Written Communication Accuracy Flashcards

Which sentence demonstrates correct use of quotation marks in a police report?

Answer: The suspect stated, "I wasn't there."

In Canadian and American style, the period is placed inside the closing quotation mark, and a comma follows the attribution phrase.

Identify the sentence with an error in verb tense consistency.

Answer: The constable approached the vehicle and asks the driver for identification.

Mixing past tense 'approached' with present tense 'asks' creates an inconsistent and incorrect verb tense shift.

Which sentence uses 'its' and 'it's' correctly?

Answer: It's important that the report reflects its findings accurately.

'It's' is a contraction for 'it is,' while 'its' is the possessive form; option B uses both correctly.

Select the correct number usage in a formal police report.

Answer: The officer arrived at 2 a.m. and interviewed three witnesses.

In formal writing, numbers below ten are typically spelled out, and time designations use lowercase 'a.m.' with periods.

Which sentence is an example of a run-on sentence?

Answer: The suspect ran officers gave chase.

Option C joins two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction, creating a run-on (fused) sentence.

Which sentence correctly applies formal register for a written police report?

Answer: The male fled the area and eluded officers.

Option B uses formal, professional language ('male,' 'fled,' 'eluded officers') appropriate for an official police document.

Which sentence correctly uses a hyphen?

Answer: The off-duty officer witnessed the incident.

When a compound modifier like 'off-duty' comes before a noun, a hyphen is used to link the two words.