a collective total of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a collective total of" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe the sum of two or more amounts. For example, "I've earned a collective total of $5,000 from my various jobs this year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

25 human-written examples

Wikipedia claims a collective total of something like £50m at a conservative estimate".

The Guardian - Sport

It's a measure of how tricky yesterday's races were that you managed a collective total of four successful tips.

The Guardian - Sport

In a collective total of 15 seasons of play between them, only twice has a club from north of the border made it to the post-season playoffs.

The Guardian - Sport

In the first eight rounds, Carlton has played and lost three Friday night games by a collective total of 221 points.

The Guardian - Sport

Over three months, the 27 men had a collective total of 140 sexual partners; 124 of them were asked to submit to testing before sex, and 101 agreed.

The New York Times

Parthenon-EY research indicates that the 2014 cohort of 187,000 new non-EU students will be studying in the UK for a collective total of 390,000 years.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

35 human-written examples

The company says that collective total value of AT&T's signed Wi-Fi contractscontracts is approximately $200 million.

TechCrunch

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Vice

The firm noted that Apple's App Store accounted for the largest indexed proportion of revenue between the four top app stores at around 74percentt, while the Google Play store led in terms of downloads, at around 51percentt of the stores' collective total.

TechCrunch

If they pursued the optimal strategy, they would collect a total of $610,000 in benefits over their collective lifetimes.

The New York Times

This estimation was based on calculations of the collective total-body absorbed dose to the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere via the pathways of external exposure and ingestion of radionuclides with food (Anspaugh et al. 1987).

Dose-Response

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a collective total of" when you want to emphasize that the total is derived from the aggregation of individual contributions or amounts.

Common error

Avoid using "a collective total of" when referring to a single, non-aggregated amount. For instance, don't say "The final invoice had a collective total of $100" if it's just one charge. Instead, use "a total of".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a collective total of" functions as a determiner that introduces a noun phrase specifying a sum. It highlights that the total is the result of combining multiple individual amounts or contributions.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Science

32%

Wiki

8%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Formal & Business

4%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a collective total of" is a phrase used to describe the sum of multiple individual amounts, emphasizing that the total results from aggregation. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase is grammatically correct and usable, particularly in contexts like News & Media and Science. While alternatives such as "combined sum of" or "aggregate amount of" exist, "a collective total of" offers clarity by specifying that the total is derived from multiple sources. It is suitable for both formal and informal communication, but ensure its usage is reserved for actual aggregations and not single amounts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

collective accumulation of

This is very similar, but replace the word total with accumulation

combined sum of

Replaces "total" with "sum", emphasizing the addition process.

aggregate amount of

Uses "aggregate" to highlight the gathering of individual amounts.

cumulative figure of

Emphasizes the accumulation or build-up of the total.

total combined value of

Adds the word "value" for clarity, typically used when dealing with monetary figures.

overall accumulation of

Replaces "total" with "accumulation", focusing on growth over time.

grand summation of

Uses more formal terms like "grand" and "summation".

the entirety of

Emphasizes the completeness of the total.

the sum of all

Simplifies the expression to its basic components.

the entirety combined

Replace both words "collective" and "total" with the words "entirety" and "combined" respectively

FAQs

How can I use "a collective total of" in a sentence?

Use "a collective total of" to describe the sum of multiple individual amounts or contributions, such as, "The donations resulted in "a collective total of" $5,000 for the charity".

What are some alternatives to saying "a collective total of"?

You can use phrases such as "combined sum of", "aggregate amount of", or "cumulative figure of" to express a similar meaning.

Is it redundant to use "collective total" since a total is inherently collective?

While "total" implies a sum, "collective total" emphasizes that the sum is derived from separate sources or individual contributions, adding a layer of specificity. Therefore, its use is not necessarily wrong.

When is it better to use "a total of" versus "a collective total of"?

Use "a total of" when referring to a single quantity or amount. Use "a collective total of" when referring to the sum of multiple quantities or amounts from different sources. For example, "There was "a total of" one winner" versus "The group effort resulted in "a collective total of" 100 hours worked".