Collective Nouns and Their Usage

Kevin from Magoosh discusses GMAT sentence correction traps, focusing on subject-verb agreement errors involving collective nouns. He explains that collective nouns, like 'committee' or 'jury', are singular despite appearing plural. Examples are provided to illustrate correct usage. The video also covers when collective nouns can be used in a plural sense and concludes with a call to visit Magoosh for more tips.

What is the main focus of the session led by Kevin?

• Reading comprehension strategies

• Sentence correction traps in GMAT

• Data sufficiency techniques

• Mathematical problem-solving

Why can collective nouns be tricky for students?

• They have no fixed meaning

• They are always plural

• They are rarely used in GMAT

• They appear plural but are usually singular

Which of the following is NOT a collective noun?

• Book

• Jury

• Audience

• Committee

What is the correct verb form for the sentence: 'The audience ___ enjoying the performance'?

• is

• are

• was

• were

Which sentence correctly uses a collective noun?

• The team has winning the match.

• The team were winning the match.

• The team is winning the match.

• The team are winning the match.

What is a common mistake students make with collective nouns?

• Using them in informal writing

• Using them as singular when they should be plural

• Using them as plural when they should be singular

• Confusing them with proper nouns

Which of the following sentences is correct?

• The family is going on vacation.

• The family are going on vacation.

• The family has going on vacation.

• The family were going on vacation.

Which of the following is a correct use of a collective noun?

• The crowd was cheering loudly.

• The crowd are cheering loudly.

• The crowd has cheering loudly.

• The crowd is cheering loudly.

In the sentence 'The committee unanimously rules to fund the renovation project', why is 'rules' used instead of 'rule'?

• Because 'rules' is a verb

• Because 'committee' is singular

• Because 'rules' is a noun

• Because 'committee' is plural

How can you make it clear that each member of a committee is acting individually?

• Use 'committee rules'

• Use 'committee members rule'

• Use 'committee is ruling'

• Use 'committee are ruling'