UDEE Officer Writing and Grammar 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer writes: 'Neither the sergeant nor the officers was present at the scene.' What is the error?
- 'Neither' should be replaced with 'Either'
- The verb 'was' should be 'were' to agree with the plural noun nearest to the verb (Correct answer)
- 'Nor' should be replaced with 'or'
- The sentence is grammatically correct as written
Correct answer: The verb 'was' should be 'were' to agree with the plural noun nearest to the verb
With 'neither/nor,' the verb agrees with the noun closest to it; since 'officers' is plural, the verb must be 'were.'
Question 2: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon in an incident report?
- The suspect fled on foot; however, officers apprehended him two blocks away. (Correct answer)
- The suspect fled on foot; and officers apprehended him two blocks away.
- The suspect; fled on foot, officers apprehended him two blocks away.
- The suspect fled on foot, however; officers apprehended him two blocks away.
Correct answer: The suspect fled on foot; however, officers apprehended him two blocks away.
A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses, especially when followed by a conjunctive adverb like 'however.'
Question 3: In a use-of-force report, an officer writes: 'The subject laid down on the ground after being ordered.' What correction is needed?
- 'Laid' should be 'lay' because no object follows the verb (Correct answer)
- 'Laid' is correct because the subject placed himself down
- 'Laid' should be 'lain' to form the past participle
- No correction is needed; the sentence is correct
Correct answer: 'Laid' should be 'lay' because no object follows the verb
'Lay' is the past tense of the intransitive verb 'lie' (to recline); 'laid' is the past tense of 'lay' meaning to place something.
Question 4: An officer must describe a suspect's clothing accurately. Which phrasing is most precise for an official report?
- He had on some kind of dark clothes and stuff.
- The subject was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark blue denim jeans. (Correct answer)
- The guy looked like he was dressed in dark colors.
- He wore darkish clothing, possibly a hoodie or something similar.
Correct answer: The subject was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark blue denim jeans.
Official reports require specific, objective descriptions that eliminate vague language and provide details useful for identification.
Question 5: Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
- Running toward the vehicle, the officer observed the suspect drop a weapon.
- After reviewing the evidence, the detective filed the report.
- Responding to the call, the building was found fully engulfed in flames. (Correct answer)
- Having secured the perimeter, the officers awaited backup.
Correct answer: Responding to the call, the building was found fully engulfed in flames.
A dangling modifier occurs when the implied subject of an introductory phrase does not match the sentence's actual subject; 'the building' cannot respond to a call.
Question 6: An officer writes: 'The complainant said that she seen the suspect enter the store.' What is wrong?
- 'Complainant' is not an appropriate word for a police report
- 'Seen' should be 'saw' because it requires a helping verb to function as a past participle (Correct answer)
- The sentence should use direct quotation marks around the complainant's statement
- Nothing is wrong; the sentence is grammatically correct
Correct answer: 'Seen' should be 'saw' because it requires a helping verb to function as a past participle
'Seen' is a past participle and must be used with a helping verb (e.g., 'had seen'); the simple past tense here is 'saw.'
Question 7: Which of the following best demonstrates the correct use of active voice in an officer's narrative report?
- The stolen vehicle was recovered by Officer Johnson at 0300 hours.
- It was determined by investigators that the lock had been forced.
- Officer Johnson recovered the stolen vehicle at 0300 hours. (Correct answer)
- The suspect was arrested and taken to the station by the responding units.
Correct answer: Officer Johnson recovered the stolen vehicle at 0300 hours.
Active voice names the subject performing the action, making reports clearer, more direct, and easier to understand.
UDEE Officer Writing and Grammar 5
An officer writes: 'Neither the sergeant nor the officers was present at the scene.' What is the error?