[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.9″]<\/p>\n
English gives you lots of options for replacing the word group<\/em> when you\u2019re talking about people, animals, or things. And each of those equivalents brings a little twist of its own that\u2019s well worth knowing, as this brief overview will show.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.19.9″ show_divider=”on” color=”#e02b20″ height=”5px” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.9″]<\/p>\n Bevy <\/em>is a reasonably common way to refer to any decent-sized group, as in \u201cthe social committee was run by a bevy of busybodies.\u201d It mainly designates groups of women\u2014a Google search for \u201cbevy of women,\u201d \u201cbevy of ladies,\u201d and \u201cbevy of beauties\u201d turns up tens of thousands of hits for each. At the time of writing, however, it showed only 733 hits for \u201cbevy of men\u201d and a measly 93 for \u201cbevy of gentlemen.\u201d In traditional use, bevy <\/em>is used for quail, as in a \u201cbevy of quail,\u201d or roe deer, as in a \u201cbevy of roes.\u201d<\/p>\n The first meaning of bushel<\/em> is as a unit in the Imperial system of measurement, equivalent to four pecks or 0.036 cubic meters. In the plural it can be used for a large amount of anything. It\u2019s popularly partnered with the words fun <\/em>and money<\/em>, as in \u201cThis game is bushels of fun\u201d or \u201cThat man has bushels of money.\u201d<\/p>\n The English covey <\/em>is a direct descendent of the French word couv\u00e9e<\/em> and applies to a brood or flock of birds, but you can extend it to any group of people or any set of whatever you want.<\/p>\n Covey <\/em>often has pejorative connotations and is most often attached to loud but otherwise impotent groups behaving like a brood of hungry chicks, as in \u201cOur magazine explores the relationship between the artist\u2019s work and the inevitable covey of critics and scholars who would rather judge a piece of art than simply enjoy it.\u201d It can, however, be used with a certain affection: \u201cHe is a TV media star, always surrounded by a covey of adoring reporters.\u201d<\/p>\n The word crush<\/em> conjures up a picture of people or animals all piled on top of each other, with a hint of violence, as in \u201cHe faced a crush of autograph seekers.\u201d Just the thought of it makes your chest feel tight\u2014which is probably why it\u2019s also used to describe infatuation: \u201cHe has a crush on his teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n Flock <\/em>is the ordinary word for a collection of sheep or goats as well as for birds, especially in flight. It\u2019s a great way to describe large numbers of people on the move, as in \u201cThey came in flocks.\u201d It\u2019s also commonly used as a verb: \u201cPeople flocked to the show.\u201d<\/p>\n Herd<\/em> is the equivalent of the French troupeau<\/em>: a herd of elephants. Applied to people, it suggests a noisy, undifferentiated mass, as in \u201cHerds of students filled the hallways between classes.\u201d<\/p>\n Mob<\/em> is used for rough and rowdy gatherings of people, often with violent tendencies, as in \u201cThe mob demanded his head.\u201d<\/p>\n Any group of wild animals hunting together is called a pack, such as a \u201cpack of foxes\u201d or \u201cpack of wolves.\u201d Applied to people, pack<\/em> generally designates an unfriendly, destructive clique, so it often appears with words like thief<\/em>, liar<\/em>, or scoundrel<\/em>. You also see it with groups that act like a pack of animals: \u201cA pack of big names is closing in on Havret and Fraser at the Scottish Open.