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chapter outline
Good Writing Means
Writing Well: Understanding
the Parts of Speech
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INTRODUCTION
NOUNS
PRONOUNS
ADJECTIVES
VERBS
ADVERBS
PREPOSITIONS
CONJUNCTIONS
INTERJECTIONS
HOMOPHONES
CHAPTER SUMMARY
EXERCISES
GLOSSARY TERMS
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INTRODUCTION
This chapter examines the parts of speech that compose the prose you will be
using to write reports. This is often the scariest part of writing: writing with proper
grammar and syntax. Sometimes when students hear terms such as noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, interjection, adverb, and homophone,
confusion sets in. But in truth, most of you probably already know more than you
realize, and you are really skilled at using the parts of speech. However, reviewing
the terms and seeing how they work in reports will make your writing more effective. For example, let’s consider the noun. In elementary school some teacher
certainly introduced you to the noun. It is likely he or she told you “nouns represent
people, places, or things,” and indeed this is an accurate way of thinking about
nouns. Nouns also include actions, qualities, and beliefs. All of this will be better
explained as this chapter unfolds.
Let’s now consider the noun’s assistant—the pronoun. Correctly using nouns
and pronouns in an incident is essential. The question may be, however, what
point of view were you using when you wrote these nouns and pronouns? The point
of view of a piece of writing is the perspective from which that writing is written:
first person (I or we), second person (you), or third person (he/she/it/one or they
or some other neutral noun or pronoun). Table 2-1 shows both common personal
pronouns and their possessive forms.
When one of the authors of this book first began policing back in the 1980s,
most police reports were written in what can be described as third person, or thirdperson omnipotent. Technically, third person involves the writer of a narrative avoiding the use of the pronoun I or we. Rather, the writer used terms like the author,
the writer, or in the case of these early police reports, the responding officer frequently written as R/O. Under these circumstances officers would write sentences
such as this:
R/O arrived at the scene and observed two male suspects running North,
down Oak, away from the victim who was lying on the ground in front of the
ATM located at the corner of Maple and Oak.
table 2-1 Common Personal Pronouns and Their Possessive Forms
Point of View
Singular
Plural
Police Use
First person
I, me (my, mine)
we, us (our, ours)
Singular (Plural)
Second person
you (your, yours)
you (your, yours)
I, me (my, mine)
Third person
he, him (his)
she, her (her, hers)
it (its)
them, they (their, theirs)
you (your, yours)
Officer (Officers)
Suspect (Suspects)
Victim (Victims)
Witnesses (Witnesses)
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Similarly, others in the narrative report were described in the third-person pronouns
such as the suspect, the witness, the victim, and so forth. In some cases, departments preferred the use of the officer’s name:
Officer Johnson arrived at the scene and observed two male suspects running North, down Oak, away from the victim. . . .
But this always seemed a little stilted since Officer Johnson was the author of the
report, and would be signing it at the bottom. Today, most police departments
prefer the use of first-person singular when writing in the voice of the police officer.
Thus, if Officer Johnson was writing today, she would write:
I arrived at the scene and observed two male suspects running North, down
Oak, away from the victim. . . .
Similarly, suspects, witnesses, and victims have begun to be listed by their pronouns and proper nouns (their specific names) when that information is known.
While suspects may not be known in all cases, frequently this information will be
obtained when interviewing the victim and/or a witness. Thus, when the writing the
narrative, an officer might write something such as:
Victim Ronald Miller identified the suspects as Earl Martin and Franklyn
Burton. Suspects Martin and Burton were described as. . . .
The definitions for the various points of view a writer may use are discussed in the
following sections.
First Person
When writing the narrative portion of a police or correctional report, you should use
first-person narration. You are the I who describes what you observed, did, or said,
and what was told to you by others. When referring to other people in the narrative,
use their proper names (nouns). You should also note that incident reports must
be consistently written in past tense, not present tense.
Second Person
The second-person point of view, which emphasizes the reader, works well for
giving advice or explaining how to do something. Second-person point of view
works well in certain literary devices and types of writing but is seldom used in
police or correctional reports. It may be used in offering directions or in rule books,
textbooks, and some other forms of correctional writing.
