NTN Police Report Writing & Grammar 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A report reads: 'The complainant said that she seen the suspect enter the store.' What error is present?
- Incorrect pronoun
- Wrong verb form (seen instead of saw) (Correct answer)
- Incorrect punctuation
- Run-on sentence
Correct answer: Wrong verb form (seen instead of saw)
'Seen' requires a helping verb; the correct past tense form here is 'saw.'
Question 2: Which of the following represents the BEST way to record a witness statement in a report?
- The witness was very upset and said things happened fast.
- Witness Jones stated, 'He ran down Oak Street toward Main.' (Correct answer)
- Jones told me everything that happened at the scene.
- The witness confirmed what the victim had already said.
Correct answer: Witness Jones stated, 'He ran down Oak Street toward Main.'
Direct quotes with the speaker identified provide specific, attributable information in a police report.
Question 3: What does 'chronological order' mean in the context of report writing?
- Listing events by importance
- Describing events from the most recent backward
- Recording events in the order they occurred in time (Correct answer)
- Organizing facts alphabetically by category
Correct answer: Recording events in the order they occurred in time
Chronological order means presenting events sequentially as they happened, which aids clarity and reconstruction.
Question 4: An officer writes: 'The car was blue, it was parked on Elm Street.' This is an example of a:
- Fragment sentence
- Comma splice (Correct answer)
- Dangling modifier
- Passive construction
Correct answer: Comma splice
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only with a comma, without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 5: Which word choice is most appropriate for a formal police report?
- The guy ran away real fast.
- The subject fled the area rapidly. (Correct answer)
- The dude took off in a hurry.
- The perp bolted from the scene.
Correct answer: The subject fled the area rapidly.
Police reports require formal, professional language; 'subject fled the area rapidly' is precise and objective.
Question 6: In report writing, what is the purpose of the 'synopsis' or 'summary' section?
- To list all evidence collected
- To provide a brief overview of the incident type and outcome (Correct answer)
- To document witness contact information
- To describe the officer's arrival at the scene
Correct answer: To provide a brief overview of the incident type and outcome
The synopsis gives readers a quick overview of what occurred, enabling them to understand the report's scope before reading details.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- The suspect; fled on foot and was apprehended.
- The suspect fled on foot; officers pursued him for three blocks. (Correct answer)
- The suspect fled; on foot down the alley.
- Officers; arrived and secured the scene.
Correct answer: The suspect fled on foot; officers pursued him for three blocks.
A semicolon correctly joins two related independent clauses without a conjunction.
NTN Police Report Writing & Grammar 3
A report reads: 'The complainant said that she seen the suspect enter the store.' What error is present?