\u201d<\/p>\n The word phalanx<\/em> designates a military formation used in ancient Greece, but it can be used for any ordered, close-packed group, as in \u201cHe was queried before a phalanx of television cameras\u201d or \u201cA phalanx of umbrellas greeted visitors to the restaurant.\u201d The first syllable rhymes with day, bay, may, and say and the second with banks and thanks.<\/p>\n Platoon <\/em>is another military term that can be applied to any group of people or people-like things seen as a set or team, as in \u201cA platoon of waiters cleared the tables.\u201d<\/p>\n Pride <\/em>doesn\u2019t get used much for groups, but you have to admit it\u2019s a great word for a group that takes itself very seriously or shows off, as in \u201cA pride of gaily dressed ladies surrounded the queen.\u201d It\u2019s also the group name used for lions, peacocks, and sometimes cats (\u201ca pride of lions\u201d).<\/p>\n Pronouncing the word throng <\/em>is a nightmare for many native French-speakers, but it\u2019s still a great word for enormous crowds of people, as in \u201cThrongs of protestors took to the streets.\u201d It also works as a verb, like flock<\/em>: \u201cPeople thronged the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n English is particularly well endowed with collective nouns specific to particular animals, many of which are medieval hunting terms. Bevy, covey, flock, herd, pack, and pride are all from that tradition, and the following are also in common use:<\/p>\n .\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0along with dozens more, often-startlingly poetic, possibilities. If you\u2019re interested, try searching \u201ccollective nouns\u201d and \u201canimals\u201d online. You\u2019ll find bushels, throngs, swarms, and perhaps even a pride or two of websites on the subject.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" English gives you lots of options for replacing the word group when you\u2019re talking about people, animals, or things. Here’s a brief overview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" La langue anglaise offre un grand choix de mots pour d\u00e9signer les groupes de personnes, d\u2019animaux ou de choses. Chacun de ces mots pr\u00e9sente une nuance qu\u2019il est int\u00e9ressant de conna\u00eetre, comme ce bref tour d\u2019horizon permet de le constater.<\/p> Ce mot relativement fr\u00e9quent d\u00e9signe tout groupe de taille importante\u00a0: The social committee was run by a bevy of busybodies<\/em> (Le comit\u00e9 social \u00e9tait l\u2019affaire d\u2019une bande de fouineuses en mal d\u2019activit\u00e9s). Fait int\u00e9ressant, bevy<\/em> s\u2019emploie surtout pour un groupe de femmes. Par exemple, on retrouve dans Google des dizaines de milliers d\u2019occurrences des expressions bevy of women<\/em>, bevy of ladies<\/em> et bevy of beauties<\/em>. Par contre, au moment d\u2019\u00e9crire ces lignes, bevy of men<\/em> ne revenait que 733 fois, et bevy of gentlemen<\/em> 93 fois. Mentionnons aussi que bevy<\/em> est le collectif qu\u2019on utilise pour d\u00e9signer une vol\u00e9e de cailles (bevy of quails<\/em>) ou une harde de daims (bevy of roes<\/em>).<\/p> Le sens premier de bushel<\/em> est boisseau<\/em>, mesure du syst\u00e8me imp\u00e9rial britannique qui correspond \u00e0 0,036 m\u00e8tre cube. Employ\u00e9 au pluriel, il d\u00e9signe toute quantit\u00e9 importante. On l\u2019associe volontiers aux mots fun<\/em> et money<\/em> (plaisir et argent)\u00a0: This game is bushels of fun<\/em> (Ce jeu est vraiment tr\u00e8s amusant); That man has bushels of money<\/em> (Cet homme est plein aux as).