Writing Clarity and Grammar Flashcards

An officer writes: 'The suspect, who was wearing a red jacket, and carrying a backpack, fled northbound.' What is wrong with this sentence?

Answer: It has an unnecessary comma before 'and'

The comma before 'and carrying a backpack' is incorrect because the two participial phrases form a compound and should not be separated by a comma.

Which sentence best demonstrates concise, clear police report writing?

Answer: At approximately 2300 hours the suspect exited the vehicle.

The second sentence is direct, includes a specific time, uses active voice, and avoids unnecessary words.

In a police report, when should you use 'I' versus 'this officer'?

Answer: Either is acceptable; consistency within the report is key

LAPD style accepts both 'I' and 'this officer,' but the chosen form must be used consistently throughout the report.

Which of the following correctly uses a semicolon?

Answer: The scene was secured; evidence was then collected.

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

An officer wrote: 'Between you and I, the report was filed late.' What is the grammatical error?

Answer: Wrong pronoun case — should be 'me'

After a preposition like 'between,' the objective case pronoun 'me' is required, not the subjective 'I.'

Which word choice is most appropriate in a formal LAPD report?

Answer: The male fled southbound through the alley.

Police reports require formal, precise language; 'the male fled southbound' is specific and professional.

What does a dangling modifier do in a sentence?

Answer: Modifies a word that is not present or not the intended subject

A dangling modifier occurs when the modifying phrase does not logically connect to the word it is meant to describe.