0
Lucas21c Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Agreement of number, case, person and gender

Could you go over the following sentences and tell me which one is fine?

Thank you.

=

1. The culprit was arrested by the police who conceal himself.
2. The culprit was arrested by the police who conceals himself.

3. The culprit was arrested by the police who conceal themself.

4. The culprit was arrested by the police who concealed himself.
  

Top answer

They are all quite confusing. Who do you suppose was concealed, the policemen or the culprit?

— Mister Micawber

  • They are all quite confusing.
  • Who do you suppose was concealed, the policemen or the culprit?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

7 Answers
0
They are all quite confusing. Who do you suppose was concealed, the policemen or the culprit?
0
0
I would paraphrase this sentence, "The culprit was arrested by the police who lay in ambush for him." by using the verb, 'conceal'.
0
0
Hi,

Perhaps you do not realize this.
One person is called 'a policeman', 'a policewoman' or 'a police officer'.
'Police' is a collective word that refers to all police officers, or to a group of police officers.
0
0
Thanks, Clive. However, I already know that. That's why I wonder which reflexive pronoun I have to use like in the above sentences.

You know, 'police' sometimes refers to plural policeofficers. For instance, "Several police are patrolling the park."
0
0
Police is always plural-- that is the point.
0
0
Thanks, Mister Micawber. Actually, what I mean is...sometimes 'the police' refers to an official organization, for example, 'the harbor police.' However, it also refers to 'prural policeofficers' in a sentence like "Hundreds of police in riot gear struggled to control the violence." So I was confused between 'himself' and 'themselves'.

Anyway, if 'police' is always a prural noun, "The cu
0

Related Questions