Third Person
At one time writing in third person was the standard practice in police and correctional
reports. When using third-person narration, you use either proper names (nouns)
or pronouns such as he, she, and they when referring to people in the narrative.
Biographical narratives (writings about other people’s lives) and expository writings
generally are written in the third person.
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NOUNS
One of the questions many officers frequently have is whether or not to capitalize the
first letter of a noun. The technical distinction here is usually referred to as proper
nouns, which refer to particular people, places, things, or ideas, versus common
nouns, which refer to everyday names of people, places, things, or ideas (Fawcett,
2004). Proper nouns are capitalized, as in the cases of Mr. Johnson, Dr. Deeds,
England, October, and Chief Markson. Common nouns may be illustrated by the
terms month, officer, art, anger, and age. Officers may commonly encounter other
types of nouns, including concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and compound nouns.
Concrete nouns refer to things that can be seen felt, smelled, or heard. Examples of
concrete nouns are water, dirt, gas, pepper, books, guns, knives, and cuffs. Abstract
nouns describe qualities, concepts, and beliefs; for instance, courage, hunger, liberty, detention, and custody. Compound nouns comprise more than a single word,
yet represent only a single noun; for instance, Orange County, traffic stop sign,
half moon, and detention cell. In some cases, compound nouns are a combination
of two or more small words to form a single word, such as tooth and paste to form
toothpaste.
In addition to standard rules of grammar related to nouns, many police departments require that officers use all capital letters when writing names of individuals used in the narrative of incident reports (these names are proper nouns). Some
departments use this device to make it easier to locate names when reviewing reports.
So, what is the actual purpose of a noun? Basically, nouns serve as the subject
of a sentence, or as some sort of complement (direct or indirect object of a verb or a
preposition). These other structural terms related to the sentence will be more fully
explained later in this book. For now, let’s consider pronouns.
PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that can be used to replace a noun or another pronoun (Fawcett,
2004). Okay, again many of you may recall that fourth-grade (compound noun)
teacher who told you that “pronouns take the place of a noun.” That probably
makes a little more sense now that you understand what a noun actually is. But
what exactly does it mean when a word takes the place of a noun? Let’s consider the
following paragraph written with only nouns:
I entered the premises at 1427 Hillsdale Street and found Officers Murphy
and Constence speaking with the victim Ms. Hillary Ferguson. Ms. Ferguson
stated that her daughter Jessica Ferguson and Jessica Ferguson’s friend
from school Madelaine Katz were on their way to the home of Ms. Hillary
Ferguson when confronted by the suspect Martin Podster. Officer Murphy
questioned Jessica Ferguson and asked if Ms. Hillary Ferguson knew Jessica
Ferguson would be walking home with Madelaine Katz.
Many readers will read this passage and know there is some problem with the way
it has been written. What might this problem be? It is using only proper nouns
rather than proper nouns and pronouns. Let’s consider how this paragraph might be
rewritten:
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I entered the premises at 1427 Hillsdale Street and found Officers Murphy
and Constence speaking with the victim Ms. Hillary Ferguson. Ms.
Ferguson stated that her daughter Jessica Ferguson and her daughter’s
friend from school Madelaine Katz were on their way to Jessica’s home
when confronted by the suspect Martin Podster. Officer Murphy questioned
Jessica Ferguson and asked if her mother knew she would be walking home
with Madelaine Katz.
As you reread the passage with the pronouns added it is likely that uneasy feeling
you had when reading the first version is gone. As in the case of the nouns, there are
several different types of pronouns, including personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, relative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, interrogative pronouns, and indefinite pronouns. Let’s consider these various pronouns.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns represent people or things: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we,
us, they, them.
Officer Thomson [proper noun] came to see him [personal pronoun] about
a stolen car.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns indicate possession or ownership: mine, yours, hers, his, theirs,
ours, its.
Sergeant Davidson [proper noun] uses his [possessive pronoun] pen to write
the report about the fight.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns demonstrate or indicate a particular person or thing: this,
that, these, those.
That [demonstrative pronoun] gun is his [possessive pronoun] service weapon.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are words that relate one part of the sentence to another, or refer
to some other element of the sentence: who, whom, which, that, whose.
