91 Section 4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. A collective noun refers to a group or unit that contains more than one person, place, or thing. Army, class, committee, and team are examples of collective nouns. Although a collective noun refers to a group of people or things, these nouns can also be plural or singular. In the following examples, the collective nouns are shown in italics. The British army crossed the river the French and Italian armies went by another route. The Mendoza family left the park, but the Chung and Olson families remained. During our safari, we saw one herd of elephants and two herds of zebras. Because the way to form the plural of nouns varies, you probably will not remember the proper form for every word you want to use. When you are unsure about the plural form of a noun, check a dictionary. Dictionaries typically do not show the plural form of nouns that are formed simply by adding s or es to the singular form. However, the plural form is typically shown when the noun is irregular (tooth and teeth), ends in o, or ends in a consonant and a y. Figure 4-5 shows a sample dictionary entry that indicates the plural form of a noun. Possessive Nouns A possessive noun indicates ownership by the noun or an attribute of the noun. For most singular nouns, the possessive form is created by adding an apostrophe and an s to the noun. The possessive noun can come before or after the item owned. In the first example that follows, girl’s is a Exploring Communication Careers Archivist An archive is a collection of valuable records or historically significant documents. An archivist creates and manages archives. They are specially trained in preserving original material, such as computer files, photographs, music, film, and paper documents. Helping people find and secure original material is also part of the job responsibilities. Typical job titles for this visual arts position include collections manager, museum archivist, and records manager. Some examples of tasks that archivists perform include: • Obtain historically valuable items. • Appraise permanent records and historically valuable documents. • Preserve records, documents, and objects. • Copy records to an appropriate format, such as digital or film. • Create and maintain an organizational system for an archive. • Direct the safekeeping of items in an archive. Archivists are expected to have a bachelor degree, but most positions require a master degree. Several years of experience in similar fields are also expected.