It is beyond the scope of this book to cover all grammar errors that can occur during a police examination. Below are merely some examples you may come across. If you feel your grammar is a significant barrier to landing the job, then it would be prudent to review a grammar textbook, or perhaps take an English grammar course.

Scroll down for further teaching material and practice exercises.

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The Use of "Then" and "Than".

"Then" is used while discussing a sequence of events. It has the same meaning as "afterwards", "subsequently" or "followed by".

Example: I went to the play, and then I went home.

"Than" is used in comparison. It can be used with the word "rather".

It has the same meaning as "as opposed to", or "instead of".

Example: I would rather play baseball than hockey.

The Use of "Is When"

This is not correct. Instead of using the term "is when", use the term "occurs when."

Example: The best part of the movie occurs when the killer is revealed.

Subordinate Clauses

Be careful with subordinate clauses. If one clause has less emphasis (less importance) in a sentence, it is subordinate or dependent on the other clause. When these clauses occur at the beginning of the sentence they can be tricky.

Example:Since you began training, you have been able to work an entire shift.

If you rearrange the sentence you can understand how “since” acts as the conjunction.

Example: You have been able to work an entire shift since you began training.

Forming Plurals

There are many examples of words where it is difficult to determine the plural form. Examples include:

Goose	Geese
Moose	Mooses
Man	Men
Woman	Women
Mother in Law	Mothers in Law
Mouse	Mice

Comparative Adjectives and Adverbs

Single Syllable Words

To form the comparative adjective or adverb for most single syllable words, add “-er” to the end of the word. If there are three or more parties to compare, use the ending “-est.”

Example:

Rakik was strong.
Bill was stronger than Rafik.
Pratik was the strongest of the three.

Sean is fast.
Sean is the faster of the two.
Sean is the fastest of the three.

Be careful of exceptions. There are always exceptions to the rule in the English language. You should be able to tell by the sound of the words when you should use an alternative method of comparison.

Example:

I had a fun time at the party this year.
I had more fun this year than last year.
I had the most fun this year compared to all the other parties.

The words "funner"and"funnest" do not exist.

Most Multiple Syllable Words

As with the example fun, multiple syllable words use linking words while making comparisons. When comparing two parties, you would use the word "more" and while comparing three or more parties you would use the word "most".

Example:

He was more eager than her to finish the project.
He was the most eager of the three to finish the project.
Shelley was more intelligent than Michael.
Lucy was the most intelligent of the group.

Subject / Verb Agreement

It is important to make sure that the verb agrees with the noun it relates to. There are six types of persons in the English language:

I		We
You (singular)		You (plural)
He / She / It		They

In English, there are several ways that subjects and verbs relate to each other. It is beyond the scope of this website to describe them all, but here are a couple:

I	run/do/was	We	run / do / were
You	run / do / were	You	run / do / were
He / She / It	runs / does / was	They	run / do / were

Be careful of confusing the subject and verb agreement.

Example:

I run fast.
I do well.
I don't understand.

He runs fast.
He does well.
He doesn't understand.

This can be difficult if there is a clause between the subject and the verb. When analyzing a sentence, try to read the sentence without the clause to determine if there is subject / verb agreement.

Example:
Dheena, along with the rest of us, does well.

Read it:
Dheena does well. "Dheena do well"doesn't sound right.

The Use of "It's"and "Its"

This is common mistake in the English language.

"It's" is a contraction that translates into "it is".

It's getting late. = It is getting late.

I'm tired and it's time to go. = I'm tired and it is time to go.

"Its" refers to possession. It is the equivalent to an apostrophe "s".

Its cargo was damaged. = The cargo belonging to it, was damaged.

The train and all its passengers were safe. = The train and all the train's passengers were safe.

The Use of "There", "Their" and "They're"

This is another common mistake in the English language. Here are the definitions:

There: a location, nearby, in attendance, present

The book is over there on the table.

Their: a possessive pronoun implying ownership, belonging to them,

I took their advice and followed through with the job.

They're: a contraction meaning "they are"

They're going to arrive late because of the snow.

The Use of "Two", "To", and "Too"

Make sure you follow these definitions and place the proper "to/too/two" in the proper place.

To: in the direction, toward, near, in order to.

I went to the store to buy some bread.

Too: also, as well, in addition, besides, and excessively.

The teacher handed out an "A: to Bill and to Cindy too.
Shayna and Jeff just left too.

The pizza deliverer took too long so we got the pizza for free.

Two: the actual number

There were two beavers sitting on the log.

Verb Tenses

When reading a passage, ensure that the verbs in a sentence agree and that verbs discussing the same idea are in the same tense. For example, if you are speaking in the past in one sentence, you must remain consistent in the following sentence.

Incorrect:

Bill ran to the store very quickly. He is taking Sally with him.
Sean reads at a fourth grade level and studied very hard.

Correct:

Bill ran to the store very quickly. He took Sally with him.
Sean reads at a fourth grade level and studies very hard.  

Adverbs and Adjectives

Adverbs are used to modify or compliment verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They generally explain how (gently), when (soon), or where (fully). A common trait of adverbs is to end in -ly. However this is not a reliable way to tell adverbs and adjectives apart.

Adjectives are used with nouns to describe a quality or modify a meaning. (old, tall, Canadian, my, this...)

If the word that you are describing or modifying is a noun make sure you use the adjective form of the word. If the word is a verb, adjective, or adverb, use the adverb format.