The witness whose [relative pronoun] home the officers entered was sitting
on the couch. [Notice how the word whose refers to the word witness.]
The knife [common noun] was dripping with blood, but officers could not
determine whose [relative pronoun] weapon it was.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns, also referred to as intensive pronouns, reflect or refer to someone or something else in the sentence in a kind of possessive manner: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
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An officer [common noun] must ask himself [reflexive pronoun] whether
or not shooting a suspect [common noun] is the proper course of action.
The correctional officer [compound noun] thought to himself [reflexive
pronoun] how evasive the inmate [common noun] had been when
questioned about the theft.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns ask a question or interrogate in the course of the sentence:
who, whom, which, whose, what.
Officer Billiet [proper noun] could not determine what [interrogative pronoun]
the suspect [common noun] was trying to tell him [personal pronoun].
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns include all, another, any, anybody, anyone, both, each, either,
everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, most, much, neither, no one, nobody,
none, nothing, one, other, others, several, some somebody, someone, and something. Indefinite pronouns are sometimes confused with adjectives because the
writer mistakenly thinks these words are modifying a noun or pronoun—which is,
in fact, the job of the adjective. Let’s consider adjectives.
ADJECTIVES
As suggested earlier, adjectives are words that modify or describe a noun or pronoun (Fawcett, 2004).
The witness [noun] identified the tall [adjective] suspect [common noun].
Certain words such as a, an, and the are a special category of adjective called articles. The words a and an are referred to as indefinite articles because they do not
indicate anyone or anything in particular—no specific noun or pronoun: a gun, an
amulet. The word the is called a definite article because it names someone or something specific: the gun, the amulet.
Officer Billet [proper noun] found a [indefinite article] fingerprint [common
noun] on the [definite article] beer bottle [common noun].
Officer Billet [proper noun] found a fingerprint on a [indefinite article] beer
bottle.
He noticed that the [definite article] fingerprint on the [definite article]
bottle was bloody.
Officer Billet [proper noun] found the [definite article] gun [proper noun].
Adjectives describe or indicate amounts, or limit size or quantity of a noun or pronoun. In some cases, adjectives show relative comparisons between elements in a
sentence; for instance: big, bigger, biggest; good, better, best; fast, faster, fastest;
tall, taller, tallest; slow, slower, slowest.
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The officers [common noun] captured two suspects [common noun]
because their [possessive pronoun] cruiser [common noun] was faster
[adjective] than the suspect’s car [compound noun].
VERBS
Verbs are the most essential words in a sentence. Some verbs indicate elements of
action and may actually be called action verbs. These are the most common verbs
used in writing and speaking; they are usually pretty easy to identify in a sentence.
There are four basic parts of verb forms: present, past, past participle, and present
participle (Fawcett, 2004). The present form of a verb is considered the common
form; for instance: run, jump, punch, kick, and hammer. The past and past participle actually look the same, as in the case of ran, jumped, punched, kicked, and
hammered. The present participle usually is formed by addinging to the present
tense (sometimes called the present infinitive), as in running, jumping, punching,
kicking, and hammering.
The [article] suspect [noun] ran [verb] down the alley.
The [article] suspect [noun] was kicking [adjective] the arresting officer
[compound noun].
In addition to action verbs, there are verbs of being. Verbs of being include words
such as was, is, am, were, or similar forms of being.
Officers [common noun] were [helping verb] looking [verb] for a [article]
suspect [common noun].
The [article] district attorney [common noun] asked [past-tense verb] the
[article] officer [common noun] where she [pronoun] was [verb of being]
when she [pronoun] made the [article] arrest [noun].
There are two main types of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs. Action verbs are
words such as ran, played, or kicked. Some verbs serve the function of linking in a
sentence. These words include appear, feel, look, remain, smell, stay, become, grow,
prove, seem, sound, taste. The biggest confusion is that these verbs sometimes act as
action verbs, while at other times they serve as linking or helping verbs. The basic
test is whether you can substitute a form of being (am, is, was, and so on) and allow
the sentence to make sense. If it does, the verb is a linking verb.
The coffee tasted too bitter for the officer to digest.
TEST: The coffee is (was) too bitter for the officer to digest. [This sentence
works and taste is a linking verb.]
