3.1 English Grammar (Parts of Speech & Subject-Verb Agreement)

Introduction to Grammar in Law Enforcement

In the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service (TTPS), clear and grammatically precise language is not merely an academic standard; it is a critical operational tool. Police officers are required to document incidents, record witness testimonies, and compile case files that are scrutinized by defense attorneys, prosecutors, and magistrates. A single grammatical error or ambiguous sentence can compromise the integrity of an investigation, leading to misinterpretation, loss of credibility in court, or the dismissal of a case. Therefore, mastering standard English grammar—specifically parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, and correct pronoun usage—is a foundational requirement for any aspiring officer sitting the TTPS Entrance Examination.

1. Parts of Speech: The Building Blocks of Reports

Every word in a police report serves a specific function. Understanding these parts of speech allows officers to write descriptions that are objective, detailed, and clear.

• Nouns: Refer to people, places, things, or concepts. In reports, nouns must be specific (e.g., "a silver Nissan Tiida" instead of "a car") to provide actionable intelligence.
• Verbs: Express actions or states of being. Active verbs (e.g., "apprehended", "recovered") make reports direct and clear, whereas passive structures can obscure who performed the action.
• Pronouns: Replace nouns to avoid repetitive language. They must have clear antecedents. If a report says, "The officer spoke to the suspect, and he began to cry," the pronoun "he" is ambiguous because it could refer to either the officer or the suspect.
• Adjectives and Adverbs: Modify nouns and verbs respectively. While descriptive adjectives are necessary for suspect profiling (e.g., "a tall, muscular male"), officers must avoid subjective modifiers that express opinion rather than fact (e.g., "the suspect acted suspiciously" should be replaced with "the suspect repeatedly looked over his shoulder and quickened his pace").
• Prepositions: Define spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., "under the seat", "after the collision"). Accurate prepositions are crucial for establishing the exact location of physical evidence.

2. Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

The basic rule of subject-verb agreement is straightforward: a singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb. However, several complex sentence structures frequently appear on the TTPS exam to test your attention to detail.

A. Collective Nouns

Collective nouns refer to groups of individuals. In standard British and Caribbean English, which the TTPS follows, the treatment of collective nouns depends on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals.

• Singular collective nouns: Words like team, squad, department, and jury usually take singular verbs when acting as a unified entity.
  • Correct: "The canine squad is preparing for the search operation." (The squad acts as one unit).
  • Correct: "The jury has reached a verdict."
• The Special Case of "Police": In Commonwealth English, the word police is always treated as a plural collective noun.
  • Correct: "The police are investigating the burglary." (Never "The police is investigating").
  • Correct: "Local police have established a checkpoint on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway."

B. Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing. They are a major source of agreement errors on the entrance exam.

• Singular Indefinite Pronouns: Words like each, every, everyone, someone, anybody, either, and neither are grammatically singular and require singular verbs.
  • Correct: "Each of the suspects is being held in a separate cell." (The prepositional phrase "of the suspects" contains a plural noun, but the subject is "each", which is singular).
  • Incorrect: "Each of the suspects are being held..."
  • Correct: "Neither of the drivers claims responsibility for the accident."
• Plural Indefinite Pronouns: Words like both, few, many, and several are plural and require plural verbs.
  • Correct: "Several of the witnesses have agreed to provide written statements."

C. Compound Subjects with "Or" and "Nor"

When subjects are joined by or, nor, either...or, or neither...nor, the verb must agree with the part of the subject that is closest to it. This is known as the rule of proximity.

• Scenario 1: "Neither the sergeant nor the officers were present at the briefing." (The plural noun "officers" is closest to the verb, so the plural verb "were" is used).
• Scenario 2: "Neither the officers nor the sergeant was present at the briefing." (The singular noun "sergeant" is closest to the verb, so the singular verb "was" is used).

3. Pronoun Case and Usage

Pronoun case refers to the grammatical function of a pronoun in a sentence. Using the wrong pronoun case is a common error in both written reports and verbal testimonies.

A. Subjective vs. Objective Case

• Subjective pronouns (I, he, she, we, they, who) act as the subject performing the action.
• Objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them, whom) act as the object receiving the action or as the object of a preposition.
  • Correct: "Officer Rambaran and I conducted the vehicle search." (Subjective: "I" is part of the compound subject).
  • Incorrect: "Officer Rambaran and me conducted..." (You would not say "me conducted the search").
  • Correct: "The superintendent assigned the patrol to Officer Rambaran and me." (Objective: "me" is the object of the preposition "to").
  • Incorrect: "The superintendent assigned the patrol to Officer Rambaran and I." (You would not say "assigned the patrol to I").

B. Who vs. Whom

To determine whether to use who (subjective) or whom (objective), apply the "He/Him" or "They/Them" substitution trick:

• If you can substitute he or they, use who.
• If you can substitute him or them, use whom.
  • Example 1: "Who authorized the search warrant?" (Substitute: "He authorized the warrant" -> Correct).
  • Example 2: "Whom did the inspector question?" (Substitute: "The inspector questioned him" -> Correct).

C. The Reflexive Pronoun Trap ("Myself")

Reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, ourselves, themselves) should only be used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the exact same entity, or for emphasis.

• Correct: "I accidentally cut myself while collecting evidence." (Subject "I" and object "myself" are the same).
• Incorrect: "Please submit the case file to Corporal Charles or myself." (There is no "I" earlier in the sentence to reflect. It should be: "Please submit the case file to Corporal Charles or me.")
• Incorrect: "Corporal Charles and myself patrolled the area." (It should be: "Corporal Charles and I patrolled the area.")

Grammatical Rules and Examples