Question

Identify the collective noun(s) from the following sentence:
There was a fleet of ships in the sea.

A)Ships
B)Fleet
C)Sea
D)Fleet, ships

Answer 1

Hint: Look for words that denote a collection of objects. Collective nouns are usually preceded by the preposition ‘of’.

Complete step-by-step answer:

 Collective nouns are types of nouns that refer to collections of persons, animals, or objects. They indicate a group of a certain variable.
Let us look at some examples of collective nouns.
A pride of lions.
A shoal of fish.
A swarm of bees.
A bevy of girls.
When we want to indicate that we have seen a person or an animal as a part of a group, we can refer to them by their collective nouns. Think of them as words that add variety and spice to the English language.
In the above question, we have been given a sentence- There was a fleet of ships in the sea. Firstly, let us identify if there is a collection of objects in the above sentence. Indeed, there is a group of ships. However, rather than using a group, the word fleet has been used in the sentence. This indicates that it is a collective noun. *As we have discussed before, the preposition ‘of’ shows the relation between the collective noun and the common noun.

Note: Options A and C are common nouns. Option D has a collective noun, but it is also accompanied by a common noun. Do not confuse collective nouns with common nouns.