What about the following:
The officer tasted the bitter coffee.
TEST: The officer is (was) the bitter coffee. [Hey, that doesn’t work because
taste is not a linking verb in this sentence.]
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ADVERBS
Certain words modify or change a verb or an adjective; these are known as adverbs
(Fawcett, 2004). In fact, adverbs may also modify other adverbs. Adverbs typically
describe the following sorts of things:
•
•
•
•
•
Where something is: there, here, outside, inside, nearby, far away, under,
above.
When something occurs: now, then, later, immediately, yesterday, tomorrow,
the next day.
How something occurs: quickly, slowly, stupidly, happily, effortlessly.
How often something occurs, or its duration: often, seldom, frequently, once,
twice, never, always.
How much of something (the extent of something): hardly, extremely, minimally, greatly, more, less, too, excessively.
Yesterday, [adverb] Officer Jones [proper noun] apprehended [action verb]
two suspects [common noun].
In the preceding example, yesterday modifies the verb apprehended. In effect, the
word yesterday describes when the action of apprehending the suspects occurred.
Many adverbs also may be formed by simply adding an –ly to the adjective; so
when you see a word ending in an –ly, usually it is an adverb. Table 2-2 shows a
series of common adjectives and their adverb forms.
Some adverbs do not work with the –ly convention. For example, the word fast
cannot be changed to an adverb by adding –ly; there simply is no word fastly. So, an
example of this might be as follows:
The police cruiser moved fast, but was no match for how fast the suspect’s
car was moving. [Notice that the suspect’s car does not move fastly; there is
no such word as fastly.]
table 2-2 Adjectives to Adverbs
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Adjectives
Adverbs
bad
badly
quick
quickly
awful
awfully
kind
kindly
quite
quietly
happy
happily
shy
shyly
pensive
pensively
cold
coldly
neat
neatly
keen
keenly
coarse
coarsely
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The correctional officer chased the inmate down the gallery; the chase
lasted a long time, but not as long as the chase last week. [Again, there is no
such word as longly, so the adverb remains long.]
Many students, police, and correctional officers love a special form of adverb known
as a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs join independent clauses together to
form a single sentence; they are sometimes referred to as transitional words and
phrases. These words should not be overused. Table 2-3 lists some common conjunctive adverbs.
Because conjunctive adverbs are not true conjunctions, a semicolon and a
comma are required when connecting two independent clauses or conjunctive
adverbs. Conjunctive adverbs, other than so or otherwise, require a semicolon preceding them and a comma following them.
Conjunctive adverbs are used to join short sentences (complete clauses) together
to form more complex thoughts; however, you must punctuate correctly: (Hey, did
you notice the use of the conjunctive adverb however in the last sentence?)
1
2
3
4
Each clause on either side of the conjunctive adverb must be a complete
thought.
A semicolon (;) must be placed in front of the conjunctive adverb and a
comma (,) immediately following it.
The two clauses are closely related thoughts or ideas.
You have used the correct conjunctive adverb.
As indicated, a conjunctive adverb connects two ideas (independent clauses). If the
words listed in Table 2-3 interrupt a thought, they are not conjunctive adverbs and
are not punctuated as such. Similarly, you cannot simply connect two independent
thoughts to form a single compound sentence. For example:
The correctional officer examined the inmate’s clothes; accordingly, he left
for lunch.
After reading the previous example, hopefully you are scratching your head and
thinking, “Huh? I don’t follow what the first clause has to do with the second one.”
Because the two clauses in the example are unrelated, the use of a conjunctive adverb
(accordingly) is incorrect.
Here is a good example:
The correctional officer examined the inmate’s clothes; consequently, he
discovered the illegal contraband.
table 2-3 Common Conjunctive Adverbs
accordingly
for example
in particular
now
afterward
furthermore
instead
otherwise
again
generally
likewise
similarly
also
hence
meanwhile
so
besides
however
moreover
still
beyond
in addition
nevertheless
then
consequently
incidentally
next
therefore
finally
indeed
nonetheless
thus
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Comparisons with Adjectives and Adverbs
Sometimes you may want to make a comparison between things, or indicate how
one thing might measure up to another. You may want to indicate that one suspect
is taller than another, or heavier than your partner, or older than the witness. In
writing this in a report, you would use one of three possible degrees of adjectives
and adverbs: a positive degree, a comparative degree, and a superlative degree.
