up in the office, getting a long lesson on collective nouns.

The next day, a huge line will form outside the zoo. Many people will come just to see the signs and the animals. In the end, Tristan’s mistakes will help make the zoo more popular than ever.

Great! I love using stories like these—they’re easy to remember and really helpful for learning English. A bit of humor also makes the process more fun and enjoyable. You can find more of this method in my premium courses.

SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses, to get my premium courses. They are designed for learning by listening.

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