Collective nouns are one of my favourite quirks of the English Language.  It's a noun that while singular in form, refers to a group of things, people or animals. For example: People:

• A faculty of academics
• A gaggle of censors
• A band of musicians

More collective nouns for people. Animals:

• A pod of dolphins
• A leap of leopards
• A zeal of zebras

More collective nouns for animals. Things:

• A bushel of apples
• A bunch of grapes
• A heap of rubbish

More collective nouns for things. Sometimes, we say a group of things, such as a clump of reeds, or a  pair of shoes. However, some collective nouns stand alone, such as "Rome had a colony". If the collective noun "colony" can be used to mean something other than a territory controlled by a county, it can be used to say things like "a colony of ants" or "a colony of hippies". If the group is seen as a single unit, then a singular verb and pronoun can be used with the collective noun. See below:

• The bench has reached its verdict
• The gang has been caught

  For more on collective nouns, check out www.collectivenouns.biz.