•
A positive degree makes a simple statement about a person, place, or thing.
The correctional officer is very tall. [positive degree adjective]
•
A comparative degree compares two, and only two, people, places, or things.
The correctional officer was taller [comparative adjective] than his sergeant
by five inches.
•
A superlative degree compares more than two people, places, or things.
The correctional officer is the tallest [superlative degree adjective] man in
the facility.
Table 2-4 shows a table of different degrees of adverbs and adjectives.
A quick look at Table 2-4 reveals that you can change an adjective or adverb
from its positive degree to its comparative degree by adding an –er or –ier. Similarly,
you can move the adjective or adverb from comparative degree to superlative by
adding an –est or –iest to the positive degree form. Occasionally, you will have an
adjective or adverb that requires the addition of the word more or most to move
the degrees from positive to comparative and then to superlative. Consider these
examples:
The captain of the guards is a capable [positive degree adjective] man.
The warden is more capable [comparative degree adjective] than the captain
of the guards.
The superintendent is the most capable [superlative degree adjective] of all
the personnel.
The test here is largely one by ear and is similar to adding –ly to a verb to make
it an adverb. In other words, if you were to restate one of the previous examples
table 2-4 Adjective and Adverb Degrees
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Positive
Comparative
Superlative
dirty
dirtier
dirtiest
old
older
oldest
deep
deeper
deepest
big
bigger
biggest
smart
smarter
smartest
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and substitute the positive degree changed with an –er or –ier, it would not sound
correct.
The warden is more capabler than the captain of the guards.
To be sure, capabler is not a word, and it simply sounds incorrect in the sentence.
Some adjectives will not follow these basic rules of degree and are considered irregular; the word itself actually changes as you move from the positive degree to the
comparative and/or the superlative. Consider these irregular examples:
The probationary officer writes reports well, but his training officer writes
better; their sergeant, however, writes best.
The correctional officer searches cells badly. His trainee actually does a
worse job at searching, and the recruit demonstrates the worst skill at
searches.
Corporal Johnson is a good marksperson. Sergeant Morley is a better shot,
but Lieutenant Brown is the best marksperson.
I have too much paperwork to finish in one day. You have even more
paperwork to finish. Officer Jackson has the most paperwork to finish.
Looking back at the last few pages, it is clear that there are a lot of rules associated with comparisons. Certainly this can make things a bit confusing. One rule of
thumb is to try to keep adjectives and adverbs of comparison as simple as possible,
and to read them aloud to hear how the sentence sounds. For example, read each
of the following sentences aloud and see if you can hear the difference between the
correct and clear form, and the awkward and incorrect form.
The box on the table was less big than the one on the floor. [awkward]
The box on the table was smaller than the one on the floor. [clear]
The officer lifting weights was more strong than the other officer.
[awkward]
The officer lifting weights was stronger than the other officer. [clear]
The officer felt less powerless when he drew his gun. [awkward]
The officer felt more powerful when he drew his gun. [clear]
It is also important to be careful about where you place an adverb. Incorrect placement can make the sentence mean something completely different from what you
intended. Consider these examples of proper and improperly placed adverbs.
I had only been eating for ten minutes when the call came in to respond to a
robbery in progress. [weak and improper placement]
This sentence actually says this: I had only been eating [I hadn’t been sitting in a
car, or running or dancing—only eating] for ten minutes when the call came in to
respond to a robbery in progress.
I had been eating for only ten minutes when the call came in to respond to a
robbery in progress. [stronger and proper placement]
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PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns, which are called the objects of the preposition. The preposition and its object form a prepositional phrase. Grammar books
usually define prepositions as words that connect or link nouns and pronouns to
some other word in the sentence (Fawcett, 2004).
The officer threw the gun in the air.
The officer dropped the gun on the ground.
The officer threw the gun under the car.
The officer shot the gun at the firing range.
The officer dropped the gun near the suspect.
The underlined words link the two nouns, creating some sort of relationship between
the words. These linking words are called prepositions. Table 2-5 provides a list of
common prepositions.
