collective noun

[Nicholas]

Hi teachers,

I've got a question. IN this sentence,

There were 3 thieves stealing things in the house. The team of those strangers were/was emptying the apartment and they were behaving as if it was theirs.

I'd like to ask: Should I use was/were???

[Mister Micawber]

.
You have the choice ('the team was/were')-- are you thinking of one team or several thieves? This is called 'notional concord'. (And Brits tend to use the plural more than Americans do.)

However, by inserting 'those strangers' closer to the verb, you have created an opportunity for 'proximal concord', which weights the choice in favour of the plural ('strangers were'). The plural is also favoured by your subsequent pronouns ('they', 'theirs').
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber