Collective nouns are words that are used to describe a group or collection of things or people. Some common examples are:
- a herd of cows
- a flock of sheep
- a school of fish
But have you heard of some of these rather unusual collective nouns?
- a prickle of hedgehogs
- a rhumba of rattlesnakes
- a glaring of cats
- a nest of rumours
- a shiver of sharks
- a rascal of boys
- an unkindness of ravens
- a melody of harpists
- a skulk of thieves
- a tuxedo of penguins
- a wisdom of wombats
We each picked a collective noun, then used it as a springboard for a poem. Our aim was to include a line with an adjective to describe part of the object/animal/person and a line with an action - including a strong verb and perhaps adding in a simile or metaphor.
Enjoy these wonderful poems created by our Awa Nui writers:
A cloud of flies,
white purple wings
buzzing like vibrating phones.
- by Shan D
A nest of rumours,
whispering tongues,
sneaking ear to ear
- by Haeum
A bike of bees
wings fragile like china plates
floating in the wind like leaves
- by Benji
A murder of crows
razor sharp beaks
soaring like specks of dust
caught in the wind
- by Leon
a squabble of seagulls
with shiny but hard beaks
fight for food
like a rascal of boys
- by Lily Tasker
A huddle of walruses
sharp white tusks
skimming through the water
- by Sara
