phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Piece, bunch, pair

Posted by R. Berg on April 02, 2003

In Reply to: Piece, bunch, pair, posted by AA on April 02, 2003

: : : Is there a special term for words such as a PIECE of cloth, a BUNCH of flowers, a PAIR of chopsticks? I don't think it is "quantifier" but I am dying to find out what they are called. Please help. Thanks.

: : Collective noun?

: I think collective noun means words such as machinery for machine, poetry for poem, etc.

"Machinery" and "poetry" may or may not be collective nouns, depending on how they're used. Purer examples of collective nouns are "orchestra" (meaning the musicians) and "family"--from the American Heritage Dictionary. Some others: "herd," "flock," "litter," "Senate."

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.