3.3 Subject-Verb Agreement, Pronoun Reference & Tense Consistency

3.3 Subject-Verb Agreement, Pronoun Reference & Tense Consistency

Grammatical accuracy in police report writing is not an academic exercise; it directly safeguards the legal integrity of criminal prosecutions. A subject-verb disagreement or an ambiguous pronoun can blur the actions of officers and suspects, leaving judges and juries uncertain about who possessed a weapon, who threw a punch, or which officer deployed physical force.

The PACT's Writing Ability section covers grammar, and FPSI's sample includes a sentence with a verb-form error ("should've went"). This section covers the agreement, pronoun, and tense rules behind such items, and section 3.5 covers irregular verb forms. Mastering agreement rules, pronoun-antecedent clarity, and tense consistency ensures an applicant's written output is authoritative, professional, and impervious to legal challenge.

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Subject-Verb Agreement: The Intervening Phrase Trap

The fundamental rule of subject-verb agreement states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. In operational law enforcement writing, however, subjects are frequently separated from their verbs by lengthy prepositional phrases, modifier clauses, or evidentiary descriptions. Test writers intentionally place a plural noun inside a prepositional phrase immediately before the verb to bait candidates into an agreement error.

The Core Rule of Intervening Phrases

Words that come between the subject and the verb do not change the grammatical number of the subject. You must mentally isolate and eliminate the intervening prepositional phrase to identify the true subject.

• Defective: "The crate of confiscated automatic firearms were logged into evidence."
• Analysis: The true subject is the singular noun crate, not the plural noun firearms (which is merely the object of the preposition of).
• Correct: "The crate [of confiscated automatic firearms] was logged into evidence."
• Defective: "A bag containing assorted counterfeit bills and forged checks were seized during the search."
• Correct: "A bag [containing assorted counterfeit bills and forged checks] was seized during the search."

Additive and Parenthetical Expressions

Phrases introduced by expressions such as along with, together with, as well as, in addition to, accompanied by, or including do not compound the subject. They are parenthetical modifiers and do not make a singular subject plural.

• Defective: "The lead detective, along with three patrol officers, were dispatched to the scene."
• Correct: "The lead detective, [along with three patrol officers], was dispatched to the scene."
• Contrast with 'And': If the subjects are joined by and, they form a compound subject and take a plural verb: "The lead detective and three patrol officers were dispatched to the scene."

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Compound Subjects Joined by Disjunctive Conjunctions

When subjects are connected by or, nor, either... or, or neither... nor, they are disjunctive rather than additive. The verb does not automatically become plural; instead, it follows the Rule of Proximity.

The Rule of Proximity

The verb agrees in number with the subject noun that is closest to the verb:

1. Singular subject closest to the verb -> Singular verb:
   • Correct: "Neither the patrol officers nor the sergeant was available to authorize the pursuit."
2. Plural subject closest to the verb -> Plural verb:
   • Correct: "Neither the sergeant nor the patrol officers were available to authorize the pursuit."
3. Two singular subjects -> Singular verb:
   • Correct: "Either Officer Miller or Detective Ross is responsible for processing the latent prints."

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Collective Nouns in Law Enforcement Contexts

Collective nouns name a group or collection of individuals: department, squad, unit, canine team, SWAT team, jury, crowd, or division.

• Acting as a Single Unified Unit (Standard): In American legal and professional writing, a collective noun almost always takes a singular verb and singular pronouns when the group operates as a single coordinated entity.
  • Correct: "The SWAT team was deployed to secure the inner perimeter."
  • Correct: "The department has updated its pursuit guidelines." (NOT their guidelines).
• Acting as Disaggregated Individuals: If the individual members of the group are acting independently or at odds with one another, a plural verb is grammatically permissible, though professional report writing strongly favors rephrasing with the word members.
  • Awkward: "The jury were divided in their opinions."
  • Preferred Police Standard: "The members of the jury were divided in their opinions."

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Indefinite Pronouns: Singular vs. Plural

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific persons, places, or things. They are a frequent test target because many singular indefinite pronouns end in -one or -body and refer to groups of people, leading untrained writers to assume they are plural.

