Written Expression and Grammar Flashcards

An officer is writing a report and needs to state that the lead investigator and two other officers arrived first. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

Answer: The lead detective, along with two junior officers, was first to arrive.

The correct answer is 'The lead detective, along with two junior officers, was first to arrive.' The subject of the sentence is 'The lead detective,' which is singular. The phrase 'along with two junior officers' is a parenthetical phrase that does not change the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'was' is required to agree with the singular subject.

An officer needs to document observing a suspect discarding an item. Which of the following sentences is the most clear, concise, and professional for an incident report?

Answer: I observed the suspect discard a small object as he fled.

The sentence 'I observed the suspect discard a small object as he fled' is the best choice. It uses the active voice ('I observed'), which is direct and clear. The other options are either wordy, use the passive voice ('was discarded'), or have a conversational and unprofessional tone ('he...and I saw him do it').

A draft of an incident report contains the following sentence: 'The victim refused medical attention, he stated he would see his own doctor.' What is the primary grammatical error in this sentence?

Answer: Comma splice

The sentence contains a comma splice. A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined together with only a comma. 'The victim refused medical attention' is a complete sentence, and 'he stated he would see his own doctor' is also a complete sentence. They should be joined by a period, a semicolon, or a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., 'and,' 'but').

Which of the following sentences, intended for a police report, contains a spelling error?

Answer: The witness provided a description that was definately helpful.

The word 'definately' is misspelled in the sentence. The correct spelling is 'definitely.' The other sentences are spelled correctly.

A departmental memo states, 'The new patrol strategy is intended to _______ a reduction in property crime.' Which word correctly completes the sentence?

Answer: effect

The correct word is 'effect.' In this context, 'effect' is a verb meaning 'to bring about' or 'to cause.' 'Affect' is a verb meaning 'to influence.' While the strategy influences crime, its direct purpose is to bring about (effect) a reduction. 'Assure' means to state with confidence, and 'except' is a preposition, neither of which fits the sentence's meaning.

The initial draft of a report reads: 'The suspect was described as a tall man with a beard wearing a green jacket.' This sentence is ambiguous. Which of the following revisions is the most clear?

Answer: The suspect, a tall man, was described as having a beard and wearing a green jacket.

The original sentence contains a misplaced modifier, making it sound like the green jacket has a beard. The clearest revision is 'The suspect, a tall man, was described as having a beard and wearing a green jacket.' This structure clearly separates the suspect's physical attributes (tall, has a beard) from the clothing he was wearing, eliminating any confusion.