Completing a Narrative with Cohesive Words
A trainee is drafting a narrative for a traffic stop report. The draft reads: “At 2:15 a.m., the officer ______ (1) a vehicle with a burned-out taillight. The driver ______ (2) to pull over for two blocks before stopping. When asked for identification, the driver ______ (3) that he had left his wallet at home.” The sergeant requires neutral, factual language and says loaded terms can undermine credibility. The trainee must choose one word for each blank from these options: (1) observed / noticed / spotted; (2) continued / failed / refused; (3) stated / claimed / admitted.
1. Choose the best word for each blank and justify your choices.
Read the worked answer
- “Observed” - neutral and precise for an officer’s act of seeing. 2. “Continued” - factual: the driver kept driving for two blocks before stopping, without implying intent or duty. 3. “Stated” - neutral report of what the driver said, without suggesting doubt or guilt. The resulting sentence is factual and lets the reader draw conclusions from evidence rather than from loaded wording.
2. Explain why the rejected words are less appropriate in a police report.
Read the worked answer
“Spotted” is informal and less precise than “observed.” “Noticed” is acceptable but weaker for an officer’s deliberate observation. “Failed” implies a duty or obligation that may not be established. “Refused” implies willful defiance, which is a conclusion the officer may not be able to prove. “Claimed” implies doubt about the driver’s statement. “Admitted” implies guilt or wrongdoing. In a report, each loaded word can be attacked as opinion rather than fact, so neutral terms are safer and more credible.