This short quiz will help you sharpen your writing skills. Answers are posted below.

Part 1  Correct the English usage errors in these sentences. (Some sentences may not have errors.)

a) Lisa’s mother told me that she had been watching TV when the electricity suddenly went off.
b)  I questioned he and his wife separately.
c)  Grogan refused to except any help from his daughter.

Part 2  Choose the best answer for each question below

1) Officer Joan Littleton just graduated from the academy. She’s eager to impress her supervisor. What advice would you give her? You may choose more than one answer.

a)  Don’t read over your report when it’s finished: you need to work quickly.
b)  Use fancy word choices and sentence structure that will impress your supervisor.
c)  If you have a choice between a simple word and a fancy one, choose the simple one.

2)  Which sentence is appropriate for a police report? Choose one answer.

a)  I arrived at the scene.
b)  I saw a bruise on Wagner’s right forearm.
c)  I did not believe what Wagner was telling me.

ANSWERS

Part 1 

a) Lisa’s mother told me that Lisa had been watching TV when the electricity suddenly went off.  OR Lisa’s mother said, “I was watching TV when the electricity suddenly went off.”  [She is confusing because there are two females in the sentence. Rewrite the sentence to indicate who had been watching TV.]

b)  I questioned he him and his wife separately.  [Shorten the sentence and you’ll instantly hear the right word: “I questioned him….”]

c)  Grogan refused to except accept any help from his daughter.  [Except means “but.”]

Part 2  Choose the best answer for each question below

1) Officer Joan Littleton just graduated from the academy. She’s eager to impress her supervisor. What advice would you give her? You may choose more than one answer.

X  a)  Don’t read over your report when it’s finished: you need to work quickly. [Never submit anything you haven’t checked for errors.]
X  b)  Use fancy word choices and sentence structure that will impress your supervisor.  [Police reports should be efficient. Use plain words and simple sentences.]
√ c)  If you have a choice between a simple word and a fancy one, choose the simple one.

2)  Which sentence is appropriate for a police report? Choose one answer.

X a)  I arrived at the scene. [Don’t waste time stating what’s obvious.]
√ b)  I saw a bruise on Wagner’s right forearm.
X c)  I did not believe what Wagner was telling me.  [This is an opinion that doesn’t belong in a professional police report.]

How did you do?