In this sentence, should I replace "has" with "have"?

In this sentence, should I replace "has" with "have"?A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2008 confirms more than three million teens in the United States *has* a sexually transmitted disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1).

My teacher corrected me with "have", but Microsoft Word corrects it with "has". Which is it? If you could provide grammatical evidence as to why, (just in case she tries to correct me again) I'd appreciate it.

Thanks, it's for a final research paper for AP English. :)

C O
Use "have." It refers to teens (plural).

Microsoft Word cannot be trusted with grammar check.

Feisty
your teacher is correct

have is plural -- as are three million

Look at it simply:
We have an std
He has an std

learnthinklive...
It is have because since it is plural (more than one) you wouldn't use has. It's basically like saying 20 students at my school has an iPod. Doesn't sound right, does it. So it is have.

Hope I helped.

Ron Burns
Yes, grammar has rules. If you don't understand why "have" is the correct word to use here you need to ask your teacher to explain it to you so you can understand how to avoid this error in the future.

Ms. B
Just as your teacher says, the correct word in this instance is "have." Microsoft Word grammar check is associating the verb "has" with the original subject (study) instead of with the subject of the noun clause (teens) at the end of the sentence. Word is doing this because the noun clause has not been introduced correctly.

To be completely correct, the sentence needs the conjunction "that" to introduce the noun clause "more than three million teens in the United States have . . ."

The sentence should read: "A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2008 confirms -that- more than three million teens in the United States have . . ." (Of course, you shouldn't include the dashes.) Once you insert the word "that," Microsoft Word will show that "have" is correct.

I hope this explains it clearly. :-)

Add your own answer in the comments! Learn about different types of STDs and the effects on the body in both women and men. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Info Blog.
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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease in which 36000 cases were reported in 2006. It is often called "the great imitator" because the symptoms of often difficult to differentiate from other diseases. There are three stages; the primary, secondary and late and latent stages. Symptoms that include sores rash, headaches, weight loss, fatigue, and sore throat, to name a few, often occur in the primary and secondary stages. During the late and latent stages the symptoms seen in the primary and secondary stages will disappear and an infected person will began to have damage to internal organs potentially resulting in paralysis, gradual blindness and dementia. Although it is most often transmitted through sexual contact, it can be passed an unborn baby through the mother possibly resulting in infant death. The presence of soles on sexual organs also increases the chances of transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Although syphilis has the potential of infecting any age group, our target audience for this PSA will be men and women under 30. The most effective way to prevent transmission during sexual contact is through the use of condoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). References: McGinnis, JM, Williams-Russo, P., & Knickman, JR (2002). The case for more active policy attention to health promotion. Health Aff (Millwood), 21(2), 78-93. Van Vranken, M.(2007). Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases: an update. American ...
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Learn about different types of STDs and the effects on the body in both women and men. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Info Blog.

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