Frontline National Written Communication and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences from an incident report is punctuated correctly?
- Before interviewing the witness the officer reviewed his body camera footage.
- The suspect vehicle a blue sedan, fled the scene at a high rate of speed.
- After an extensive search of the area, officers were unable to locate the suspect. (Correct answer)
- The items recovered include; a wallet, a cell phone, and a set of keys.
Correct answer: After an extensive search of the area, officers were unable to locate the suspect.
This sentence correctly uses a comma to separate the introductory clause ('After an extensive search of the area') from the main clause ('officers were unable to locate the suspect'). This is a standard rule for clarity in writing.
Question 2: You are reviewing a fellow officer's report and find the following sentence. Which version is grammatically correct? 'A collection of recovered pieces of evidence ______ placed in the evidence locker.'
- have been
- were
- are
- was (Correct answer)
Correct answer: was
The subject of the sentence is the singular noun 'collection,' not the plural noun 'pieces.' Therefore, the singular verb 'was' is required to agree with the subject. The prepositional phrase 'of recovered pieces of evidence' does not change the subject.
Question 3: For an official law enforcement report, which of the following sentences is written in the most clear, direct, and effective style?
- The suspect was placed in handcuffs by me.
- Handcuffs were placed on the suspect.
- I placed the suspect in handcuffs. (Correct answer)
- It was determined that handcuffs should be placed on the suspect by me.
Correct answer: I placed the suspect in handcuffs.
This sentence uses the active voice ('I placed'), which is the preferred style for report writing because it is clear, concise, and unambiguously states who performed the action. The other options use the passive voice, which can be wordy and obscure the person performing the action.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences uses the words 'affect' and 'effect' correctly?
- The new policy will have a significant affect on our response times.
- The budget cuts will effect the entire department.
- The primary effect of the new lighting was a decrease in crime, which should positively affect community relations. (Correct answer)
- It is difficult to predict the affects of the new patrol strategy.
Correct answer: The primary effect of the new lighting was a decrease in crime, which should positively affect community relations.
This sentence correctly uses 'effect' as a noun meaning 'result' or 'outcome,' and 'affect' as a verb meaning 'to influence.' This is the most common and standard usage for these two words.
Question 5: An officer is writing a report about a multi-officer response. Which sentence uses pronouns correctly?
- The witness provided a statement to Officer Smith and I.
- Between you and I, the report needs more detail.
- Sgt. Jones gave the commendations to my partner and me. (Correct answer)
- My partner and myself secured the scene upon arrival.
Correct answer: Sgt. Jones gave the commendations to my partner and me.
In this sentence, 'my partner and me' are the objects of the preposition 'to.' 'Me' is the correct objective case pronoun. A simple way to check is to remove 'my partner and'; the sentence would correctly read 'Sgt. Jones gave the commendations to me,' not 'to I.'
Question 6: An officer writes the following sentence in a report: 'The suspect ran across the street and he jumped over a fence and then he hid behind a car.' Which of the following is the BEST revision for clarity and conciseness?
- The suspect ran across the street, jumped over a fence, and then hid behind a car. (Correct answer)
- Running across the street, the suspect jumped a fence, and then a car was hidden behind by him.
- The suspect ran across the street. And he jumped over a fence. And then he hid behind a car.
- After he ran across the street and jumping over a fence, the suspect then hid behind a car.
Correct answer: The suspect ran across the street, jumped over a fence, and then hid behind a car.
This revision correctly uses parallel structure ('ran... jumped... hid') to create a concise, clear, and grammatically correct sentence. It eliminates the repetitive 'and he' construction, making the report more professional and easier to read.
Frontline National Written Communication and Grammar Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences from an incident report is punctuated correctly?