So, how do you remember what a preposition is? One suggestion is to think
about the word position which conveniently appears in the word preposition. A
preposition frequently indicates the position of something: in, outside, under, over,
in front of, and so forth. It is also important to remember something else that your
fourth-grade teacher probably told you: You should never end a sentence with a
preposition. Unlike with certain forms of adverbs and adjectives, where written sentences when read aloud frequently do not sound right to our ears, prepositions at
the end of a sentence sometimes do. This is because in colloquial spoken English
table 2-5 Common Prepositions
about
below
except
near
throughout
above
beneath
excluding
next to
till
according to
beside
following
of
to
across
besides
for
off
toward
after
between
from
on
under
against
beyond
in
on account of
underneath
along
but
in addition to
onto
until
among
by
include
out
up
around
by way of
including
out of
upon
as
concerning
in front of
outside
with
at
considering
in place of
over
within
because of
down
in regard to
past
without
before
during
inside
since
instead of
through
behind
into
like
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(regular conversational English), people regularly end sentences with a preposition.
Consider for the following sentences:
With whom was the correctional officer speaking? [correct]
Who was the correctional officer speaking with? [incorrect]
If we read or speak these two sentences, many people will not notice that the second version is in error. In fact, many people reading that second example may find
it hard to accept that this is not correct, because it is exactly how they speak (and
likely write as well). These days, grammarians are saying that ending a sentence
with a preposition is not always bad. Sir Winston Churchill was quoted as saying,
“ending a sentence with a preposition is something with which I will not put up.”
Churchill was mocking fussy grammarians who say you should never end a sentence
with a preposition. Let your conscience be your guide and strive for well-written
and easily understood sentences.
CONJUNCTIONS
In addition to prepositions, another word that links or conjoins words in a sentence
is a conjunction. Thus the role of a conjunction is to connect words with other
words, clauses, and ideas. There are three major categories of conjunctions: coordinating, correlative, and subordinating.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions include words such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
These words can be used to connect two independent clauses (Glenn & Gray, 2007).
An independent clause is a complete thought. Typically, the conjunction is placed
between the two clauses, preceded by a comma. Many grammar books recommend
remembering coordinating conjunctions by thinking about the acronym FANBOYS
(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
The inmate was angry, but he did not hit the other man.
The officer was hungry, so he decided to eat his lunch.
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions cannot work alone, but instead operate in pairs. These
pairs appear in two places in a sentence and include both/and, either/or, neither/nor,
not only/also, not only/but also, and whether/or.
Did anyone see whether the suspect or his accomplice had a weapon?
Neither the officer nor his partner could keep up the foot pursuit for more
than four blocks.
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions are used to join a subordinating clause with a main
clause. A subordinating clause depends on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.
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table 2-6 Common Subordinating Conjunctions
after
even though
so long as
although
how
so that
as
if
than
as if
inasmuch as
that
as in
in order that
through
as long as
in that
till
as much as
least
unless
as soon as
now that
until
assuming that
once
when
because
provided that
whenever
before
since
whether
even if
while
It does not express a complete thought, so it does not stand alone. It must always be
attached to a main clause that completes the meaning. Table 2-6 provides a list of
some of the most common subordinating conjunctions.
You may have noticed that the word as is written in italics. That is to remember
to mention a problem many people have when deciding whether to use the words
as or like. (Hey, did you catch the use of the correlative conjunctions in that last
sentence?) Traditionally, the word like is a preposition, and it should be followed by
an object to create what is called a prepositional phrase. As is a conjunction, and it
should be followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb.
The inmate runs like a deer does. [incorrect—it is not necessary to repeat
the verb does]
The inmate runs like a deer. [correct]
The inmate runs as a deer does. [correct—as is followed by a clause]
In standard English, the word like is never used with clauses.
INTERJECTIONS
You may have noticed that periodically we pose questions about whether you
caught some example of one of the grammatical rules described in this chapter. We
frequently begin such questions with the term hey. Beginning a sentence with hey,
gads, oops, well, whoa, wow, yikes, ouch, and similar words indicating some sort of
emotion are called interjections. Interjections can either stand alone, or be included
as part of a sentence.
