In English grammar, the subject-verb agreement is an important rule to follow. This rule states that the verb must agree with the subject in number (singular or plural). For example, if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular as well, and if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.
Now, when it comes to the subject “the police,” there can be some confusion. Is “the police” a singular or a plural subject?
In American English, “the police” is usually treated as a plural noun, since it refers to a group of individuals. For example, we say “The police have arrested the suspect” because “police” is plural and “have” agrees with a plural subject.
In British English, “the police” is often treated as a collective noun, which means that it is singular in form but represents a group of individuals. In this case, we say “The police has arrested the suspect” because “police” is singular and “has” agrees with a singular subject.
However, it’s worth noting that in modern British English, it’s becoming increasingly common to treat “the police” as a plural noun, similar to American English.
In summary, whether to use “the police have” or “the police has” depends on the variety of English you are using. In American English, use “the police have,” while in British English, either “the police has” or “the police have” may be acceptable depending on the context.
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