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Collective Noun

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by dustystormy » Mon Aug 15, 2016 5:45 am
The police have significantly reduced violent crime and are pleased with them for doing it.

Underline the antecedent, if there is one, of each pronoun.
If you notice any pronoun errors in a sentence, correct the sentence by altering the pronoun(s).
Explain what rules are violated by the incorrect sentences. If a sentence is correct, mark it with the word
CORRECT.
Source : Manhattan GMAT SC chapter 12 (practice question 1)

My query is whether "The Police" is singular or plural.
IMO: The police has significantly reduced violent crime and is pleased with ITSELF for doing so.

However the answer is
The police have significantly reduced violent crime and are pleased with themselves for doing so.
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by MartyMurray » Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:49 am
Actually, when police is used as a noun, it is plural.

"The police" means basically "multiple members of the police force."

"The police are working on it" means "One or more members of the police force or some police officers are working on it."

To get a singular form you need police officer, or another such expression.

In the expression, police officer, police is an adjective.
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by dustystormy » Mon Aug 15, 2016 7:22 am
Thanks Marty Murray for your prompt reply.

Can you share/name few other similar nouns or list of such collective nouns that are used as plural nouns?

Can I call "Police" type of nouns as an exception to singularity funda of collective nouns?
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by MartyMurray » Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:52 am
dustystormy wrote:Thanks Marty Murray for your prompt reply.

Can you share/name few other similar nouns or list of such collective nouns that are used as plural nouns?

Can I call "Police" type of nouns as an exception to singularity funda of collective nouns?
I don't know of any other words that work the way the word police does, working as either an adjective or as a plural only noun.

So I guess that, yes, the way the word police works is an exception to the way most collective nouns, such as crowd or family, work.
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