When an interjection is used as part of a sentence, it does not have any grammatical relation to the other words in that sentence. In other words, you can remove
the interjection and the meaning of the sentence will remain unchanged (Glenn &
Gray, 2007). Assuming the sentence had been grammatically correct with the interjection, it will remain grammatically correct if you remove it. In common writing,
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when an interjection is used to express strong emotions or surprise and it stands
alone, you should use an exclamation point (!) after the interjection: Wow! Is that
really what you think? If you are employing milder terms in the middle of a sentence,
you should use a comma after the interjections: Darn! that shoelace keeps coming
undone. Interjections are not typically used in police or correctional reports, unless
the officer is quoting a suspect, witness, or victim. In these reports, for example, an
officer may write the exclamation of some profanity uttered by an inmate, suspect,
victim, or witness verbatim, and in this case it may well be an interjection.
HOMOPHONES
Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings
(Glenn & Gray, 2007). Words such as to, too, and two have very different spellings
and meanings and are commonly misused. Some of these words will sound alike,
such as sole/soul, break/brake, dear/deer, and ensure/insure. Others may sound
similar but have different meanings, such as believe/belief, marry/merry, desert/
dessert, accept/except, council/counsel. Improper use of words may confuse the
reader or can convey the wrong meaning of a sentence. It may also lead the reader to
believe that the writer is incompetent or that the report was hastily written. Effective
writers choose their words carefully and ensure that they are using the appropriate
words and spelling.
If you are uncertain about the correct meaning of a word, consult a dictionary
before you use it in a sentence. Most word processing software programs with spell
checkers will not always detect the improper use of these words. Remember that the
quality of your written work reflects directly on you and that even small mistakes
in grammar can tarnish an otherwise well-written report. The appendix provides a
listing of the most frequently confused homophones.
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chapter summary
1. Nouns are the people, places, things, and ideas that make up a written narrative. Knowing when and how to properly integrate nouns in a sentence makes
for a richer and more accurate written report.
2. Pronouns take the place of a noun in a sentence. They allow the writer to use
words such as I, me, her, him, or them in place of a noun. In this way the narrative is easier to read and not so redundant. Several different types of pronouns are used to take the place of a noun.
3. Adjectives are words that modify or describe a noun or pronoun. They allow a
writer to describe, indicate amounts, or limit the size or quantity of a noun or
pronoun.
4. Verbs are the most essential words in a sentence. They indicate the elements of
action or help link a sentence together.
5. Adverbs are words that describe a verb or an adjective. Adverbs typically
describe how, when, where, how much, or how many in a sentence.
6. A preposition is a word that connects or links a noun and a pronoun to some
other word in a sentence. They establish a relationship between these words.
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7. Conjunctions are words used to link or conjoin words in a sentence. Their role
is to connect words with other words, clauses, and ideas.
8. Interjections are words that can either stand alone, or be included as part of a
sentence. When an interjection is used as part of a sentence, it does not have
any grammatical relation to the other words in that sentence. They are most
often used to show or indicate emotion.
9. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and
spellings. If you are uncertain about the correct meaning of a word, consult a
dictionary before you use it in a sentence.
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Exercises—Using the Parts of Speech
INSTRUCTIONS: In each sentence, cross out the noun used incorrectly and write
the correct noun in the space provided.
1. The police chief had very strong opinions about the roles of men and woman
in police work.
2. Younger officers often mimic the conduct of their peer in dealing with
combative suspects.
exercise 1
USING NOUNS CORRECTLY
3. The suspect gained entry in the residence and took a set of rare coin.
4. The narcotics agent detailed the activity of multiple suspect at the residence
under suspicion for manufacturing methamphetamine.
5. Research on child abuse indicates that either parent might be capable of abusing their child.
6. When parents do not use the proper child safety seats when driving they risk
the life of their children.
7. Talking during a public meeting is disrespectful of other who may be trying to
listen to the speakers.
8. The witness indicated that one of the girl was seen leaving the scene of the
robbery.
9. The attorney stated that he was acting on behalf of his clients, Mr. Smith,
when he made the motion during the trial.
10. Police officers are one of the few persons in the criminal justice system who
can detain suspects.
