WORDS FOR PLACES, THINGS, PEOPLE, IDEAS AND STATES OF MIND
IN THE SENTENCE "HE COULDN�T CONTROL HIS ANGER," IDENTIFY THE NOUN
ANGER IS A STATE OF MIND
THIS EXAMPLE OF 'ANGER' IS BETTER THAN IN THE TEXT (BLAME THE EDITOR)
IDENTIFY THE NOUN IN "HIS HONESTY WAS APPRECIATED."
HONESTY IS AN IDEA, A NOUN
SPECIFIC NOUNS
IN REPORTS, USE THE MOST SPECIFIC NOUNS FOR WHICH YOU HAVE INFORMATION
DO NOT USE "MALE" IF YOU KNOW THE PERSON WAS A MAN
DO NOT USE "VEHICLE" IF YOU KNOW THE VEHICLE WAS A TRUCK
DO NOT USE "CLOTHING" IF YOU MEAN "SHIRT"
DO NOT USE "RESIDENCE" IF YOU KNOW THE PLACE WAS AN APARTMENT
DO NOT USE "SUSPECT" IF YOU KNOW THE PERSON�S NAME
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
NOUNS THAT NAME A NUMBER OF PERSONS OR THINGS AS A SINGLE GROUP
"GANG" IS A COLLECTIVE NOUN
YOU�LL NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLLECTIVE NOUNS IN SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
PRONOUNS
WORDS WHICH TAKE THE PLACES OF NOUNS
I, ME, MY, MINE
YOU, YOUR
HE, HIS, HIM
SHE, HER, HERS
WE, THEY, THEM
IT, THESE, THOSE
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
DO NOT USE APOSTROPHES WITH POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
OURS, THEIRS AND YOURS ARE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
USING THE PRONOUNS "I" AND "ME"
JONES AND _____ ARRESTED THE DRUNK DRIVER.
JONES AND I OR JONES AND ME?
LEAVE OUT JONES
I ARRESTED THE DRUNK DRIVER OR ME ARRESTED THE DRUNK DRIVER?
USING THE PRONOUN "MYSELF"
MYSELF ARRESTED THE DRUNK DRIVER? NO.
JONES AND MYSELF IS, THEREFORE, INCORRECT
MYSELF IS CORRECT ONLY AS PART OF A (PREPOSITIONAL) PHRASE
BY MYSELF, FOR MYSELF, TO MYSELF, ETC.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
REFER TO AN INDEFINITE OR UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF THINGS
EVERYONE, EVERYBODY, ANYONE AND ANYBODY ARE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
YOU�LL NEED TO KNOW THIS FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
PRONOUN REFERENCE
DO NOT USE A PRONOUN UNLESS THE NOUN IT IS REPLACING IS CLEAR
SMITH TOLD HIM TO TAKE HIS GUN AND SHOOT HIM
WHEN IN DOUBT, SPELL IT OUT
VERBS
SHOW ACTION OR EXISTENCE
EXISTENCE SHOWN BY THE VERB TO BE
AUXILIARY OR HELPING VERBS INCLUDE: COULD, SHOULD, WOULD, MIGHT, MAY, CAN, HAVE, HAS, HAD,
VERBS SHOW TIME
I AM RUNNING
I RAN
I WILL RUN
I HAVE RUN
I HAD RUN
I WILL HAVE RUN
VERBS SHOW WHO (PERSON)
I RUN (FIRST PERSON, SINGULAR)
YOU RUN (SECOND PERSON, SINGULAR)
WE RUN. (FIRST PERSON, PLURAL)
HE, SHE, IT RUNS. (THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR)
THEY RUN. (THIRD PERSON, PLURAL)
VERB �PERSON� IN REPORTS
WRITE REPORTS IN THE FIRST PERSON ONLY
USE I, ME, MY AND MINE TO REFER TO THE WRITER ONLY
WHEN RECORDING THE WORDS OF ANOTHER USE PRONOUNS SUCH AS HE, HIM, HIS, SHE, HER AND HERS.
EXCEPTION: EXACT QUOTES
VERB TENSES IN REPORTS
THE PRESENT TENSE IS INACCURATE. IF YOU WRITE "HE HAS A MUSTACHE," YOU CAN BE CONTRADICTED IN COURT IF HE�S SHAVED.
"HE HAD A MUSTACHE" WILL ALWAYS BE TRUE.
USE ONLY THE PAST TENSE IN REPORTS
IRREGULAR PAST TENSES
WE DO NOT SIMPLY ADD �ED TO THE PRESENT TENSE IN MANY CASES
"RAN" IS PAST TENSE OF "RUN"
USE A DICTIONARY TO DETERMINE THE PAST TENSES OF IRREGULARLY CHANGING VERBS
FIGURE OUT THE FIRST PERSON, SINGULAR OF AN IRREGULARLY CHANGING VERB IN PAST TENSE
THE THIRD PERSON SINGULAR IS THE SAME
EXCEPTION: TO BE
PAST TENSE OF TO BE
I WAS (FIRST PERSON, SINGULAR)
YOU WERE (SECOND PERSON, SINGULAR)
WE WERE (FIRST PERSON, PLURAL)
HE, SHE, IT WAS (THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR)
THEY WERE (THIRD PERSON, PLURAL)
SENTENCE SUBJECTS
TWO BASIC PARTS: SUBJECTS AND VERBS
THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE TELLS WHO OR WHAT DID SOMETHING
THE SUBJECT IS NOT ALWAYS THE FIRST PART OF THE SENTENCE
THERE WERE THREE OFFICERS INVOLVED
CAN BE PLURAL
THE OFFICER AND THE SERGEANT FIRED AT SMITH.
NOT EVERY PHRASE WITH A SUBJECT AND A VERB IS A SENTENCE
"WITH TWO KNIVES ON HIM" HAS A SUBJECT AND A VERB
EVERY SENTENCE MUST HAVE A SUBJECT AND A VERB AND...
SENTENCES ARE COMPLETE THOUGHTS
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
ONLY A PROBLEM IN THE PAST TENSE WITH TO BE (WAS,WERE)
IF THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE IS SINGULAR, THE VERB MUST BE SINGULAR
THE CANDIDATE, SURROUNDED BY HIS STAFF MEMBERS, WAS TIRED.
"THE CANDIDATE" IS THE SUBJECT BECAUSE HE OR SHE DOES THE ACTION OF BEING TIRED.
FIND THE SUBJECT TO AVOID SUBJECT-VERB ERRORS
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
THEY�RE ALWAYS SINGULAR
"THE GANG WAS..." NOT "THE GANG WERE..."
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
THEY�RE ALWAYS SINGULAR
"EVERYONE WAS..." NOT "EVERYONE WERE..."
PRONOUN AGREEMENT
PRONOUNS AND THE NOUNS THEY REFER TO MUST AGREE IN NUMBER
WRONG: A TECHNICIAN SHOULD STOP WHEN THEY ARE TIRED.
"TECHNICIAN" IS SINGULAR, "THEY" IS PLURAL
CORRECT: TECHNICIANS SHOULD STOP WHEN THEY ARE TIRED.
CORRECT BUT AWKWARD: A TECHNICIAN SHOULD STOP WHEN HE/SHE IS TIRED.
AVOID HE/SHE BY PLURALIZING