The English language has a lot of interesting expressions when it comes to talking about animals in groups, some of which are more well known than others.

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For example, when we speak about insects or certain types of fish, we use the word "the swarm," but cows and other grazing animals wander in "herds."

Finally, the swarm gets the better of the bear.

Caption 18, America's National Parks Yosemite

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Herd animals rely on safety in numbers.

Caption 48, BBC Planet Wild: Alien Animals

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For fish, you'll also hear "school" rather than "swarm." We say "a pod of whales" and "a pack of wolves."

Just last week, some surfers beat a hasty retreat to dry land after having a close encounter with a pod of killer whales off of Vancouver Island.

Captions 6-7, ABC News: Killer Sharks vs. Killer Whales

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The bear is stronger, but the wolves have the benefit of the pack.

Caption 5, Nature & Wildlife: Search for the Ghost Bear

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Interestingly, when birds fly together, they fly in a "flock." But when it comes to nesting, the chicks are called a "brood."

High up in the sky, a flock of birds were flying by.

Caption 30, Fairy Tales The Ugly Duckling - Part 2

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The mother duck wanted to comfort the Ugly Duckling, but she was much too busy taking care of the rest of her brood.

Captions 46-47, Story Hour: The Story of The Ugly Duckling

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Penguins and various burrowing animals are referred to as a "colony."

After his short excursion to the marmot colony, the male deer heads back to the lower areas of the park.

Captions 3-4, America's National Parks: Yosemite

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Further Learning

There are dozens of even odder words that are used to describe groups of animals, and not all of them appear on Yabla English. For example, you can say "a pride of lions," "a troop of monkeys," "a murder of crows," or "a parliament of owls."

Adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, other adverbs, and even entire sentences, describing how something is done or how something is the way it is. Previously, we have looked at adverbs of frequency, which denote how often something occurs. Today, we'll look at adverbs of manner, which help us express how an action occurs. Most adverbs of manner end in "-ly" or "-ily."

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The adjectives "quick," "desperate," and "accurate" may be familiar to you. But here, what is being described is not a person or thing, but instead the verbs "to clear," "to try," and "to represent."

And the skies above the canyon quickly clear again.

Caption 34, America's National Parks: Grand Canyon

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The royal couple tried desperately to wake her.

Caption 39, Fairy Tales: Sleeping Beauty

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Did you know that according to a survey, over sixty percent of employers don't think CVs represent applicants accurately?

Captions 47-49, Business Life: Curriculum Vitae

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You may have noticed that adjectives that end with an "-e" simply get the "-ly" tacked onto the end anyway. This is also the case with adjectives that end in "-ful" or "-less."

English speakers like to greet each other by cheerfully stating the time of day.

Captions 14-15, English with Annette O'Neil: Ways to Say Hello

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As you can see, it's very beautifully decorated.

Caption 8, Christmas in London: Places

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It can walk on almost every terrain effortlessly.

Caption 8, Evolution: On Land

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Seasons moving endlessly.

Caption 25, Justin James: A Beautiful Life

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When an adjective ends with a "-y," like "happy" or "easy," it's customary to replace it with "-ily" in the adverb form. Let's have a look: 

Rapunzel happily accepted this handsome prince's proposal.

Caption 34, Fairy Tales: Rapunzel

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This red deer is not red at all, and will be easily singled out by predators.

Caption 50, BBC Planet: Wild Alien Animals

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Further Learning
You can find many adverbs on Yabla English to see them used in a variety of different contexts. You can also write a list of ten adjectives and look up their related adverb.