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USING PRONOUNS CORRECTLY
INSTRUCTIONS: In each sentence, circle the correct pronoun.
1. Officer Manning placed the suspect in the backseat of (his / their) patrol car.
2. The suspects ran from the scene and left contraband in the backseat of (his /
their) car.
3. Mary told the officer that her driver’s license was located in (their / her) purse.
4. Each police agency has (its / their) own distinct style.
exercise 3
5. The sheriff’s office honored (its / the) senior officers with plaques signifying
years of service to the agency.
WRITING CLEARLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite each sentence correctly in the space provided. (Answers
may vary.)
1. On the radio they advised that the road was closed.
2. Officer Melton told the suspect that he should not have lied about his identity.
3. In the city of Fairfield they arrest litterers.
4. On the news, it said that the suspects were seen driving a blue-colored sedan.
5. Sergeant Smith is an excellent typist, yet he has never had a lesson in it.
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INSTRUCTIONS: In each sentence, circle the correct adverb or adjective.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Have you ever seen (real / really) marijuana?
Try to approach the suspects (quietly / quiet).
The smell from the decomposing body was (awful / awfully).
The officer (gladly / glad) gave the citizen directions to the courthouse.
Officer Brown, a (high / highly) skilled marksperson, was able to shoot a perfect score at the firing range.
The officer (carefully / care) approached the door to the suspect’s residence.
Detective Green smelled an (unusual / unusually) odor coming from the garage.
Recruit Barnes performed (poor / poorly) on his timed run for the police
academy.
The weapon used by the robbery suspect (actual / actually) turned out to be a
pellet gun.
The witness (hastily / hasty) wrote a statement as to what she had seen.
INSTRUCTIONS: In each sentence, circle the correct preposition.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The suspect was found hiding (in / on) the bedroom.
After the crash the suspect’s vehicle came to rest (in / on) Chesterfield Street.
The child was struck by a vehicle after he ran (in / on) the street.
(In / On) July, the state issued new restrictions for underaged drivers.
(On / In) Sunday, the victim discovered that his house had been burglarized.
That mess (in / on) your locker must be cleaned up.
The town of Myrtle Beach is located between Charleston and Wilmington,
North Carolina, (on / in) the coast of South Carolina.
8. Mr. Johnson also owns several businesses (in / on) Santa Barbara.
9. Mrs. Mason placed several items (on / in) the table in front of the witness.
10. Officer Patton stepped (in / on) the bridge before jumping into the water
below.
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exercise 5
USING PREPOSITIONS CORRECTLY
exercise 4
USING ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS CORRECTLY
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glossary terms
exercise 6
50
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USING HOMOPHONES CORRECTLY
INSTRUCTIONS: In each sentence, circle the correct homophone.
1. The driver stated that he engaged the emergency (break / brake) before his
vehicle struck the tree.
2. The state trooper’s patrol car was struck as he pulled through the (break /
brake) in the highway median.
3. During the investigation blood stains were discovered on the (sole / soul) of the
suspect’s shoe.
4. During the interview the suspect invoked his right to speak with his legal
(council / counsel).
5. The city ordinance banning alcohol on the beach was voted in by the city
(council / counsel).
6. The victim states that she told the suspect that she could not (accept / except) a
ride in his car.
7. The crime scene technician collected everything in the bedroom (accept /
except) the carpet on the floor.
8. Sergeant Grant told Officer Smith to thoroughly search the suspect before
he was transported to the booking facility to (ensure / insure) that he had no
weapons or contraband on his person.
9. Detective Barnes stated that the suspect would be arrested to (assure / ensure)
the victim that justice would be served and she would have her day in court.
10. The condemned prisoner ordered chocolate cake for (desert / dessert).
Adjective 36
Adverb 38
Conjunction 43
Conjunctive adverb 39
Coordinating conjunction 43
Correlative conjunction 43
Demonstrative pronoun 35
Homophone 45
Indefinite pronoun 36
Interjection 44
Interrogative pronoun 36
Noun 34
Personal pronoun 35
Possessive pronoun 35
Preposition 42
Pronoun 34
Reflexive pronoun 35
Relative pronoun 35
Subordinating conjunction 43
Verb 37
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