Always Singular Indefinite Pronouns

These words always take a singular verb, regardless of any prepositional phrase that follows them:

• Each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody.
  • Correct: "Each of the recovered revolvers was loaded with hollow-point ammunition." (NOT were loaded).
  • Correct: "Neither of the two drivers was injured during the collision." (NOT were injured).
  • Correct: "Everyone in the surrounding apartments was evacuated immediately." (NOT were evacuated).

Always Plural Indefinite Pronouns

• Both, few, several, many.
  • Correct: "Several of the witnesses were interviewed at the precinct."

Variable Indefinite Pronouns (The SANAM Rule)

Five common indefinite pronouns—Some, Any, None, All, Most—can be singular or plural depending on the noun in the prepositional phrase that follows them:

• If the noun is uncountable (mass noun), the verb is singular:
  • Correct: "None of the seized currency was marked by investigators."
• If the noun is countable, the verb is plural:
  • Correct: "None of the seized weapons were registered to the suspect."

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Pronoun-Antecedent Clarity: Eliminating Fatal Ambiguity

A pronoun must have a clear, unmistakable antecedent—the specific noun to which the pronoun refers. In public safety writing, ambiguous or unattached pronouns can destroy the factual foundation of an arrest.

The Ambiguous Pronoun Trap

Consider this classic report sentence:

• Defective: "Officer Smith chased the suspect down the corridor until he tripped and dropped his gun."
• The Fatal Ambiguity: Who tripped? Officer Smith or the suspect? Whose gun was dropped? If the case goes to trial, defense counsel will use this sentence to argue that Officer Smith dropped his own service weapon, creating chaos regarding who was armed.
• Professional Correction: "Officer Smith chased the suspect down the corridor until the suspect tripped and dropped a revolver."

Rules for Pronoun Integrity in Crime Reports

1. Repeat the noun whenever two people of the same gender are involved: Rather than using he or she repeatedly in an interaction between an officer and a suspect, repeat "Officer Jackson" and "suspect Davis."
2. Avoid broad reference with 'this' or 'which': Do not use this or which to refer to an entire preceding sentence or concept. Provide a specific noun.
   • Defective: "The suspect reached into his waistband and made sudden aggressive movements, which caused the officer to deploy his taser."
   • Correct: "The suspect reached into his waistband and made sudden aggressive movements. These actions caused Officer Reed to deploy his taser."

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Tense Consistency in Factual Incident Reporting

The established standard for law enforcement narratives is the simple past tense. Officers write incident reports after the events have transpired; therefore, the narrative must consistently reflect completed past actions.

The Error of Unwarranted Tense Shifting

Untrained officers often slip into present tense during the climax of an exciting or stressful encounter, attempting to create a sense of dramatic immediacy. In formal police reporting, this is a major defect.

• Defective Shift: "Deputy Clark arrived at the dispatch address and knocked on the front door. A male voice from inside shouts profanities and refuses to open the door. Deputy Clark then drew his sidearm."
• Correct Consistency: "Deputy Clark arrived at the dispatch address and knocked on the front door. A male voice from inside shouted profanities and refused to open the door. Deputy Clark then drew his sidearm."

Legitimate Present Tense Exceptions

There are only two circumstances where present tense belongs in a police narrative:

1. Verbatim Quotes: When quoting a statement made by a participant in direct dialogue.
   • Correct: "The suspect stated, 'I live at this address, and I do not have any identification.'"
2. Evergreen Facts and Statutory Definitions: Statements of permanent geographical landmarks, scientific principles, or statutory definitions.
   • Correct: "Oak Street runs north and south and features four traffic lanes."
   • Correct: "Penal Code Section 459 defines burglary as entering a structure with felonious intent."

The Past Perfect Tense: Establishing Pre-Arrival Timelines

Use the past perfect tense (formed with had + past participle) to document events that occurred prior to your arrival or before another completed past action:

• Correct: "Upon entering the master bedroom, I observed that the burglar had ransacked the dresser drawers and had shattered the sliding glass window prior to my arrival."