Question

How do collective nouns differ from plural nouns

Answer 1

Collective nouns are nouns that use the same rules for plurals as other nouns.
A plural noun is a noun that adds 's' or 'es' to an end of a word to form the plural.

Answer 2

A plural noun is a word that indicates that there is more than one person, animal place, thing, or idea. When you talk about more than one of anything, you're using plural nouns. When you write about more than one of anything, you usually use the same word, simply adding an s, es, or ies to the end.
Other common collective nouns are class, crowd, flock, panel, committee, group, audience, staff, and family. A collective noun is one that in the singular form, denotes a number of separate persons or things. A collective noun is a name which in the singular denotes a collection.