National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST / Stanard & Associates POST) Grammar and Usage Syllabus

Grammar and Usage syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Grammar and Usage in National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST / Stanard & Associates POST), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Parts of Speech and Sentence Structure

   4 topics

   • Identifying Parts of Speech
     • Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs
     • Prepositions and conjunctions
   • Subject-Verb Agreement
     • Singular and plural subjects
     • Compound and collective subjects
   • Pronoun Usage
     • Pronoun-antecedent agreement
     • Subjective, objective, and possessive cases
   • Sentence Completeness
     • Recognizing fragments
     • Correcting run-ons and comma splices
2. 2

   Verb Forms and Modifiers

   3 topics

   • Verb Tense Consistency
     • Maintaining tense across a sentence
     • Common irregular verb forms
   • Modifier Placement
     • Misplaced and dangling modifiers
   • Parallel Structure
     • Balancing items in a series
3. 3

   Punctuation and Capitalization

   4 topics

   • Commas and End Marks
     • Commas in series, clauses, and addresses
     • Periods, question marks, exclamation points
   • Apostrophes and Possessives
     • Contractions versus possessives
     • Singular and plural possessive forms
   • Capitalization Rules
     • Proper nouns, titles, and first words
   • Colons, Semicolons, and Quotation Marks
     • Joining independent clauses
     • Punctuating quotations

Grammar and Usage flashcards for National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST / Stanard & Associates POST)

18 of 52 cards from the Grammar and Usage deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English?

   Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

2. What is the function of a noun, and what are its main subtypes?

   A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Subtypes include common vs. proper, concrete vs. abstract, count vs. noncount, and collective nouns.

3. How do you tell whether a word is functioning as an adjective or an adverb?

   An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun (answers which, what kind, how many); an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb (answers how, when, where, to what extent). Many adverbs end in -ly.

4. What is the difference between a preposition and a conjunction?

   A preposition shows a relationship (location, time, direction) between a noun/pronoun and another word (e.g., in, on, under, between). A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, or, because).

5. What is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement?

   A verb must agree with its subject in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., 'The officer writes' vs. 'The officers write').

6. When a subject and verb are separated by a prepositional phrase, how do you choose the verb?

   Ignore the intervening phrase and match the verb to the true subject (e.g., 'The box of files IS heavy,' not 'are').

7. Do compound subjects joined by 'and' take a singular or plural verb?

   Generally plural (e.g., 'The sergeant and the captain are present')—unless the two parts name a single unit (e.g., 'Macaroni and cheese is my favorite').

8. With subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor,' how is the verb chosen?

   The verb agrees with the nearer (closer) subject: 'Neither the officers nor the chief WAS available'; 'Neither the chief nor the officers WERE available.'

9. Are indefinite pronouns like 'each,' 'either,' 'everyone,' and 'neither' singular or plural?

   They are singular and take a singular verb (e.g., 'Each of the recruits passes the exam').

10. Do collective nouns (team, jury, committee) take a singular or plural verb?

    Usually singular when the group acts as one unit ('The jury delivers its verdict'); plural when members act individually ('The jury were divided in their opinions').

11. What verb form follows 'There is/There are,' and how is number decided?

    In 'there is/there are' constructions, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it ('There IS one suspect'; 'There ARE two suspects').

12. What is the difference between subjective, objective, and possessive pronoun case?

    Subjective pronouns act as subjects (I, he, she, we, they, who); objective pronouns receive action or follow prepositions (me, him, her, us, them, whom); possessive pronouns show ownership (my/mine, his, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs).

13. How do you decide between 'who' and 'whom'?

    Use 'who' for the subject (it can be replaced by he/she) and 'whom' for the object (it can be replaced by him/her), e.g., 'Who called?' vs. 'To whom did you speak?'

14. What is a pronoun-antecedent agreement error, and how is it corrected?

    It occurs when a pronoun does not match its antecedent in number, person, or gender. Correct it by matching: 'Each officer must file HIS OR HER report,' not 'their report' (in strict usage).

15. How do you choose between 'I' and 'me' in a compound like 'between you and ___'?

    Use the objective 'me' after prepositions: 'between you and me.' Test by dropping the other person ('between...me,' not 'between...I').

16. What is a vague or ambiguous pronoun reference, and why is it a problem?

    It occurs when a pronoun (it, this, they) has no clear or single antecedent, making the meaning unclear. Fix it by naming the specific noun instead.

17. What are the three components every complete sentence must have?

    A subject, a predicate (verb), and a complete thought (it can stand alone as an independent clause).

18. What is a sentence fragment?

    A group of words that is punctuated as a sentence but lacks a subject, a complete verb, or a complete thought (e.g., 'Running toward the scene.').

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