Учебное пособие: Консультации по английской грамматике В помощь учителю иностранного языка

Proper nouns being uncountable by nature can convert into countable nouns and be used in the plural number. There are a number of predictable ways in which proper nouns are used as countable.

1. When we want to suggest that someone or something is similar to someone or something famous:

All his children are Einsteins.

2. When we are talking about a copy or instance of something, especially a newspaper or magazine:

He bought a Times.

3. When we are referring to a product or work by someone:

The trip had taken two days in the shining new Ford.

Would you recognize a Renoir?

Sometimes a trademark for a product is used for all products of the same kind. For example, many people would call any vacuum cleaner a "Hoover," though "Hoover" is a trademark of one particular make.

4. When you want to talk about one branch of a shop or business:

They are making room for the new Woolworth's.

5. When you want to pick out a particular version of something:

This isn't the London I used to know.

6. Proper names are used in the plural to express several or all members of the same family:

The Browns were all present.

Collective nouns are quite special in their reference to number. They express groups of people or animals. Most collective nouns have both singular and plural forms: family — families. The plural form always takes a plural verb. But the singular form may take a singular or a plural verb. The singular verb shows that the noun is acting as a unit, the plural verb shows that the members of the group are acting separately:

The family is large. The family are all at home.

Most common collective nouns are:

army company majority

audience council minority

band crew orchestra

cast crowd population

choir enemy press (= newspapers)

chorus family school

class firm staff

club gang team

college government union

committee group university

community management