APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability English Grammar and Structure Flashcards

Which sentence uses the correct form of the possessive?

Answer: The officers' reports were thorough.

When a noun is plural and ends in 's', the apostrophe is placed after the 's' to show possession (officers').

Select the sentence that is grammatically correct.

Answer: Neither the sergeant nor the constables were available.

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it. Since 'constables' is plural, the verb must be 'were'.

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: 'The investigator had _____ the evidence before the suspect arrived.'

Answer: already catalogued

'Already' (one word) means 'by this time'. 'Catalogued' is the correct past participle spelling in Canadian English.

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Answer: Running down the alley, the suspect was apprehended.

'Running down the alley' dangles because the sentence implies the suspect was running, though the constable performed the action.

Which option correctly uses a semicolon?

Answer: The officer filed the report; she forgot to sign it.

A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Identify the correctly spelled word for a police context.

Answer: Subpoena

'Subpoena' is the correct legal spelling, derived from Latin meaning 'under penalty'.