<\/p> Voil\u00e0 un mot qui descend en droite ligne du fran\u00e7ais couv\u00e9e<\/em>. Il d\u00e9signe surtout une nich\u00e9e d\u2019oiseaux, ou toute vol\u00e9e d\u2019oiseaux, mais aussi tout groupe de personnes et m\u00eame parfois un ensemble de choses.<\/p> Le mot covey<\/em> a souvent une connotation p\u00e9jorative car il d\u00e9signe plus souvent qu\u2019autrement un groupe criard ou critique qui s\u2019agite futilement, \u00e0 l\u2019image de jeunes oiseaux affam\u00e9s\u00a0: Our magazine explores the relationship between the artist\u2019s work and the inevitable covey of critics and scholars who would rather judge a piece of art than simply enjoy it<\/em> (Notre revue examine le rapport entre l\u2019\u0153uvre de l\u2019artiste et l\u2019incontournable meute de critiques et d\u2019\u00e9rudits qui pr\u00e9f\u00e8rent porter un jugement plut\u00f4t que de se laisser s\u00e9duire par l\u2019\u0153uvre). Mais tout comme les jeunes oiseaux, covey<\/em> peut aussi avoir un aspect sympathique\u00a0: He is a TV media star, always surrounded by a covey of adoring reporters<\/em> (C\u2019est une vedette de la t\u00e9l\u00e9, toujours entour\u00e9e d\u2019une flop\u00e9e de journalistes en adoration).<\/p> Ce mot v\u00e9hicule l\u2019id\u00e9e d\u2019un entassement un peu violent de personnes ou d\u2019animaux\u00a0: He faced a crush of autograph seekers<\/em> (Il dut affronter une foule de collectionneurs d\u2019autographes qui se bousculaient). Son petit c\u00f4t\u00e9 \u00ab\u00a0\u00e9touffant\u00a0\u00bb rappelle un autre de ses sens\u00a0: She has a crush on her teacher<\/em> (Elle a le b\u00e9guin pour son professeur).<\/p> Mot qui d\u00e9signe les troupeaux de moutons et de ch\u00e8vres ainsi que les vol\u00e9es d\u2019oiseaux, flock<\/em> d\u00e9crit \u00e0 merveille toute arriv\u00e9e massive de gens\u00a0: They came in flocks<\/em> (Ils sont venus en masse). Le mot s\u2019emploie aussi comme verbe\u00a0: People flocked to the show<\/em> (Le public est venu en tr\u00e8s grand nombre au spectacle).<\/p> Ce mot correspond au mot fran\u00e7ais troupeau\u00a0:<\/em> a herd of elephants<\/em> (un troupeau d\u2019\u00e9l\u00e9phants). Utilis\u00e9 pour d\u00e9signer des personnes, il \u00e9voque un groupe indiff\u00e9renciable qui passe avec fracas\u00a0: Herds of students filled the hallways between classes<\/em> (Des hordes d\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ves envahissaient les corridors entre les cours).<\/p> Ce mot d\u00e9signe un rassemblement tumultueux de gens, souvent port\u00e9s sur la violence\u00a0: The mob demanded his head<\/em> (La meute a r\u00e9clam\u00e9 sa t\u00eate).<\/p> Tout groupe d\u2019animaux sauvages qui chassent ensemble s\u2019appelle un pack<\/em>\u00a0: pack of foxes<\/em> (meute de renards), pack of wolves<\/em> (meute de loups). Pour les personnes, pack<\/em> se dit surtout d\u2019une clique hostile et destructrice et s\u2019emploie donc souvent en pr\u00e9sence de mots comme thief<\/em> (pack of thieves<\/em> \/ gang de voleurs), liar<\/em> (pack of liars<\/em> \/ bande de menteurs) ou scoundrel<\/em> (pack of scoundrels<\/em> \/ ramassis de crapules). On peut aussi l\u2019employer pour un groupe qui se comporte comme une meute d\u2019animaux\u00a0: A pack of big names is closing in on Havret and Fraser at the Scottish Open<\/em> (Un peloton de grands noms traquent Havret et Fraser \u00e0 l\u2019Omnium d\u2019\u00c9cosse).<\/p> Voil\u00e0 un mot qui d\u00e9signe tout groupe en ordre serr\u00e9, \u00e0 la fa\u00e7on de phalanges\u00a0: He was queried before a phalanx of television cameras<\/em> (Il a d\u00fb r\u00e9pondre aux questions devant une mer de cam\u00e9ras); A phalanx of umbrellas greeted visitors to the restaurant<\/em> (Des rang\u00e9es de parapluies s\u2019\u00e9talaient \u00e0 l\u2019entr\u00e9e du restaurant). Sa premi\u00e8re syllabe rime avec day<\/em>, bay<\/em>, may<\/em> et say<\/em> et sa deuxi\u00e8me avec banks<\/em> et thanks<\/em>.<\/p> Autre mot d\u2019origine militaire, platoon<\/em> sert \u00e0 nommer tout groupe de personnes ou de choses de nature semblable qu\u2019on per\u00e7oit comme un ensemble ou une \u00e9quipe\u00a0: A platoon of waiters cleared the tables<\/em> (Une arm\u00e9e de serveurs d\u00e9barrassait les tables).<\/p> Quoique ce mot s\u2019emploie tr\u00e8s peu comme collectif, il d\u00e9crit tr\u00e8s joliment tout groupe pr\u00e9tentieux ou tape-\u00e0-l\u2019\u0153il\u00a0: A pride of gaily dressed ladies surrounded the queen<\/em> (Des dames gaiement v\u00eatues se pavanaient autour de la reine). Il s\u2019agit aussi du collectif qu\u2019on utilise pour les lions et les faons, et parfois pour les chats (a pride of lions<\/em> \/ une troupe de lions).<\/p> Difficile \u00e0 prononcer pour les francophones mais utile \u00e0 conna\u00eetre, le mot throng<\/em> \u00e9voque une foule innombrable\u00a0: Throngs of protestors took to the streets<\/em> (Les manifestants sont descendus dans la rue par milliers). Il s\u2019emploie aussi comme verbe, \u00e0 la mani\u00e8re de flock\u00a0:<\/em> People thronged the streets<\/em> (La foule se pressait dans les rues).<\/p> La langue anglaise est particuli\u00e8rement riche en collectifs pour d\u00e9signer les groupes d\u2019animaux. Plusieurs sont des termes de chasse qui datent de l\u2019\u00e9poque m\u00e9di\u00e9vale. En plus de bevy<\/em>, covey<\/em>, flock<\/em>, herd<\/em>, pack<\/em> et pride<\/em> que nous avons d\u00e9j\u00e0 vus, mentionnons, parmi ceux qui sont encore tr\u00e8s utilis\u00e9s\u00a0:<\/p> Pour les baleines et les phoques\u00a0: a pod of whales<\/em>, a pod of seals<\/em> (un troupeau de baleines, un troupeau de phoques)<\/p> Pour les poissons\u00a0: a school of fish<\/em> (un banc de poissons)<\/p> Pour les insectes\u00a0: a swarm of insects<\/em>, a cloud of insects<\/em> (un essaim d\u2019insectes, une nu\u00e9e d\u2019insectes)<\/p> Pour les jeunes animaux\u00a0: a litter of young animals<\/em> (une port\u00e9e de jeunes animaux)<\/p> Pour les jeunes oiseaux\u00a0: a brood of birds<\/em> (une nich\u00e9e d\u2019oiseaux)<\/p> Pour les oies ou les canards\u00a0: a skein of geese<\/em>, of ducks<\/em> (une vol\u00e9e d\u2019oies, de canards)<\/p> Pour les oies ou les canards sur l\u2019eau\u00a0: a gaggle of geese<\/em>, of ducks<\/em> (un troupeau d\u2019oies, de canards)<\/p> \u2026 et des dizaines d\u2019autres plus po\u00e9tiques les uns que les autres. Si la question vous int\u00e9resse, faites une recherche dans Internet pour collective nouns<\/em> et animals<\/em> et vous trouverez des dizaines de sites qui en traitent.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBevy<\/h3>\n
Bushels<\/h3>\n
Covey<\/h3>\n
Crush<\/h3>\n
Flock<\/h3>\n
Herd<\/h3>\n
Mob<\/h3>\n
Pack<\/h3>\n
Phalanx<\/h3>\n
Platoon<\/h3>\n
Pride<\/h3>\n
Throng<\/h3>\n
Animals<\/h3>\n
\n
bevy<\/h3>
bushels<\/h3>
covey<\/h3>
crush<\/h3>
flock<\/h3>
herd<\/h3>
mob<\/h3>
pack<\/h3>
phalanx<\/h3>
platoon<\/h3>
pride<\/h3>
throng<\/h3>
les animaux<\/h3>