5.2 Writing Complete, Grammatically Correct Sentences

The Importance of Complete Sentences

Unlike the first three sections of the NPOST which are multiple-choice, Section IV requires you to construct written answers based on the fact sheet. This section is hand-scored by evaluators who are looking for more than just the correct factual information. They are assessing your ability to communicate clearly and professionally in writing. A critical requirement of this section is that every answer must be written in a complete sentence.

If a question asks, "What was stolen from the residence?" and you write "A television and a laptop," you will lose points. Even though the factual information is correct, you failed to write a complete sentence. The correct response must be phrased as, "A television and a laptop were stolen from the residence."

In law enforcement, reports are legal documents. Incomplete sentences, abbreviations, and informal language can lead to confusion in court, potentially jeopardizing a case. The exam strictly enforces the complete sentence rule to ensure candidates possess the baseline communication skills required for police work.

Anatomy of a Complete Sentence

To ensure your answers are complete sentences, you must understand their basic components. A complete sentence must have three elements:

1. A Subject: The person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something.
2. A Verb: The action performed by the subject or the state of being of the subject.
3. A Complete Thought: The sentence must stand alone and make sense on its own; it cannot be a dependent clause.

Identifying Subjects and Verbs

Let's look at a simple example: The officer arrested the suspect.

• Subject: officer (The person performing the action)
• Verb: arrested (The action being performed)
• Complete Thought: Yes, this sentence makes sense on its own.

Now consider an incomplete sentence (a fragment): Arrested the suspect.

• This lacks a subject. Who arrested the suspect? Because it lacks a subject, it is not a complete sentence and would be penalized on the exam.

Consider another fragment: The officer who arrested the suspect.

• This has a subject (officer) and a verb (arrested), but it does not express a complete thought. It leaves the reader asking, "What about the officer who arrested the suspect?" To make it complete, you must finish the thought: The officer who arrested the suspect transported him to the station.

Proper Punctuation and Capitalization

In addition to grammatical structure, a complete sentence requires correct mechanical formatting. The evaluators will check for the following:

Capitalization

• First Letter: The first letter of the first word in every sentence must be capitalized. This is non-negotiable.
• Proper Nouns: Capitalize all proper nouns, which include names of people (John Doe), specific places (Main Street, Central Park), days of the week, and months of the year. Do not capitalize common nouns (e.g., street, park, suspect, officer) unless they begin the sentence.

End Punctuation

• Periods: Every statement must end with a period. If you write a perfect sentence but forget the period at the end, it may be marked as incorrect or incomplete.
• Question Marks and Exclamation Points: It is highly unlikely you will need to use question marks or exclamation points on the NPOST. Your task is to state the facts clearly and objectively, which means you will be writing declarative sentences that end in periods.

Internal Punctuation (Commas)

• Use commas to separate items in a list (e.g., "The suspect stole a watch, a ring, and a wallet.").
• Use commas to separate a city and state (e.g., "Springfield, Illinois").
• Use commas in dates (e.g., "October 12, 2024"). While you should use commas correctly, the primary focus of the graders will be on the capitalization at the beginning and the period at the end of the sentence.

Correct Spelling

Spelling errors will negatively impact your score in Section IV. While the exam does not expect you to be a spelling bee champion, it does expect you to correctly spell standard English words and, most importantly, accurately copy the spelling of names, locations, and objects directly from the fact sheet.

If the fact sheet states the victim's name is "Jonathon Smythe," and you write "Jonathan Smith," you have made a factual error and a spelling error. In police work, misspelling a name in a database can mean the difference between finding a suspect and letting them go. Always double-check the spelling of proper nouns against the source text before finalizing your sentence.

Examples of Good and Bad Sentences

Here are some examples comparing unacceptable fragments with acceptable complete sentences based on a hypothetical fact sheet.

When writing your answers, a helpful strategy is to rephrase the question into your answer. If the question asks, "Who reported the crime?", start your sentence with "The person who reported the crime was..." or "[Name] reported the crime." This virtually guarantees that your answer will be a complete sentence.