Writing Skills and Grammar
What is tested
Usage and mechanics at the sentence level, plus the plain-style conventions of report writing. Know: sentence boundaries (fragments, run-ons, comma splices), subject-verb agreement, pronoun case and clear antecedents, tense consistency, parallel structure, modifier placement, punctuation (comma, semicolon, colon, apostrophe), capitalization, and commonly confused words (affect/effect, its/it's, their/there/they're, fewer/less, then/than).
Traps
- Long, formal-sounding sentences that actually splice two independent clauses.
- A phrase between subject and verb: "The box of reports (was/were) on the desk."
- "Along with," "as well as," and "together with" do not create a compound subject.
- Misplaced "only" or a dangling modifier: "Walking to the car, the radio crackled."
- Apostrophes used for plurals, and "it's" used as the possessive.
- Tense drift: narratives stay in past tense unless describing a standing condition.
- Wordiness: "at this point in time" for "now"; "utilize" for "use."
Rule of thumb
Write reports in short, active, past-tense sentences: "I observed the vehicle stopped in the right lane," not "It was observed that the vehicle was in a stopped condition." For agreement, cross out the phrase between subject and verb and read what is left. For punctuation, test each side of a comma - if both could stand alone, you need a period or semicolon, not a comma.
Worked example: "The officer, along with two witnesses, were interviewed at the scene." Cross out "along with two witnesses": "The officer ... were" is wrong, so the sentence becomes "was interviewed."