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

Part I  Word Choice Exercise
Correct the errors in the sentences below. There can be more than one error in a sentence – or none.

1. The mayor was quiet surprised by the angry response to her speech.
2. We use to have more generous health insurance.
3. Despite his threats, Cooper didn’t pose any imminent danger.

Part 2 Better Sentences
Here are two excerpts from police reports. Rewrite these sentences to make them more appropriate for a modern police report. (Note that these are only short portions of police reports.)

1. I responded to 16 Winter Court. Upon arrival I made contact with Amanda Blocker.
2. As the cyclist continued on his way, I exited my patrol vehicle. I chased the man on foot, tackled him off his bike, and detained him after a brief struggle on the ground.

ANSWERS

Part I  Word Choice Exercise

1. The mayor was quite surprised by the angry response to her speech.
2. We used to have more generous health insurance. [Used to almost always needs a “d.”]
3. Despite his threats, Cooper didn’t pose any imminent danger.  [Correct. Imminent means “immediate.” Don’t confuse it with eminent, which means “famous” or “important.”]

Part 2  Better  Sentences

1. I talked to Amanda Blocker. [You already typed the date and address in appropriate spaces on your computer screen. Don’t waste time typing them again. And it’s obvious that you made contact with Amanda. How else could you have talked to her?]
2. The cyclist kept going. I left my patrol car and chased him. I tackled him, we struggled for a few minutes, and I brought him to the ground.  [Use plain, ordinary English. Left is a better choice than exited. Since you weren’t driving when you chased the man, there’s no need to say “on foot.” Tackled him is a better description of what you did than detained him. You don’t need “off his bike.”]

How did you do?