Examples:
He ran quickly down the street. - Adverb quickly (how he runs)
He was a very quick thinker. - Adjective quick (describing thinker)

It was a very large house. - Adverb very (describing large)
- Adjective large (describing house)

It was a loud song. - Adjective loud (describing song)
She sang loudly. - Adverb loudly (modifying sang)

Uses of Commas in Lists

When a list is presented in a sentence, use commas between list items and a conjunction to separate the last two items on the list. It is not wrong to add an additional comma before the conjunction, but it is unnecessary.

Examples:

He was going to bring his toys, clothes, books and cookies to class.
Angela was going to the Maritimes by plane, train or boat.

Uses of the Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used to indicate ownership.

Examples:

Bill's school was one of the best in the country. (the school to which Bill went) Martha's mirror was cracked. (the mirror belonging to Martha)

Meanings of "Fair" and "Fare"

People often confuse these two words. Their definitions are listed below.

Fair: just, reasonable, light, fair haired, pale

He was a fair judge and handed down reasonable sentences.
The boy was very fair, and would burn easily in the sun.

Fare: charge, price, ticket, tariff, passenger

The fare for the plane was rather steep.

Subject / Object Noun Agreements

Depending on its role in the sentence pronouns take on different forms. Below is a list.

	Subject			Object
	I	We		Me	Us
	You	You		You	You
	He/ She/ It	They		Him/ Her /It	Them

If the pronoun is acting as a subject, use a subject pronoun.

Examples:

Subject
Tim and I went to the baseball game.
He was the last one to leave.
They will come later.

Object
Tim threw the ball to me.
Shayna surprised her at the party.
Alex passes the gravy to them.

The major distinction between a subject and an object is the manner in which the verb relates to the pronouns. A subject tends to perform the verb, while an object tends to have the verb performed on it. Read the examples above and see if you understand the difference. If not, you will have to check with a grammar textbook.

Double Negatives

Both when speaking and writing, avoid using double negatives. Examples include:

I do not want no gum.
I do not want any gum.

You can't go to no store.
You can't go to any store.

The sergeant hasn't no time.
The sergeant hasn't any time.

The uses of "From" and "Off"

When receiving objects, goods or information, it is important to remember that we use the word "from" even though in common spoken language we often hear the word "off".

Examples:

The doctor received the X-rays from the technician.
She pulled the book from the cupboard.

The Uses of "Stayed" and "Stood"

This is similar to the "From and Off" problem mentioned above. You often hear the word "stood" used in soken language, but "stayed" is the correct word to use.

Stood is the past tense to stand (position, place, locate)

Stayed is the past tense of stay. (remain, wait, reside)

Examples:

I should have stayed with my fellow officers in the tough times.
The nurse stayed by the patient all night long.

The Use of Amount and Number

Generally speaking we use amount with something that is measured or can't be counted such as weights or volumes. We use number to describe quantities that are countable.

Examples:

She had a large amount of liquid in the test tube.
There was a large amount of chocolate used in the recipe.

There were a large number of soldiers in the army.
The number of signs on the highway is enormous.

Run-On Sentences

Watch out for run-on sentences when writing. When two or more separate independent clauses are incorrectly joined, this is a run-on sentence. An independent clause is the part of a sentence that could stand-alone. If you put a period at the end of an independent clause, it could serve as a sentence.

Here is an example of a run-on sentence:

Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam, he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

There are several ways to deal with a run-on sentence.

1) Make two Separate Sentences.

This is the easiest means to correct the problem. Simply add a period and start the second sentence with a capital letter.

Correct:
Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam. He went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

2) Use a semicolon to separate the independent clauses.

Semicolons can often replace periods where a comma could not. You do not have to capitalize the word immediately after a semicolon.

Correct:
Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam; he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

3) Use a subordinating conjunction with one of the clauses.

A subordinating conjunction is used to turn one of the clauses from an independent clause to a dependent clause. Examples of subordinating conjunctions include “because” and “since”.

Correct:
Since Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam, he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

4) Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction between the two clauses.

Coordinating conjunctions can connect two clauses. The most common coordinating conjunctions include and, or, but, and so.

Correct:
Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam, so he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

5) Use a semicolon, conjunctive adverb and comma to separate the clauses.

Conjunctive adverbs can connect clauses. Examples of these adverbs include: “therefore”, “moreover”, “however”, and “nonetheless”. In order to properly use these adverbs, place a semicolon before the adverb and a comma after the adverb.

Incorrect:
Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam, therefore he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

Correct:
Jamie was extremely angry when he missed his final chemistry exam; therefore, he went back to his dormitory and yelled at his roommate for failing to wake him up.

Sentence Fragments

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. There are two ways that you may change a sentence fragment to a complete sentence.

1) Add Words

Incorrect:
Justin, running across the front lawn and enjoying his childhood days. (incomplete thought)

Correct:
Justin was running across the front lawn and enjoying his childhood days. (complete thought)

2) Take Away Words

Creating a complete sentence from a sentence fragment can also be achieved by removing words from a sentence fragment.

Incorrect:
While Trevor was completing the exam but having difficulty coming up with the answer to question #51.

Correct:
Trevor was completing the exam but having difficulty coming up with the answer to question #51.

Other Common Grammar Errors

Attend - go to, be present at, concentrate
Tend - be inclined, be likely, have a tendency ,

Lose - misplace, be unable to find, to be defeated
Loose - unfastened, wobbly, slack, movable

Threw - hurled, tossed, past tense of to throw
Through - from first to last, during, in the course of

Weather - the seasons, elements, temperatures
Whether - question of if, introducing an alternative possibility

Bear - an animal in the woods, or to tolerate, stand, put up with
Bare - to expose, naked, uncovered